what kind of stereo should I get for a car I might be selling soon?

December 19, 2005 9:17 PM

My car was broken into two months ago, and I still haven't replaced the stereo. I want to take care of that soon, but it also looks like I might be getting a whole 'nother car in the near future. So, what kind of stereo should I get knowing I might be selling the car in a couple of months?

If I were only thinking about myself, I would get something cheap - maybe a tape player at best. I don't really want or need another cd player that I would have to worry about getting stolen, since a lot of my cds were stolen already and I'd rather hook up my ipod somehow. But I have no idea what used car buyers would expect or want - and I would be annoyed if I bought something only to have them rip it out and install their own. (I guess I'd never know this, but still.) Or if I should even be concerned about that...the car is old and probably won't be sold for much more than $1000.

Advice? Right now I'm considering between an original model, a super cheap radio/tape deck thing, or a nicer cd player I could get installed for free. This seems like a silly question, but I'm very torn and I keep putting off the decision.

posted by jetskiaccidents to Shopping (6 answers total)

Best answer: Go to a junkyard and pull a factory tape deck for your car.
posted by nathan_teske at 9:19 PM on December 19, 2005

Weird, I find myself in exactly the same situation and went as far as trudging my stereo-less ass into Best Buy yesterday to price the cheapest MP3 compatible car stereos. I found out I could walk out of there with a decent deck, installed, for under $130. Still, I've lived w/o for almost three months so I'm having a hard time pulling the trigger. I was *pissed* that my car was broken into so shelling out another $100+ for a new stereo will just remind me of why I have to do it in the first place.

I hate thieves.
posted by ryanhealy at 9:30 PM on December 19, 2005

Thieves and "taggers."

nathan_teske has the right idea. If you're going to sell your car, might as well have the original stock stereo that came with it.
posted by PurplePorpoise at 12:00 AM on December 20, 2005

Best answer: A stock stereo is a perfectly normal thing to put in, but I would price basic CD players as well. Don't put in a tape deck, because people who think about buying your car will say, "gee, I'd give you $2,000 for it but it's only got a tape deck which I'll have to replace, so how about $1,800."
posted by MrZero at 6:02 AM on December 20, 2005

Response by poster: If I put in a stock stereo, it will be a tape deck for sure. Maybe some super fancy models of my car ('90 Honda Accord) had cd players, but I don't think they're going to be easy to find.

And I have found a stereo with a tape deck! Two, actually. But it does look cheap.
posted by jetskiaccidents at 7:39 AM on December 20, 2005

My car got broken into too and I sold the car. I didn't tell the buyer that it had been broken into, rather that I had "a great stereo" that was "worth a lot." And that I had left the factory stereo at my parents' house and when they moved, the factory stereo got lost.

The buyer didn't care.
posted by k8t at 8:49 AM on December 20, 2005