IMHO, you should just accept the car for what it is. Life's too short to go wasting time/$ trying to turn something bland but reliable into something more blingy. If the colour, looks and performance are so uninspiring then sell it and buy something that suits your wish list more- it's a lot easier to do that than try turning a moggie into a panther

 

Always nice to see someone trying to make something better. For looks I would start off by color matching everything and fixing missing or broken parts then get some rims drop it an inch and a half or two then get a kit on it maybe just a bumper lip to start out with.

for performance I would definitely get a cold air intake headers aren't bad... if you're looking for a great power increase and better gas mileage I would look into pulstar spark plugs it's about $80 for four but very well worth it

hope it helps good luck

 

 

Speed is difficult. As far as handling-

Extended front ball joints, a 1.5-2.5" drop on a good set of coilovers, and a thicker rear sway bar (19-22 mm, the RSX type S used a good one) will help handling a lot.

The only way to make a D17 fast is boost, NOS, or silly high compression- each will cost your a few grand. Just get nice paint, upgrade your handling components, and save for a swap. Or start your D17 turbo build like I have. My budget is $5k, for reference.