Priced on a 'tune-up' (replacing spark plugs and wires)

I use a little Neversieze on the threads, but just a little. Don't get it into the electrode area.

You should use a little silicone grease on the plug/sparkplug wire connection. Helps to keep moisture out and to remove the cable next time.

Note that modern sparkplug cables are very susceptible to mechanical damage.

Well, I just got the job done tonight. After a couple weeks of procrastination and outright laziness I finally got the energy to replace the plugs and wires. I used anti seize grease on the plug threads and the wires I ordered came with dielectric grease to use in the boots.

Replacing the plugs was the easiest part. The hardest part was removing the spark plug wires from the distributor. My 1998 Prizm has a 'distributorless system' so I don't know what to call it exactly. Anyway, I ended up breaking some of the plastic connectors on the old wires - they were stuck hard and rather brittle. The new wires went on fairly easy, although they were a tad bit longer than the originals so they needed a tiny bit of rearranging. I saw a little fray in the rubber jacket at the end of one wire which worries me a bit, but it didn't seem to go all the way through the jacket or compromise the wire in any way.

The old plugs were in decent condition (they turned out to be Bosch Platinums) from what I could tell. I replaced them with Platinum 2's and the wire set was a Bosch OEM replacement set. The whole thing cost me about $90, and that's including the new socket set I bought. Much better than the almost $200 I would've paid at a shop. The car runs fine, so hopefully I didn't screw up too badly. Thanks to everyone for all your help.