Visit
www.showcardetailing.com for tips, etc about detailing. The guy is a really cool guy and you'll learn a lot (there's a forum). He uses mostly Prima products - I have some of them and they're top notch stuff, but I still like my Zaino, too.
www.detailersparadise.com is the best place to get Prima,
www.zainostore.com for Zaino, or I've heard nothing but good things about Griot's which you can get a lot of places.
You don't need a buffer, but it'll help a lot. If you have a local car club I'm sure you can find someone who's handy with it who will show you how to work it and maybe even let you use their supplies so you can see if the do-it-yourself route is for you. The stuff is pricey, but so is a good detail - you shouldn't pay less than $250 for a full interior/exterior detail and expect it to be actually buffed and corrected.