noob question - cheap stereo

[chocoboat]

I'm completely new to anything car audio related. Up until 4 years ago I drove a car that only had a radio in it... then I upgraded to a newer car that has both a radio AND a cassette player.

Well, the stereo in my car just crapped out and I'm looking to move from 80s technology right up into the 90s, and get one with a CD player. But I'm also a cheap bastard and I want to spend as little as possible to get a half decent stereo. I really just want something that works.

Is there any reason not to get this one? How does this compare to my 12 year old radio/cassette player that came with this car?

I just want to avoid buying a flimsy piece of junk with telephone-quality sound that will make me wish I had spent more in the first place. But obviously, getting top quality sound like all you pros on here is not a big priority.

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[blackbonnie 5,000+ posts]

just buy a nice little pioneer. you can get one for around 130-140$ that will last and have more quality then that.

 

[chocoboat]

Thanks for the reply... yeah I kinda figured that people here would recommend spending more, but I'd really like to do this for as little money as possible. A $140 stereo is well over twice as much money as that $60 one.

Let me put it this way... suppose you were getting one for your mom, who wouldn't even use it that much. Is the quality of the $60 one so bad that you wouldn't recommend it in any situation, or would it be good enough for a mom?

 

[blazeplacid 10+ year member]

really head to wal mart and look at thier pioneer and sony lines

you will find them at a good price there

they will sound decent

the other brands are not as good

when you really turn em up you can tell the differance

 

[ProgMtl 10+ year member]

look in the classifieds on this forum...lots of good stuff there

 

[DDeitz 10+ year member]

here are links to a a couple of popular and cheaper sites for ordering car audio things. I did not select any specific head unit but its the list in ascending order, id suggest a clarion\kenwood\jvc\sony\panasonic after those and they are not in order of quality dual is probly the next "best" brand to choose from.

their are plenty of other online sites you look at including ebay and the classified section here. otherwise i would suggest walmart or a bestbuy\cc or other electronics store "super deal" on a decent brands headunit.

http://www.woofersetc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=8&mfg_account_ID=&sort=low&=Update+Selection

http://www.onlinecarstereo.com/CarAudio/ProductList.aspx?CategoryID=4&RowIndex=0&PageNum=1&SortField=1&ShowAll=False&SortOrder=0&