Ok, heres the deal:

I have about $300-$400 to spend and I want to get a kickass audio system for my car. Here are the requirements:

1. Fits in a 1995 Chevy Lumina
2. I want a way to hookup an iPOD to the main unit so that it can play through the speakers. If not I will need a cassette player for a cassette adapter.
3. I want it to be loud and have a LOT of bass
4. and of course it needs to look good.

If anyone here is an expert in the field and would like to give me some pointers, IM me at VertexJeff and I will give you some free hosting in return. I am really new at this stuff and dont want to waste my money. Thanks

you certainly have make some money...

I have been saving these funds for a while in anticipation of this. AKA they are not my hosting profits.

Jeff,

Sorry, but that just isn't enough money. If you want a great sounding system you need to drop atleast 300 into the deck alone. Then you need to buy your speakers, subs, box, amp, and insulate your whole car.

My system ran me about 2 grand but it was worth it!

So, save your money or don't expect good bass!

A few things to look out for when choosing a clear system:

-Sensivity of 90+ on the speakers
-Atleast 28-20,000 (Hz) Frequency Response (The lower the first number the better) on the speakers
-52 x 4 on the deck

There's tons more, if you have a local store that specialises in this i suggest you go down there! (NOT BEST BUY)

Well the car itself isnt worth that much so I dont want to put too much money into it. I would be happy with a mediocre deck and some mediocre speakers or something. Any ideas on the input for the iPod?

You're driving a 1995 Chevy Lumina and you're worried about how the stereo looks:eek:
Best way to save money would be to see what you can get used. As others -- with more money than you've got -- upgrade their systems they sell or trade in their old ones which are probably a lot better than what you've got now.
Check with some of the top independent installers or there may be a store that specializes in resale.
They can probably give you good advice on what to put the money in that you can move to another car, etc.

Just get a deck with aux inputs and you will be able to plug the ipod into it. You are going to spend most of your money on your deck so save up some more for rest of your equipment. I strongly suggest you do not go and buy a cheap deck because you will regret it.

Could anyone point me at a good deck with aux inputs for say $200? I might just get that to start and then upgrade in the future. any good eBay deals?

This is what I have in my car and I absolutely LOVE this deck. Plays MP3's like a dream, 4 channel + subwoofer output, more controls over the audio than you can shake a stick at.

I'm actually upgrading the system this week :) Should be hitting around 2100 watts when it's done.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3031346074&category=39753

I've got the pioneer premier speakers all the way around and then in the trunk i have

http://www.forgedweb.com/pics/6.jpg

I'm thinking of adding another 800 W kicker amp if i can find that exact same thing

Originally posted by Dixiesys
This is what I have in my car and I absolutely LOVE this deck. Plays MP3's like a dream, 4 channel + subwoofer output, more controls over the audio than you can shake a stick at.

I'm actually upgrading the system this week :) Should be hitting around 2100 watts when it's done.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3031346074&category=39753

Looks like I found myself a new toy :D

Originally posted by KIAHost
Looks like I found myself a new toy :D

I've been ultra pleased with this deck. I really like how it does MP3's some systems really have a crappy MP3 interface. Plus you can't make this thing skip, I can turn it up loud enough to vibrate the CD's out of the little tray below the head unit and it never misses a beat.

Well for 500 you can easily get a really good system. I got mines for only 100 CDN. A brand new 2002 deck one that you push a button and the deck comes out and turns 1/4 way. Pretty nice and then I already have 8 speakers in my car so I added 4 subs in with 3 amps conected. The only bad side is, it can get really loud and this is barly having the volume 1/4 turned. I turned it past 3/4 and my car shuts off on me. Im guessing the car cant handle the load. So make sure yours can, looks like I will get to change my alternater to a bigger one along with a 2nd battery :)
If you need more help with the system you can contact me anytime.

Originally posted by Dixiesys
This is what I have in my car and I absolutely LOVE this deck. Plays MP3's like a dream, 4 channel + subwoofer output, more controls over the audio than you can shake a stick at.

I'm actually upgrading the system this week :) Should be hitting around 2100 watts when it's done.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3031346074&category=39753


Another question, once a system like that is installed, can it be uninstalled and moved to another car? Or is its first home its last home. Thanks

It really depends on the install how easy that'll be. I like to keep it relatively easy to move as usually the stereo system will outlive the car so I figure I'll be moving it eventually. That means no moulded in place amp mounts or major modifications to the interior of the car to mount speakers and such.

How about a nice set of headphones. That way you don't force eveyone within a block of your car to feel your bass.

Headphones in cars are illegal in many places.

Besides I want them to feel the music :D

Would this system fit into a 1995 Chevy Lumina?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3031346074&category=39753

It should, Do yourself a favor and just go to www.crutchfield.com and pickup the installation kit and do it yourself.. There is nothing like doing all the work yourself to make you feel good rather than paying someone to do it.. Your 300 bucks will about eat up all your cash and then maybe find a cheap powered bazooka sas tube or something..

Also I can tell you I got my Pioneer Deck and 6 disk CD changer at Wal-Mart for 199.99 and it is a nice little setup, I have not seen mine there in a while, but I have seen a comparable Sony setup for the same price so you might want to look into that. I would image Target stores might also have something close to it..

You can also go to crutchfield and see what will fit your car, but I am pretty sure you will just need a metra dash kit and wiring harness to fit any standard 1DIM(sp?) deck.

You can put together a decent system for just a few hundred dollars. I actually spent less on my last system and it sounds better than any of my previous systems that I spent more on.

There are several things you'd want to look for in a system but nowadays, a lot of manufacturers are including some of these features. If you want a lot of bass, you'll want decent sized subs (12-15") and good amp. Typically many good amps rate on RMS rather than max output. You can probably find something in the 3-500watt range within your budget. Make sure you put the subs in a good box with any porting done correctly and that the watt range is within the amp range. Don't forget the rest of your frequency range though or you won't hear much other than the thumping or rumbling. As for a deck, most come with pre-amp outs and many with MP3/AUX in. Don't waste your money on a 'pretty' deck when a lower priced deck will give the same output results especially when you don't have the budget to splurge.

There are a lot of well known, good quality, manufacturers out there. If the system has decent components, is wired and ported correctly, you should get a decent sound. Something you may want to do is visit a local car stereo shop or car stereo competition. There are some REALLY nice systems at some of these competitions so you can get an idea as to where your system may fall in and you may even get some helpful hints.

Besides I want them to feel the music
I only usually crank up my music when people cut in front of me and tick me off. Otherwise, I try to respect people especially when we're all stopped. However, the highway or moving traffic is free game since they can get away. ;)