I'm running Focal's in my car. They seem quite Axiom-like. They do cost a little more but I felt they were the better value. You should listen to some if you can. I've also heard good things about the JBL power series but have never heard them. I suggest budgeting $200-500 on a pair of comps.
I'll make a suggestion from personal experience- Consider going "front stage only" The Idea is to reproduce a 2ch home system type sound. Buy 2 really great speakers and 75+ wpc instead of 4-6 mediocre speakers. Try fading the stock system all the way front for a week and see what you think.
There are some very slick integration systems recently out worth serious consideration- check out the Alpine vehicle hub pro($500), the JL Audio clean sweep($300), and JBL has a similar unit coming out with Logic 7 processing and modest internal amplification in addition to pre-outs.($1k last I heard) The Honda HU might not suck so bad with good speakers and real power.
I hang around on fbodyaudio.com quite a bit- the forum is a lot like this one, and the site itself is quite informative. They even have a non-fbody section since the site owner got a Buick.
You are wise to not rush this- take your time.
