I work at an import shop. I have a mix of everything from Snap On, Matco, and Mac to Husky and Kobalt, etc. As said above, buy good ratchets, but don't waste your money on all tool truck stuff!! If you use your tools and wisely and don't abuse them to much, even Kobalt sockets will last. Buy off Amazon, use coupons at Advance, etc. You can't go wrong with Gearwrench stuff. If you shop smart you can totally get set up for $2,500 and basically have a soup to nuts set up.
The only thing I wish i did different was skip the real cheap Harbor Freight tool box and bought the next one up, or a little bigger used one of CL, or something similar. Let your tool truck driver know your looking for used boxes, sometimes they can make a deal.
Do not go overboard at the start. A good rule of thumb I have used, if you need to borrow something 3 times, you need to buy it.
At first the guys in my shop were tool snobs and rolled their eyes at my non-truck brand stuff, but after a year they all have loaded up on Gearwrench, Sunex, some Duralast, etc. For the money you just can't beat it. *we do have a Lowes and HD within 3 miles, so warranty is no worry.
