+1 Bobberth.
I learned from handing my dad tools, and watching him do the jobs he wouldn't let me touch. Also, I watched "This Old House" on PBS starting in season 2 (and off-and-on ever since). I only saw season 1 in reruns during season 2, and found that first season unwatchable. I wish I would watch season 2 again, and see the sequence that made me put it on my DVR ever since - Norm Abram decided a rotten wall in one of the building units was too rotten to repair, so he tore it out. He then laid a bunch of 2x4's on the ground, marked them up as pieces for the wall, walked from one-end of his 2x4's to the other with a nail gun, assembled a wall, and slipped it into place in no time. Mesmerized, I was hooked.
For home repair:
Today, I recommend watching ATOH - "ASK This Old House" - the PBS show where the contractors who do the main TOH show walk through common (and not so common, but needed) home repair jobs. The ATOH website hosts lots of how-to videos taken from the weekly show, plus additional projects that never made it to air.
For car repair:
Car companies have made it so car repair is extremely difficult - you need to be a specialist to do many tasks on today's cars. HOWEVER... if you have an older car - especially something like a VW Beetle - you can not only find parts for it, but repair EVERYTHING that could go wrong with it yourself. With the help of a book, and YouTube videos. I learned how to replace a brake master cylinder, brake lines, rotors, drums, disc brake pads - all from YouTube, and by doing. (Hint: wear rubber gloves). I already knew how to change the oil, oil filter (always changed together), and spark plugs. I leave more difficult tasks to the pros because I know a good shop in my area, but it's nice to know I could do the repairs if I had to.