Car washing/detailing is one of my favorite subjects, drives my wife nuts! I've got dozens of microfiber towels in the laundry room, and various closets and other areas throughout the house -- she can't stand it!
Again though flash, a lot of the products will come down to your personal preference. I used to be a huge Zaino nut, and bought all their products, but a couple years ago I moved on in large part thanks to the pros on e90post.com.
Zaino's products are good -- I don't know if there's anything out there that beats Zaino for durability...especially in its price range. I just want a warmer, wetter look than Zaino products can provide. Instead Zaino is great if you prefer a shiny clean look.
Zaino's car wash is really good though. They also have foam pads you can use to apply tire dressing.
If I were you, I'd only get the Meguiars products I linked earlier from your local auto shop, and stick to autogeek/detailers domain, etc for everything else.
For black plastic trim, I don't like the wet look personally. Instead I use 303:
http://www.autogeek.net/16oz.html
303 is pricey, but really good stuff. Not sure what other questions you have, but autogeek has tons of useful info available you can read up on. I highly recommend using the two bucket wash method with grit guards for added protection from swirls. As an extra safey precaution, I also have dedicated wash mitts for upper/lower sections of the car when washing (2 each).
Just sign up for autogeek's mailing list and you should instantly get a 10% off coupon in your inbox. Do the same for the other sites I mentioned. Again, there are lots of coupons/discounts out there, so definitely take advantage of those.