Do you have any friends that have installed car stereos? If you do then the cost of the install is greatly reduced. This will allow you a wider variety of components to choose from due to the installation cost savings. The down side is that your friend will probably not have the skill level of a pro installer. This is not to say that you will get a hack job if you dont 'go pro', but a reputable shop will repair or replace any damage sustained during the install. But I say that a very decent system can be purchased for around $600.00. That would get you a head unit, 4 channels of speakers, a 2 or 4 channel amp, a sub and enclosure, wiring kit. If you really shop around you may be able to get an CD changer also and still not break the bank. Please steer clear of Profile, Power Akoustic and Rockwood. These brands tend to use severely over rated claims about the performance of their equipment. Pioneer, Kenwood, Sony ES series, Infinity, MB Quart, Audiomobile, ROCKFORD Fosgate, Soundstream and even Panasonic make good equipment that tends to last.There are many other good brands that I did not mention so all you true audiophiles do not take offense.
