car help book

For someone who knows nothing about cars, is a book like-
"How to keep your Volkswagen alive: A manual of step by step procedures for the compleat idiot" (John Muir idiot book auto series)
-Worth it? I'm really dedicated to learning about my car, and this book sounds like a pretty basic beginning! Any thoughts, or other suggestions?

It's a classic for early beetles, they're widely available & cheap (check out eBay). For a more technical & in depth manual find a Bentley $.