is it a good idea to cut stock springs to lower my civic or is it better to just buy aftermarkets?

 

Cutting springs is always a bad idea, especially when you're messing with progressive springs.

Stock springs get harder as you compress them. When you cut a few coils off, you leave only the "hard" part. The ride will be very rough and bouncy. Most people who cut their springs also do not upgrade their shocks. That adds to the horrible ride.

Don't go the cheap route. Go get some springs. Lowering springs alone can be very cheap. They run from $30 used and up. New ones can be as low as $75-100 if you know where to look.