had one for about 23k before it got totalled loved every minute of it.

Balance shaft removal and header should be your first mods if its stock... those will yield best bang for the buck.

butterfly you can have fixed @ the dealership for free. also check for recalls... avoid 02's unless it has the revised engine, 04 had the option of brembo's with a face lift which i'm sure you know and also got a longer 1st gear.

anything else? mine was reliable as it comes... but always check compression and try to buy stock if you can. maintaining a car is key