buy new cd changer or get one on ebay?

[helplessfemale]

ok people, i am a 30 yr. old mom of 2 and my 99 xl is PAID FOR and i am loving it. time to treat myself to a cd changer, but i am CLUELESS. i know you all have probably seen posts like this thousands of times, but should i get a trickin'-out place to install a new changer or can i grab one off of ebay and save a few bucks? i see a lot of the factory ones on there, but afraid lasers or something will be farked up once i get it. the car place said they have audiovox, not factory, and i have no clue which is better or why. some you can mount in the armrest console, but i see no wiring under mine and i have taken out & peeked under the cd/tape holder compartment. again, i have a basic xl model, but it does have a single disc cd player and cd button on the radio. i had a pioneer in another car and am told it is not compatible with my explorer. one dislike about my xl is that it is noisy, and i want to replace the factory speakers as well for better sound. **i miss my rocking out days in my diamante.. that was a nice system....** anyway, i am looking to be economical but smart. i don;t want to get screwed at the trickin-out place (they love helpless females). my hubby installed my last changer but blew fuses, etc. and he is leery to try it again. but i think he can do it.... can anyone point me in the right direction? i figured someone has a website out there dedicated to installing audio stuff but darn if i can find one... thanks all!

 

[Timmy]

how is the pioneer not compatible with the explorer?? okkkk but umm i would recommend an aftermarket cd player (e.g: kenwood, jvc, ect.) . it would also sound better than stock. but don't play them to loud, they will blow the stock speakers.

the armrest ones are cd changers, not actual head units (which plays the music) and they can be wired up to your cd player if you want more than "one-disc" option. i would say go to the store (online store, sounddomain.com is a good one) and look up a brand such as kenwood or jvc and pay around $120-150 for a good one.maybe even less. an you will need a dash(install)kit and a wiring harness (which *makes* it compatible.... lol don't know where u get a aftermarket HU is not compatible with the "explorer")

 

[helplessfemale]

well you see that is what the trickin-out place told me. they said if i wanted to use the radio that is already there and just have a changer, i need a ford compatible one. isn't it more $$ to have them replace the factory radio/single cd AND get a new changer? i wanted to keep it simple and use the existing radio, is that not good? i have not looked at circuit city, etc. or any other online place for a changer because i have no idea what to look for. so the place i started was the car audio place. i'm looking at $300 for the cheapest changer and installation. i know i need more resources so i thought this would be a great place, since this is explorer world. i love my pioneer, but that was from the trickin' out place who simply told me that was what would fit in my diamante (it was already wired for it and this was in 97 so i'm out of all the new developments) anyway, i can be helpless but have i been stupid as well? i know someone here has done this before with their x....

 

[Timmy]

ohh i read you wrong i thought you were talking about head units....


hmm i think there is adaptors for stock head units, im not sure on that one, i personally don't like the changers.

 

[Timmy]

oh and for the price of a stock one, unless you got it from a junk yard or somewhere else, the dealer would charge you as much as it costs to go to the store and buy an in-dash 6disc

 

[Crankcase]

Don't buy one from E-bay either. The changers on there have such a high chance of not working. A changer has lots of parts that could break, and that is the type of stuff to avoid there.

 

[Van I.]

You can buy a cd changer that connects to your antenna output behind your stock headunit. The cd changer is then operated by a wired remote control. A friend of mine has a kenwood.

 

[WoodysX]

They also have those FM radio/cd changers, i think their called FM modulators. They work with the FM radio in your car