In my humble opinion, the following list of hand tools would be a good starting point for an intermediate level mechanics. I also suggesting doing your homework on tool value. I have purchased many of my tools from eBay, Craigslist, OfferUp, Close5, and garage sales. I have made awesome purchases and have made not so great purchases. That will happen to you as well, but do your homework and the probability is reduced.
As you gain experience and want to take on more advanced tasks, your tool set will definately increase and tend to specialize.
For example, I have a great deal of brake oriented speciality tools.
In some cases, you'll want to rent or borrow them from NAPA or AutoZone.
Other times, you'll want to purchase the tools you'll need.
In addition, as you need more speciality tools, they will become harder to find and will cost more.
Note: For people serving our country, they can usually leverage a garage on base with experienced people present.
Beginner Tool Set | in lbs & ft lbs Torque Wrenches | Vacuum Guage |
Lighted Mirror | Automotive DVM | LED Test Light |
Floor Jack | Jack Stands | Creeper |
Car Ramps | Good LED light | Bi-Directional Scan Tool |
Flare Wrenches | Air Compressor | Impact Wrench |
Impact Sockets - SAE and Metric | Impact Extensions | Speciality tools based on job |