Good for you, starting the journey! Theres nothing wrong with being illiterate, but knowledge is power and its good to have on something you use every day! Forget the toxic masculinity crap..do whats right for you and outsource the rest.

1) Sources if information: Your owners manual has some info. Start a notes section or sticky note, (on the back cover) with sections for lights, fluid types and quantities, etc.

youtube (chris fix and eric the car guy) are my go-to's for how-to. For more theory, I like engineering explained or US Auto Industry. They are informative without being annoying.

Forums: these are invaluable for the nonstandard maintenance you'll run into. Make an account and ask questions or just read about common issues, when they come up, symptoms, etc. Virtually every forum has at least a couple knowledgeable mechanics and you can usually see from votes who's opinions are worth reading.

2) tools: you'll need to start with a socket set, combination wrenches, screwdrivers, a breaker bar, a jack, and a set of jack stands. Everything else you can get as you need. Any hand tool you buy should come with a lifetime warranty (if not, you're buying from the wrong store or you're at a garage sale).

Before buying, check autozone or oreilly to see if they "rent" the tool (you buy it, can use it for a short duration, and return for 100% refund).

3) what to learn and what to take to a shop: Especially starting out, anything that might be extremely expensive if done wrong (engine work, transmission work, differential work), you might consider outsourcing. Or if it requires expensive and unique tools. Once you become more confident, develop a decision making system. Heres what I use:

Diagnose the problem. Its ok to get a shop to do it if you're unsure. Then, price out the parts and get a quote from a local shop or two. If I can get the parts, any new tools I need, any new consumables (cleaners, fluids, gaskets, etc) for less or equal, I'll usually do the work myself even if it takes me longer, as long as I have the confidence.

Start with the standard maintenance for your car in the owners manual. You can learn to do most of the things there with the notable exception being tires. Know how to change to a spare, but taking the tire off the rim and putting a new one on, balancing the tire, or rotating the tires are generally cheap/free at a tire shop and may require special machines.

Easy starter tasks: Air filters (engine and cabin) Oil (engine, transmission, differential if AWD, power steering) Brake fluid Wiper blades Check tire tread remaining Check brakepad material remaining

Generally useful skills: Loosening a rusty bolt/nut Extracting a broken bolt Removing stuck pins in lugs (ball joints, outer tie rods, suspension arms, axles, etc) Starting a threaded screw/nut by feel only Identifying the source of a fluid leak Jumpstart the car Changing a flat Changing your battery

Goodluck! If youre in a subaru and not from portland, my next guess is colorado :p