Welcome Man! Here is my N00Bs guide to modding a first generation (2000-2004) Xterra:
Searching is very helpful, there is a lot of stuff covered here already...but here is a quick noobs guide to modifying the xterra
1) Remove the step rails from the truck. They are VERY thin and if ever hit on a rock or tree stump etc off road, they crumple into the bottoms of your doors. Plus, even without a lift, the truck LOOKS higher to the eye with less stuff hanging down off of it.
2) Remove the mud flaps hanging down if you have them. Couple screws and maybe a razor blade to get them off. Same concept...they look better without them, and with less stuff hanging DOWN close to the ground, the truck LOOKS higher!
3) Avoid Brush Guards/bull bars or any kind of front bumper bar that bolts on. The problem is the way they mount. They have to go below the frame horns, which reduces your ground clearance and your appraoach angle. ALso, if you ever rear end someone or run into something, they will immediately crumble and fold over on top of your hood, head lights, grill, etc. They WILL cause more damage and provide no real protection.
4) Avoid any engine chips that advertise crazy horsepower gains. They are a scam. There is no real way to get A LOT of power out of these engines.
5) Do go for the stock air box mod. You can easily modify your stock airbox so that it works about like a cold air intake. Plus it still has the air box which protects the air filter from dirt and water.
6) Remove your rear sway bar (FREE!). The link to the How To is in my signature below.
7) PML is a cheap and effective (~1.5") suspension lift for ~$70. Link to the How To is in my signature.
8) If you are mechanically inclined and not afraid of a bigger task, you can get a 2" body lift for ~$70 if you are resourceful.
9) If your plastic bumpers and grills are dull and gray, you can paint them with a few rattle cans of spray paint or spray on bed liner. Looks great.
Essentially, for under $200 and a bit of labor and desire to learn, you can have a 3.5" lift, a better intake and a bad ass looking truck.
On the stock 1.5 generation Xterra, you can fit 32" tires with minor trimming of the plastic around the front wheels.
With a 2" body lift and some minor trimming, you can fit 33" tires.
Note: Any Suspension Lift does not allow for bigger tires. The extra room disappears once the suspension flexes on a bump.
Also, decide what it is you want your truck to do. Don't just do a mod because you were told to. Kinda think about what you want to do in your X that you can't do yet, and figure out what you need to do to get there
Also, if you plan to get into offroading at some point, new tires will be far better than any lift or bolt on mod!
Click the link in my build thread...first page I have some pics of where I plasti dipped my emblems...turned out nice!
Great job, Rob. That was a lot more effort than I wanted to put into anything right now.. College finals time suckkk haha. But yeah, these are all great things to guide you along the way.
__________________ 2001 Xterra 4x4 Mods:
3" AC AAL SL, Revolver Shackles, LoPro Bumpstops, 2" AC BL, 33x12.5 Duratracs, 15x8 Pro Comp 52 Rock Crawler wheels, Rage roof rack, Cherry Bomb Extreme dual exhaust, Undercoated, Pioneer DEH-3200UB deck, Sony Xplod door speakers, 2 12" Kicker Comps in Kicker box, 350W Bolt amp, Cobra 75 WX ST CB & Firestick FS4-W Antenea, SRB Off Road Lights, lots of paint and many mods to come...
Welcome to clubX! There are tons of great mods that will help you out until you start tearing into your rig. The resonator delete mod is a great one to start with http://www.clubxterra.org/forums/showthread.php?t=2192. Better flow through the intake and a nice sound. New shackles and cranking the tbars is another great way to get a better stance. Best thing to do is ask plenty of questions as everyone on here have tons of info and usually love to help out.
__________________
~Brian
2002 Xterra SE 3.3
------------------------ She's paid off...let the mods begin
Wow. Thats some good info for him. He didnt even have to work for it. Hes supposed to wash your X before you give him that many secrets. o.o.
Well laneg11 he pretty much covered the basics soo.. Not much to say. I X2 everything he said. Also stay away from Throttlebody spacers and IMS because they dont do squat for our engine.
I got my truck a little over a year ago when i was 17and had the same problem with being occupied wit sports during the week here is the basics of what I've done and the approximate prices. I have built mine in a tight budget like it sound you will be doing
Bed liner for plastics $50 and couple hours o labor
Pml about $60 and 1 hour of labor
Body lift I think I paid $110 from another member and it took 6 hours to install
BFg km2 %80 tread bought from forestgreen11 $500 and helped him install some stuff on his car
$15 wind deflectors bought from xterramike
$50 cheapo lights from autozone
Keep an eye out for deals on the forum, members are always willing to cut a good deal for other members if you are flexible
All paid for by mowing lawns haha
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I find that it is a constantly relevant topic so I keep it close by 
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