I am going to buy an airbrush setup soon, and was wondering if anybody wanted to give me tips on cleaning it and takeing care of it so it lasts. thanks

What kind of airbrush???

Generally speaking, If you clean it after each use It should last you a long time.

Which kind of AB will help focus your responses.
In general though
On cleaning - clean it after every use! Use the protective cap (over the needle) they give you.
I usually have a 1/2 ratio on time spent painting to time spent cleaning. I have a Badger 175 and I end my paint session by turning my AB over and spraying as much out as possible. The while upside down I drip in (using a serynge or pipette) water or thinner until it blows out clear. Then I dissassemble the tip and use qtips to clean it all.

Congratulations on acquiring an airbrush.

The best time to clean is when you are about to put away your a/b for storage.

1. Backflush your a/b. Load it up with the appopriate cleaning solution:

I load up Lacquer Thinner. Cover the nozzle and spray. Do this many times as you like. You can tell if it's clean when no paint is coming out when you spray.

2. Disassemble the a/b for more cleaning. Read the instructions on your airbrush.

3. Immerse the nozzles and needles in lacquer thinner. DO NOT immerse non-metal parts (like the O-rings). They will weaken in due time.

4. Swab the other parts clean of paint. Dip a qtip in thinner. If you have a little brush, that will do the trick as well.

Hope this helps.

Ron