A friend of mine just got Sirius in her car and I MUST have it! I am looking at options. I know you can add a stay in car or portable that plays through an FM channel and would consider this but think I would prefer the original unit hard wired and compatible with my upgraded HK unit. Don't need IPOD or CD changer or bluetooth. Called around here in Atlanta and Circuit City said they could install the original unit for around 120 and suggested I try to find one from this forum or somewhere that may give discounts. What would be a good price and any suggestions on where to purchase? Or any other thoughts/suggestions?
Thanks!

 

I know you're thinking about a stock unit, but I actually prefer the Sirius PnP units. I have the Kenwood Here2Everywhere and it works great! I added the aux adapter so I don't have to mess with the FM transmitter. I also mounted a small Terk antenna on my dash and you can barely see it. Reception is just as good as my roof mounted antenna on my other car.

The great thing about the PnP unit is that I can pop it out of my Mini and pop it into my other car! You also a little more functionality with the display and a remote (never thought you'd need a remote, but it actually makes things easier).

Here's a link to the Kenwood (it's on the bottom of the page):

https://home.sirius.com/webDUWI/HomePage.aspx

That one comes with the cassette adapter, so it's actually cheaper than the one I got (with the FM transmitter). But instead of using the cassette adapter, I'd recommend getting a short mini plug male to male cable and running it to the aux adapter.

I'll post some pics later (if you're interested).

 

Thanks. Would love to see some pictures

 

I have the stock MINI unit.
You should confirm that price, there is no way it's accurate. It should be closer to $600.

That said I would only recommend the stock unit for those that are hell bent on factory integration like I was.
A $50 plug & play unit has many many more features than the stock and of course it much cheaper.

If you wait one more month the new G3 PnP units will be here. Smaller, more features.

 

Where is the best place to buy/see the G3 Pnp units? I live in Atlanta and am not that handy with self install.

 

Try Classic MINI, it seems like they reduced the actual cost to around $250 a while back, plus install.


Classic is in the vendor directory here.

Definitely not trying to change your mind, but if you are merely intersted in some kind of Sat radio and would consider going with XM, you can get the same level of integration as the Sirius stock unit for around $150 IIRC.

 

The install for the stock unit really isn't that bad (installation of the antenna is the hardest part). Save the 120 and do it yourself.

As others have said, the PnP units have a lot more information, but I don't spend my time reading the display, just listening to the great tunes (and I didn't want something else in the cabin).

 

Yeah, but no Howard Stern in '06!!

 

Here's a photo of the Terk Sirius antenna (it's pretty small and cheaper than the Monster Cable antenna):




Here's a picture of the Kenwood unit below the toggle panel:



All of the wires are completely hidden and I pull out the unit and pop it into my other car whenever I want.

The only problem is that even though the lighter socket is unused, it's difficult to plug in a power adapter (like for a cell phone) since there isn't a whole lot of clearance. I'm going to wire another lighter socket on my parcel shelf to take care of this problem.

Hope this helps. You'll LOVE Sirius.

 

You might want to take a look at this unit. It is visor mountable, and it has a remote, so you aren't fiddling with buttons in your field of vision, but you can see the title/singer/channel at a glance. If I didn't already have a tuner, I would probably choose this one. Good luck....

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Xact-...oductDetail.do

 

Those are neat. I would have used one of these but I already had the Kenwood. Not sure if I'd mount it on the visor - it would be harder to see/control from the passenger seat (like I'd let anyone dictate the music in my car!). It's a little smaller than my Kenwood so I'd probably mount it in the same place (under the toggles).

 

You can find the new units here:
http://www.colormatchantenna.com/col...n-play-systems

The new starmate replay just started shipping last week and is the smallest unit yet and is getting great reviews.

 

I looked at the starmate today at Radio Shack. Is this something I could install (including antenae) or would I need professional install?

 

It's not a difficult thing to install. The hardest thing is to run the power to the unit if you don't want to use a lighter adapter. Then it's just a matter of running the wires to the antenna. Pretty much all of the antennas are magnetic so they will stick on your roof. I still prefer the Sirius antenna on the dash.

 

great looking installation. Did you do it yourself? I am not up to the challenge. I went to my local car audio place and they are clueless. They were insisting that the antenna has to go on the roof.

 

Yes, I did it myself. The antenna installation took all of 15 minutes - no tools. The antenna is secured with the double sided tape that came with it. You get a strip of double sided tape to tape down the antenna cable cover. I just cut a couple of strips to tape down the antenna so it wouldn't move around when I drove. Ran the cable in between the windshield and the dash and then down under the door seal (passenger side). Then it goes under the glove box and behind the radio.

You can always show your local car audio place a picture of my installation. All they have to do is hook up the power to the Sirius unit, and then just stick the antenna on the dash. They'll soon see that it works just as well as on the roof. I have not had ANY problems with the reception. I have a roof mounted antenna on my other car and it doesn't get any better reception.

If you're ever in the SF Bay Area, let me know. I can do it for you.

 

Well, I made the plunge. With the $30 rebate, the unit (starmate) was 49.99 and with a $47 install I was in for around $100 +subscription cost. The unit sits fixed just under the toggle bar. The antenna is in back on the roof. Unfortuantely, could not mount just behind the regular antenna as I wanted because opening the hatchback caught the antenna so mounted just beside. I can post pictures in a few days (camera battery currently not with me) if anyone interested.