i have two friends who are car fanatics and both advise me to do maintence work first in my car before putting mods into it. i have a 92 accord, it has 281k+ miles on it..what should i replace? spark plugs and such, oil filter? help me out, i feel like a chick

At 281K the list could be endless depending on the car's previous maintenance history. Do you have any records?

Replacements:

Timing belt/drive belt + waterpump
Tranny Fluid/Gear oil
Fuel filter
Coolant flush

Adjustments
Valve clearance
Idle speed adjustment