Toyota and Honda are usually head-to-head as far as reliability. I wonder what the deal with your car is? I've heard Scions are garbage, no disrespect meant. Just saying.
You never want to cut corners when it comes to mods, it's always better to do it right the first time. You can find a good amount of springs/shocks packages on eBay as well as camber kits. I imagine you could be set up real good for about 7 bills.