Thanks for all the suggestions. I went down to Sears this afternoon, they had a sale on craftsman tools and I picked up a mechanics socket and wrench set for a $100. They're not an A class set but they seem serviceable. I used them this afternoon and the set is pretty complete in terms of the sizes I'll need and they seem robust enough for my planned use (tightening the nuts and bolts on a periodic basis,
oil changes, etc)