its not the wheels that make the ride worse, its the tires (thickness). usually with aftermarket wheels, people go with the low profile tires that don't absorb as much of the "road". the thick factory tires are meant to do so.

now with lowering, driving a car is driving a car. you just have to be more careful when driving a lowered car. it also depends how low you are planning on going. you can still lower your car a decent amount and not worry too much about scraping, etc.

my advice is to enjoy your 2003 ex-v6 for a bit. get the driving experience, gain some more knowledge on fixing up cars, save up some money and when you are ready, go for the high quality products that will be available in a few months.