Wash with Dawn dish soap
Use a clay bar on the whole car
Wash again with either Dawn or car wash soap
Remove swirl marks and clear coat scratches
Meguiars #9 2.0 or 3M Finesse It II work well
If using carnauba, apply a glaze.
Apply your favorite wax or sealant
Use some quick detailer
Follow up with weekly washings with good shampoo and quick detailer.
I don't own a buffer, but prefer hand for everything except removing swirl marks. It takes me about 8 minutes to apply a coat of sealant or good wax to a Contour. I'd waste so much if I used a buffer. But mild swirl mark removers such as the ones I recommended require heat to work and my arms get sore after 15 minutes of rubbing one body panel. So, I;m hoping to get a good random orbital buffer soon.
Aaron
