I'm New To Car's. Where To Start?

Where do I start if I want to learn about cars? I don't have a car right now. And I don't really have anyone to teach me about them either. So how do I learn on my own? Like reading books or something? Where do I start from?  

automotive basics

^^^ go to auto basics.

and then research the rest of categories.

and i recommend you seriously think the next part i mention.

what do you prefer:
awd, rwd, fwd
4cyl., 6cyl., 8cyl.
v-type engine, h-type engine, inline engine
2door, 4door
body style, and your preferred car manufacturer.

once you pick a car, buy a manual for it( you can buy at autozone they have them).

and then do the basic modifications for a car:
air intake system, cat-back, headers.

but before that:
think about your power gain goals.
200hp? 300hp? 400hp?

can you handle 200hp? 300hp? 400hp?

which route will you go na(naturally aspirated), forced induction(fi)?

and if go FI, which one supercharger(centrifugal or roots) or turbocharger( twin-turbo(sequential etc.) or single-turbo...small turbo or big turbo)?

and budget on the build.

and then after chose route, you then have to do specific research on how to make that setup work on your car.

each engine(design) works differently(gas saver, or high compressions ratio,etc.) so need to adjust your plans towards it's characteristics.

on books:
maximum boost(somewhat outdated but the core area there) a turbo/boost book
car magazines( super street, modified, import tuner, etc., they'll give some basic info as well)
and then books on specific stuff( autotech, automotive refinishing, automotive collision repair, suspension, transmissions, etc., your knowledge later on will have to grow)
even some tuning books(you know EFI tuning, turbo tuning, and some like algebra like things).

and if you ever choose a racing route( if you get into racing,etc. pick the tuning design on your car for that setup of racing *drag, drift, autocross, time attack,etc*)

hopefully i made it more clearer what need to do and hopefully didn't confuse you more.
i've been thinking of how to answer this f.a.q, and the above is somewhat of it answered but the question goes very broad.

an if have more questions, don't be scared to ask.  
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"AzulTuning.webs.com" Join and have Fun

Thanks. Haha. So it's just gonna take some time for me to actually get to know cars and be able to fix them and stuff? So how would I gain experience from using my car? Like just look inside it and see how stuff works or what?  

and when I get my first car. Should I just jump right into stick? Or wait for like 2 years and get an auto first then go to stick?  

it will take time to learn but don't get frustrated, i had to learn as well and still got much to learn.

doing the basic tune-up on the car will help you get used to your car, and get familiar with how your car is.

start with automatic, especially if don't know how to drive yet.

but if you plan  have a manual/stick car in the future you might as well have a stick car as your first(especially if plan to keep it).

but seriously practice with automatic first,lol.

the manual haynes, that i've always gotten, have pics of engine bay and underbody, and they give the names of the basic parts of your car(oil dipstick, etc.)

and it tells you how-to do a regular tune-up(oil change,spark plug change, oil filter change)

a few months of driving automatic should be good.

but just remember what i said on my first post, that' will make it easier for you in the future.  
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"AzulTuning.webs.com" Join and have Fun

A lot of this depends on what you actually want to know. Are you looking to just know the basics as far as bolt-ons or do you want to know how to tear down an engine and rebuild it.

As far as knowing the basics the best thing is to read magazines and read up online. You also have to really figure out what you "style" is. Like the other poster said do you like FWD, RWD or AWD?

The thing that really helped me was getting in with a great club and learning everything I could from them. It would be my number 1 recommendation. I got into JadeCrew about 10 years ago with nothing really done to my car and learned as I went. I have made friends for life and gained a wealth of knowledge.  
Check out the Jadecrew and our blog at www.jadecrew.com

Personally, I didn't know about cars much until i went to car shows, read different threads, google some of the information and find a car that you like and want to focus on.

You can jump into stick if you want in my opinion-I taught myself how to drive a stick and it took me a week and a 1/2 but its all up to your learning ability-If you're going to get a used car then why not get a stick or see if someone can at least teach you the motions and what to do so that you can be a little ahead of the game once you actually get in and try to drive it-once you learn how to get out of first gear you'll be fine-and if you're on a hill theres nothing wrong with using the emergen. brake sometimes ;]. Plus if you get a used car have a little money set aside incase you burn the clutch-its not THAT expensive. 'cause once you feel the power control difference between an Auto and a Man you'll be upset if you started manual first.  
Don't let a female pass you; come get her ;]///R6 Rider RSX driver

There are a lot of paths forward for you, the internet, books, clubs... however I'm a big believer in getting your hands dirty. You don't mention it but I'd guess your young and at home, you can learn on your parents car!    

If this guess is right go find a manual for that beast and read, read, read. Open the hood, look through the illustrations and learn the parts. You see even if your parents drive a Chevy Impala, and you eventually buy a Mazda, both cars are going to have an alternator, a cooling system, a heating and air conditioning system, on and on and on. A great deal of what you learn will transfer across many brands.

Good Luck