Suspension Advice Needed

[Jeff Newton <newton@pmc-sierra.bc.ca>]

I'll admit it....I'm a newbie when it comes to upgrading and tuning.  With
the lists' help I've done WAY more than I thought I could do so here I turn
again.

I need suspension advice!  Since this is the first car I've owned that is worth
upgrading, I know very little about suspensions.  If there is a faq out there
then refer me to that if my questions seem trivial.  BTW, I'd appreciate real
advice relating to my concerns, not just "....buy my brand, they're great!".

First the background:

I have a 1997 Jetta GLX.  I want to get rid of the 4X4 look and lower the car
1-1.5".  My wife drives the car (she thinks the car looks fine as it is) so 
I don't want to sacrifice much/if any ride quality.  But I don't want to spend
the $$ if I can't get a better handling car outta the deal.

Because of $$ constraints, I thought that perhaps I could just get new springs
installed and abuse my stock shocks for a year or so before upgrading them.  I
hear tons of stuff about spring rates, linear vs. progressive, shock valving and
I guess the marketers have done their job cause the names bilstein,koni,eibach,
neuspeed,spax,avo,h&r are floating through my head.

My questions:

Is there a big difference between spings (are eibach spings that much better 
than neuspeed?) other than spring rates?  Why would someone want h&r over 
eibach over neuspeed?

Is it the spring or shocks that contribute to ride harshness?

I know what I want to achieve but I've never driven a car with bilstein,koni,
eibach, or neuspeed,etc setups, so how can I decide which is best for me?  I
don't mind spending $ for quality components but I'd hate to drop major cash
on a setup that ends up too harsh.

Probably the best way to go would be an adjustable setup like the SPAX so I 
could change the ride as mine or my wife's tastes change.  Can I get springs
then when I decide to upgrade the shocks, go with adjustable?  Must certain
shocks be used with certain springs? 

I'd appreciate any advice tossed this way.  Perhaps the answers could be
massaged into some sort of suspension faq that would benefit other newbies.  I
know I can't be the only one who doesn't have a clue as to where to start.

Cheers,

- ---
Jeff Newton
1997 Jetta GLX
5800km