How to care for car's exterior?

What is the bare minimum that is recommended to care for a car’s exterior? I live in Massachusetts, so I have to deal with snow and salt, along with birds, dirt, dust, etc.

I just bought a new car. I’m not looking to impress anyone with my stupid looking little Honda Fit, but I would like to make sure this doesn’t turn into my 2002 Accord. The paint on that car had just fallen away, and I was left with a flat white-ish/speckled finish, along with a healthy amount of rust. What would you recommend as the least amount of cleaning/care that should be done?