Help Choosing a Head Unit

[Alan112486]

I don't know much of anything about car audio, although I do a lot of hardware work with computers, but I recently bought an 05 Nissan Frontier, and found that the CD Player has a CD jammed in it. I have tried everything to get it out, apart from taking the dash apart and opening up the player. But I ultimately decided just to get a completely new head unit and save myself the trouble of repairs and repeat jams. Plus it's a stock, no-frills unit. The problem is I really don't know what to get.

My dream would be to get something with built in navigation, but I don't know if it's worth it to get a unit for $600 or $800 + the cost of navigation, for something I will occasionally use.

So my other questions are if I get a standard sized unit, will there be a gaping hole in my dash when the larger unit is removed, and do they come with covers? Are there brands that are better than others? That last unit I bought was a Sony for an older truck, and it skipped on every bump I hit, and would only play my CD's if they were in pristine condition. Is a head unit installation I can do myself or is it something I should have a professional do?

I'm looking to spend at most $400, but if its worth it to get a navigation system, I might be willing to spend more.

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[Bumpin' Goalie 10+ year member]

I like the Alpine CDA's for easy use and decent quality.

Also the Kenwood eXcelon line is pretty handy. Currently running the x-693. I like it. No problems with skipping so far plus useful features.

Can be had online for ~150$

Neither are GPS; they are single din.

Also, there will not be a hole left with a single din. Just get a dash kit for it (so it fits properly) for ~20$ and any excess space will be filled with either a flat surface or a small storage area.

My experience with GPS H/U's is too limited to comment.