I've had a problem with my Alpine Head unit for the past couple of months. The local Mercedes dealership ran some diagnostics and said I would have to replace the unit. So...

It seems I have two options: buy a new Mercedes unit for about $600 or buy a replacement unit from an audio shop for significantly less.

For aesthetic reasons, I would like to buy the Mercedes unit. I really cannot justify the premium, though, unless the NEW unit has a CD player built in (instead of the tape deck).

So here is my question: can I buy a new, Mercedes head unit with an in dash CD player, or does Mercedes only make the CD changer option available?

Just in case the answer is NO -- can you please also recommend a good quality head unit that won't completely destroy the look of my interior?

Thanks!

Kane
1993 190E 2.6