So I bought an 03 cooper s without the harmon kardon system, and it looks like it had an aftermarket headunit in it. The dealership, however, did not have the faceplate and now can't locate it, so they are giving me 150 bucks to buy a new one.

Any recommendations? I don't really like super flashy units, just something simple, solid, and nice. So, with a budget of 150 what would you do?

 

Before you buy a new deck I suggest you pull out the one in your MCS and see what it is. If it's a nice one then you might be able to find a replacement/used faceplate on eBay for $30-$50.

Good luck!

 

Its a no name brand. Any recommendations on a full replacement unit?

 

IMO, if you don't have any particular needs of an aftermarket unit, just buy an OEM unit, pocket a few bucks and move on.

 

OEM is cheaper? Wow. Where can I get one and for how much?

I kind of like the Pioneer/Alpine units that have ipod cords built in.

 

I'm getting the KD-R800 installed in my MCS (when I get a chance)...also the KD-R600 is good too (no Bluetooth)..

One of the main reasons I chose JVC was the fact most of the decks can match the dash illumination color.

http://mobile.jvc.com/product.jsp?pr...1300&pathId=54

 

most of the alpine units will give you red lighting that matches the rest of the car fairly well. I would check them out first; try Crutchfield if you are going to do it yourself because they give you all the wiring harnesses, etc. for free.

 

True enough the Alpine red is close, but with 30 different colors and 30,000 different shades, the JVC is a lot closer.

Feature wise the JVC is up there with the Pioneer / Alpine decks...

Now reliability wise? Don't know until mine is installed.

 

I was looking at JVC today. I just need one with good Iphone/Ipod control and rear USB.

 

Alpine CDA-9886. iPod, USB, and aux from the back. Or Eclipse 5030 with a built in Bluetooth.

 

Now I don't want anyone to get offended, but this is just my personal opinion as a car audio salesman and installer. I am an Alpine fan, but the simple truth is Alpine is no longer top dog in the headunit world, five years ago yeah no body could touch them, but like most goliaths they sat on their throne and wasted important R&D time, but I will say the new iDA-X305S headunit with pandora internet radio capability is sweet if your ok with no cd player. My personal choice would be a higher end pioneer units like the stage 3 products (pioneer no longer has the premier name it's now stages 1-4), pioneer units have great compatibility with ipods unlike many companies that require a extra cable. But this is just my two cents.