Need some audio help!

Some body must have wore that unit out....... My system still looks perfect.

Yeah, mine is five years old and looks brand new. And any DVD-HU for $300-$350 is a waste of money. Also, I'm sure you'll need to buy a harness, too.

Oh, and it's the "Shaker 500" now, if that makes any difference.

My recommendation would be the Pioneer AV Receiver model # AVH-P3200BT. It is in the price range and works great.

Pioneer AVH-P3200BT In-Dash Double DIN Multimedia DVD Receiver

The Shaker 500 commonly loses the paint on the buttons. I have friends who have been through 2 or 3 of them. Thay are also called the "skipper 500" because they commonly have trouble with skipping or spitting out CDs and displaying "bad disc" for no reason (especially the earlier units).

Upgrading to an aftermarket head unit is definately the way to go. You can still use the stock speakers, subs and amps. There is a trick to wiring the stock amps though. The stock amps use a 5 volt trigger signal to turn on the amps instead of a 12v trigger provided by most head units (blue wire). You need to install a 5 volt regulator in line with the trigger wire to turn on the factory amps. It is a very simple mod and the part is around $5. Details are here for the mod. This write up was for a Pioneer AVIC, but the voltage regulator mod is the same for any aftermarket head unit:

http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums/736028-pioneer-avic-d3-installation-write-up.html

I scored an AVIC D3 on CL for $250.....put custom backgrounds and splash screens on it (shown at the end of the thread in the above link).

A full screen double DIN unit looks really good in these cars, and mine connects to my phone for phone calls and playing music. I also use the phone for navigation since the D3s maps are on DVDs and getting outdated.

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you need this harness: SearchResults for the Shaker 500 to integrate the factory amps.

Also, the amp turn on lead (blue with white stripes) needs a 5V voltage regulator, available from radio shack.