1. My wife has XM in her car and I love it. What is the best way to get XM in my 2005 MC?

2. Is there a way to get a handsfree phone installed in my MC? It's a real pain to try and shift and answer a phone (not to mention the danger.) I've looked at a few devices you plug in or clip on an existing cell phone but I'm not sure about the quality. (BTW, I have service through SprintPCS.)

Thanks!

 

Sirius,

Since your handle is Sirius, are you sure you want XM? :smile:

If you are looking at just plain sattelite radio, Mini offers a Sirius addon to the factory radio. I believe the '05 kit will be released shortly. It is a little more expensive at $399, than an aftermarket kit, but you would have the full integration with the factory radio that is often hard to do with aftermarket. You also keep the steering wheel controls as well. If you want to save money there are cheap kits from BestBuy or Circuit City that give you satellite radio for less, but it is not as integrated. I would shop around some.

As far as phone kits. Mini offers a bluetooth kit, but it is quite expensive at $499 w/o labor. http://www.newministuff.co.uk/ offers kits for various phones and some wire harnesses to create your own. I would check out this site for a few options. One of my favourite items that they sell is the factory phone holder that replaces the factory downtube. This is actually a Mini OEM part that is not sold in the States. I currently have one and I love it.

 

On the other hand, if it is XM that you want, then you can look for one of the XM Direct systems that will also interface with your factory radio; I believe this will require a Blitzsafe adapter. Several people here have done this. There doesn't seem to be any reason why this won't work with an '05 but you should check with Blitzsafe to be sure.