welcome to hs dude. happy hondastylin'
as far as the auto tranny goes you can get a torque converter from
http://www.levelten.com/store/import..._converter.htm and that will beat on manuals.
for mods under 1k you could go intake (AEM), header, exhaust, then you could get a nitrous kit
for 3k you could get yourself a nice turbo.