have a stock 35hp vanguard 07' mudbuddy that runs fine but i'm just curious cost and performance wise whats out there....i dont want to spend more then 1k, so i guess what are my options for all yall motor heads...thanks

Depending on what ya need I personally like carb, cam, and heads.

X2 on that. Id do carb and exhaust. It cost a little over 1k but is kinda the basics you need to do other things. Heads on top of that would make you smile for sure

High flow exhaust will be the base for any future mods, letting the motor breathe and getting rid of the possibility of the stock pipe dropping weld slag into your cylinders.

Heads would eliminate the common problem of stock valves leaking which rob power.
Together these will be ~$1K and give you more power, load carrying and top end. Depending on how well your stock valves are sealing you may see significant increase in power.

'Gifts' in the cylinder make a mess:

Stock valves suck: