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[size=xx-large]Tools, tools and more tools:[/size]

[size=large]When you can't touch the tools:[/size]
Sometimes you can touch the tools before you buy them, sometimes not. For the times when you can't touch the merchandise, you can shop by brand. Be prepared to pay for quality.

As a general rule, The main brands in order of lowest quality to highest quality:
Allied - Cheap, decent metal but don't put any real torque on them. Good for the $$
Michigan Industrial Tools - About the same as Allied but a little more carefully machined
Craftsman - Expensive tools but excellent machining, excellent durability and excellent warranty (lifetime for any reason).
Blue point - Expensive and made by Snap-On
Snap-On - The very best, and the most expensive. About 10X the cost and quality of Craftsman

[size=large]When you can see and touch the tools[/size], take a couple of sockets of the same brand and bounce them together in your hand. They need to sound like they're made out of glass. That means the metal is very hard (What you want with sockets)
For tools like hammers and screwdrivers, look for them to be "boxy" like hexagonal or octagonal. That means the tool is hammer forged -- meaning the metal is very hard and can take some real torque.

Basically, the metal of your tools has to be harder than the metal of your work. That is the whole point here. The best way to shop for tools is to be able to handle them. But if you can't, you can't go wrong with Craftsman or Snap-On. In a pinch, Allied or MIT will do... but there is a reason why they are in the 5-dollar tool bin.

When working on your car, NEVER reach for the pliers first. The pliers are the wrong tool for almost every job. Pliers are for grasping and pulling, not for twisting a nut.

By the way, I'm not liable for anything you do to your car.

Thanks for reading!