What types of wax does everyone use? I know good wax is a must! And what methods do you use to get rid of some minor scratchs? what about swirling?

well for wax i use meguirs nxt gen 2.0 tech wax. for polish i use turtle wax ice liquid polish. and for strenght/shine i use turtle wax platnium liquid wax but i only use it once and a while.

first i use the polish just 1 coat, then i do 2 coats of the nxt gen wax.

for scratches i use 3m scratch remover and or meguirs scratch remover 2.0. you kinda gotta use a lot on some scratches but works really good.

you can use 1 of the scratch removers for swirls but i just make sure to keep the car clean and all towels that are used on the car clean.

i just really like the nxt gen 2.0 tech wax im not sure about durablity but it makes cars look hell alot better every time. but the polish is good for matte finishes i use it on my matte paint bicycle and it makes it look much better lots better.

Most guys have a favorite compound they like. What color? How deep? How's your buffing experience?
When someone scratched my wife's car I was able to sand with 2500, compound with 3m's extra cut, then swirl remover and final glaze. This is not a big deal for me as I do paint cars.
Black cars will usually need a couple more steps in the compound grit. A lot of people like Mequire's products. I heard they were bought out by 3m. HTH