I just bought this car 3 days ago and it seems to be all stock. it has high miles 190k but a lot of highway miles. I was thinking about sticking $1200 into it what would get me for horsepower for my money. I know the basics like K&n pulley kit exhaust what else is there

 

Best thing to do? Honestly dont try to hard with mods. I would recommend everything you listed but give it a good tune up first. Check the spark plugs, wires, fluid levels, coil packs, etc. The best thing for a high mile car is a good tune up and some love and she'll love you right back. That can honestly get you some robbed ponies back. (But maybe if you want to do something try a split port swap. I know 94's only had a single port).

 

Split port and gears. Don't wast your money on pulleys for the 3.8, way to expensive and you will not feel a difference. You will be highly dissapointed.

Things to avoid are bigger throttle bodies, and pulleys. Expensive paper weights.

My recommendation would be and in this order;

Exhaust- will make you feel good to hear it sounding nice.

Suspension- will make the car feel new and much more enjoyable to drive.

Gears- 4.10 for automatic, also all you will need to grab a tuner for the shift points and a speedo gear to correct the speedometer.

Split port swap- most HP boost for the money, but about the same price as the rest combined.

 

CAI = waste
Pulleys = waste

Most mods on 94-98 = waste

I had a 98 and I can speak first hand about modding them, and they respond horribly to mods. Plain and simple. They were a huge improvement over the old 2.3L I4, but weren't intended to offer ground pounding performance. With $1200 you're gonna be very limited, but your best bet would be to do a full tune up and a split port swap if money allows. The split port swap will add a solid 40 rwhp. The split port design also doesn't respond too well to mods, but much better than the single port, but with that kind of millage on the engine, you're gonna wanna keep mods to a minimum. Given the age of the car and the millage, too much extra strain on the engine could cause problems.

 

I think a full tune up should be the first order of business with any new (to you) car purchase. After that look into doing some mods. You just bought the car. Give yourself some time to get a feel for the car before spending money on mods. You might find some things that need repair before you spend money on mods, especially with 190k miles.

I’d replace the engine, tranny, rear differential, power stearing & brake oil/fluid. Replace the spark plugs & wires too. Replace the engine, tranny & fuel filters too. Don’t forget to replace/flush the coolant. While your in there check the condition of the brake pads and replace if necessary. For bonus points, I would get an alignment and the wheels balanced. A little bit of preventative maintenance will go a long way.

Good luck and enjoy the new (to you) ride.