Modifying a car on a tight budget is one of the more frustrating tasks in life, as the process is full of corners begging not to be cut. You don't want to put your life in the hands of four no-name tires that Joe's Discount Tire and Lube Shack bought on the black market from the Korean mob, do you? Didn't think so. And the same care should be practiced with significant systems like brakes, wheels, and yes, seats. We at Motive tend to think about seats the same way we think about bedding at home — why would you skimp on something with the sole purpose of keeping you comfortable for extended periods of time? A crappy seat can ruin an otherwise decent car and unfortunately, a lot of cars have been sold with terrible chairs.

Fortunately, decent aftermarket seats range from attractive and affordable to exquisite but expensive. We'll walk you through some of the models we'd consider at different price points, but first, a few suggestions.

Please avoid the temptation to go down to Pep Boys to buy a $150 set of cheap racing seats with something like "Type-R" or "Street Racer" embroidered into their vinyl headrests. Not only will they be uncomfortable and prone to bent frames or broken reclining parts, but your friends will laugh at you. There's better stuff on the used market and a little patience will pay off. Check eBay, Craigslist, or automotive-forum classifieds for some schmuck who paid good money for good seats but still wasn't happy. Or, consider a cheaper OEM upgrade. Any BMW 3-series with "comfort" seats, for example, can easily be upgraded to far superior factory "sport" seats from the same generation. If you don't care that they match the rest of the interior, that'll make the search process quicker, simpler, and cheaper. But also remember that some seats might not fit into all cars, and that some crafty work might be necessary to make mounting brackets carry over. Another tip: Check out Lancer Evolution forums. Those cars all came with excellent Recaros, yet a lot of owners still swap them out for something else.

Also, be conscious of your needs. If you plan on running a five-point harness, buy a seat that'll accommodate one (sometimes the fifth opening is an option). For a street car, we wouldn't consider buying a seat that doesn't recline, as our picks below reflect. Keep some comfort and adjustability and save the fixed-backs for real racers. The last thing to double-check is that you'll actually fit in the seat. Most manufacturers offer measurement charts on their websites, so check them out before you buy. A lot of deep-bolstered seats won't accept a waistline over 36-38 inches, but some companies do offer special extended-width models for you whoppers out there.

With all of that in mind, here are five seats ranging from just $350 to well over $1000. Remember, that's for one seat. If you're OCD like us and need symmetry or simply want to offer your passenger the same level of comfort and support (which we do) then you will have to multiply prices times two. And hang on: Your cost concerns aren't quite done. Before you start tearing the garbage stock seats out of your 240SX, remember to factor in vehicle-specific seat bases and sliders — the kind that make your seats move back and forth, not the White Castle type. Some companies, including Corbeau, sell bases and sliders as one full unit, while others — we're looking at you, Sparco — sell them individually. Prices can range from under $50 if you happen to own a Model T or some similarly simple machine to well over $200 for complicated set-ups in which each part is sold individually. Some companies will even charge you $10 extra just for the bolts. Here, arranged from most affordable to most expensive, are our aftermarket seat picks:

Corbeau makes a wide variety of reasonably priced sport seats, but the TRS is our favorite for its combination of aesthetics and support for the price. For the MSRP listed above, the TRS is offered in either black or grey cloth; a five-point harness version runs an extra $29, while a stretch in width adds another $50. From there, suede, leather, or custom upholstery drive costs up further, quickly canceling out this seat's price advantage. Stick with the cloth, which is stitched attractively through the middle section and wears a minimal amount of branding.

At 27 pounds, the TRS, which uses high-density injection molded foam over a tubular steel frame, is lighter than some of our more expensive picks by four to six pounds. It's also Corbeau's most aggressively bolstered reclining seat, so it might sacrifice a touch of comfort while increasing lateral support. Reclining is done via a pull-lever rather than a spinning dial, which is easy but increases the potential for the mechanism to break. Aside from that and the lack of color choices at the $349 price point, there's little to whine about here.

If you think the Chrono Road looks vaguely like a Lamborghini seat, Sparco designers have done their job. It's our pick if you want to maximize your looks-to-dollar ratio. Part of this is the shape itself, but the parallel rows of contrasting stitching along the high points of the bolsters help as well. This seat's narrow back panel and short bottom would make it an excellent choice for smaller two-seaters. Yet despite its slim appearance, the Chrono Road weighs in at 33 pounds — six more than the Corbeau TRS. Credit that to a stronger steel core.

The Chrono Road is offered through Sparco's website in black cloth or a black/grey combo, but we've also seen it available in red. The cuts on the side bolsters are wider than some seats, so comfort levels will be higher while your body might shift a little more in hard corners.

Okay, we'll admit it. We're suckers for this Momo seat's classic shape, fuzzy Alcantara, and quilted stitch pattern. It's one of the more upscale-looking seats on the market, even if we're not crazy about Momo's yellow logo. Momo's official site offers it only in black, but we've seen other combinations offered elsewhere, including a vomitously McDonald–esque yellow and red combo.

Under its attractive surface, the Momo Street Racer is one of the more impressive seats on the market. It weighs just under 22 pounds, about one-third less than the Sparco and Recaro seats we've included here. It also features unique Momo suspension in the bottom cushion that's designed to help the seat keep its shape longer than most.

If you're looking for the most modern design from the most respected name in car seats, the Recaro Sportster CS is the one to buy — just be prepared to pay the price, which is as high as $1799 for a full-leather version. Recaro markets the Sportster as the perfect balance between a racing shell and a regular sport seat. Comfort and ergonomics are something Recaro excels at, as is build quality, so expect good fit and finish. At 32 pounds it isn't light in this group, but it has a full steel and composite shell that helps justify why the most expensive seat here is also among the heaviest. But if you're looking for an upgrade that's more stock and more upscale than other seats, the Sportster CS is hard to argue against.