When the time does come to buy something, you should look for threaded lower mounts, pillow ball upper mounts, and a damping adjuster which is relatively easy to get at.

If you get caught up in the autocross thing then "the autocross way" is the way to go. If you're more about having fun with your car and hitting up the occasional parking lot full of cones then you can be a bit less structured with your plans. Still though you should make sure the fundamentals are taken care of: good tires, fresh brakes, good alignment.