sorry, for stupid question but painting is not my specialty.
what type of paint would i need to get to paint my dash and door panels, etc? Also, will this paint fade in high contact areas (door handles)?

for the dash, use vinyl paint. if the doors are the same, use the same type paint. for anything plastic, sand it, prime it, paint it, the clear coat it. if you want it shiny then use alot of coats of clear coat but don't clear coat the vinyl pieces.