Advice for a college student on a tight budget

[HoboJoe427]

I'm thinking of upgrading my car's stereo if I can get a decent system for the right price. I have a '95 Toyota Camry with a rather sucky system. I went to a few local places today that were all closed because apparently they don't like to service people that have a normal job and thus are closed on saturdays, and then I went to Bestbuy because it was close by. The guy I talked to at Bestbuy told me that installation of a new stereo unit and four new speakers would be about $310, before actually buying anything.

I wanted to spend $300-$350 for parts and installation. Is this a realistic estimate for an entry-level system, and if not what would be a decent estimate? Second, I was initially planning on replacing the stereo, the front speakers and the rear speakers, but my basic research leads me to believe I can't get all of that on my budget. How much of a difference would it be to replace my stock stereo unit with a new unit and leave the stock speakers? And if I could only replace two speakers would I be better off replacing the front or back speakers? Lastly, does anyone know of any good places to look for a new system? I went to Bestbuy today and they told me it would be more than $200 just to install a new unit and two speakers, more than $300 for all four speakers and the stereo.

I get the feeling that this forum doesn't really cater to someone on my budget but I haven't been able to find any help elsewhere so I appreciate any advice you guys can offer.

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[NFAMOUZ 10+ year member]

i'd recommend looking on ebay and craigslist bro, also if you did decide to get a new deck and had to choose which set of speakers to replace, always do the ones in the front first...and honestly, try to install the stuff yourself, will save you some $$$, just do a little bit of reading and take your time, you can accomplish a decent deck, front/rear speakers with a $350 budget easily

and you could run your stock speakers with an aftermarket deck, I'd highly suggest one with a high pass filter...you'd be in ok shape

 

[AlterEgo99 5,000+ posts]

Save the money and get through school. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif

 

[HoboJoe427]

Good advice in general, but I'm doing fine on that front. I have a really good internship that's about 80% likely to lead to a very good full time job offer at the end of the summer, and while I have more than enough money in the bank, I only really want to drop $300-$350 and save the rest hence the budget constraints.

 

[timbassett 10+ year member]

id keep the stock speakers bro im in da same situation lol trust just buy a nice pioneer head unit redo the wire harness ur self and turn the bass compleatly off so u dont blow ur stock speakers go on ebay u can get a banging pioneer deck for about 150 and then u would have the money to replace ur speakers maby even all 4 idk if u plan on adding subs but if so there a lota cheap ways to get a big bang for a few bucks that way too

 

[k_schutte 10+ year member]

I suggest not getting into car audio!

 

[YoungBloodM50 10+ year member]

So many fails in this thread.

OP, any time you upgrade any part of your stereo you WILL notice a difference. Replace your HU first (do it yourself, it's not hard), if your not satisfied with the sound then replace your speakers. Don't cheap out, get some decent stuff that you won't HAVE to upgrade later if you don't want to.

woofersetc.com

sonicelectronix.com

egay

craigslist

and the clessifieds here on ca.com

But if your planning to do a sub stage don't even bother with your budget. No offense, it's just not going to be easy.

 

[markak134]

go to wall mart get 1 pioneer ts-w3003r $60 amp wire kit buy online cheaper u can get an amp to power it for like 80-100 then ur going to need a cheap amp to power some highs

 

[nateberrier 10+ year member]

CADENCE 5.25" 150w RMS 2 WAY WOVEN SPEAKERS+CROSSOVERS - eBay (item 390135388344 end time Jul-22-10 17:11:29 PDT)

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Premier Pioneer DEH=P860MP/CD-IB100 Ipod Adapter - eBay (item 220638788086 end time Jul-21-10 21:26:39 PDT)

PIONEER DEH-P8600MP NO RCA CAR CD RECEIVER NO RESERVE - eBay (item 370407196202 end time Jul-21-10 19:49:02 PDT)

 

[UMWDawg92 10+ year member]

I got a pair of PG Rsd65cs That I'll sell you for $75 shipped, they're less than a month old and in perfect condition... PM if interested... this set is great for the money

 

[Fender5 10+ year member]

The Install Doctor - The Do-It-Yourself Car Stereo Installation Resource

will guide you through a head unit install. works wonders

thats how i figured out how to take my dash apart.

save you some money there

 

[BigSix 10+ year member]

holy cow $310 to just install a radio and all 4 door speakers?!? what kind of car you got?? you can automatically save 300 bux right there by doing it yourself...it is alot more satisfying and rewarding..for 3 to 500 you can easily get a very nice sounding front stage compared to oem....you just have to be patience and do a little research.....search the classifieds in this site...then research....I would start up front with your radio and door speakers.....buy a radio that suit your needs.....and buy door speakers for the rear ONLY after you bought some and installed them in the front if your NOT satisfied...because your not gonna be driving your car from the back seat and it will sound alot better with just front speakers unless you know how to properly install rear fill(whole notha topic)...im pretty sure you can buy a nice head unit,nice component set , and small amp and amp kit for under $400, just search the classifieds....

 

[LBC99 10+ year member]

I used to have a 95 Toyota Tercel back when I was in college. Definitely look for a used Alpine head unit in the classified section. Too many Pioneer HU have grounding issues, which you don't want to mess with if you are buying used. Make sure you buy a Toyota wiring harness for the car to install the HU so you don't have to cut any wires.

Replace your front speakers first and then worry about the rears. Install it your self and save the money. It really isn't that hard.