people who want a smooth ride and competent handling should look past springs.

To guarantee a pleasant ride you'll likely be happier with a mild spring (pro-kits, h&r OE/sport), but its not going to make a dramatic improvement in handling unless you pay some attention to sway bars and allignment as well. And of course, as with any spring upgrade, better shocks are a must.

In your shoes, I'd get some fairly conservative springs, decent shocks (at least agx quality), and invest in some upgraded OEM swaybars with polyurethane bushings (for the sways, not for the whole car).