Mk1 octavia vrs modding advice

Hey guys,

I'm looking into getting a 2001 Octavia vrs as my first car. I'm interested in learning how to fix and mod cars myself. 

What kind of mods should I start with (to increase the power and make it an overall better car), starting with cheap ones if possible. I don't want to turn my car into a torture device for my neighbours and it will also be my daily driver so I don't want to compromise the longevity of the engine (and rest of the car) if at all possible. 

Do you have any other tips or trick for easy maintaining of the car or anything that comes to mind that might help a starting car tinker?

The car in question has not had any aftermarket mods installed.

Cheers!