Electric buffers are great. For a beginner buy a Porter Cable 7424 XP. its a dual action and very hard for anyone to burn/hurt your paint. Its great for swirl removal, and applying sealants. Wax I prefer to always do by hand with a Lake City foam pad or actually with my hands. look at these web sites for further information
Detailed Image - Premium Auto Detailing Supplies AutoGeek.com Automotive Super Site their affiliated forums have more information then you can think of and have many high end detailers to help you out.