Thanks, BlackMercedes
 

I took all the opinions that I got from this forum and others, analyzed them all, and have found/decided/discerned that:

1. My car runs GREAT as it is. Just yesterday, I beat the s**t out of a C 280, as well as a nasty little bug (Z3). I think the C 230 K has a huge heart ;)

2. There is ABSOLUTELY no need to modify it in any fashion for performance, whatsoever. Doing so, as BlackMercedes - and some others - wisely pointed out, would cause warranty problems, and also could lead to other complications, besides lowering the resale value of the car (I now plan on getting an SLK 230 by end-of-year 2002). However, for those that have gotten such things done, and for whom things have worked out well, great! You may be right about the good points of mods, but somehow, it's making me a bit uncomfortable.

3. But I am planning on putting in clear blinkers, AvantGard grille (entire assembly), and, early next year, maybe an AMG suspension plus 18" wheels (mostly AMG) just to make myself feel better :)

This is my second car ever, and my first Merc ever. Threfore, I am not very knowledgeable about a lot of different aspects of performance. Besides, I was blindly taken in by the various cool-sounding terms and equipment and did not think clearly about the potential problems and headaches one might encounter.
But I'm always willing to listen to cool stories from about mods - they fascinate me a lot!

There are a million choices and a million roads one could literally and figuratively, take this car through. I just want to make sure the road I take it down leads to happiness :) And I wish to thank EVERYONE on this forum for their incredibly patient and helpful ideas/thoughts/comments/feedback.

Thank you!
Best regards,
Sesh