Which head unit?

I've always ran with Pioneer for it's durability. I have a Pioneer in my 83 L series that I bought back in 1995 and had it in 7 cars now, but it still plays AM/FM/CD perfectly. I've only owned 2 Alpines and they both broke in less then a year - tough luck for me I guess.

Alpine is probably one of the cleanest sounding decks on the market. Alpine has virtually no alternator whine, static, or any type of line noise in amplified systems and nonamplified systems.

Pioneer on the other hand, has good decks and bad decks. Definatly the longest lasting deck to be created. The new high end Pioneers have "clip in" RCA jacks on the back and those cause noise 90% of the time when you throw an amp into the configuration. If you want amped speakers with a Pioneer, you need to be ready to do some factory modifications like regrounding your battery, using larger guage wire to connect the alternator, and just other little stuff like that.

EDIT - They make a pocket to fill in the other hole that would be created by removing both the CD player and the tape deck. As for a video option...I haven't had the pleasure of putting any monitors in any stangs yet. Is this car a convertable? Does it have a sunroof? Would an overhead player be out of the question? Check on some of Pioneers Video/GPS units and check the length that it needs to stick out from the dash, you may be ok to just get an additional spacer.

i like alpine and pioneer too--have to agree with DMdyne on pioneer durability...

most of their stuff is bulletproof....when not abused....and correctly
installed....

yet...i always stick to my #1 rule when picking electronics....the more complicated it is...more likely it is to break.....

just remember--anything motorized WILL break----it's not a question of IF it will break it's just a matter of WHEN

System on a budget, huh? Here's a few of my recomendations...all from CC of course. lol Click the names to view them on their web page.

Budget subs that pound with a good amp - Bazooka

Budget sub box that doesn't take up much space - MTX sealed box

Good noiseless Pioneer deck(I have this one) - DEH-P4700MP

Budget amp to push those Bazooka's, I actually have 2 suggestions here -
1)Bazooka 3001 These amps do tend to overheat in the summer when people beat the snot out of them
1)MTX 4001 is one of my favorite amps for small budgets.

DMDyne said:

amps do tend to overheat in the summer when people beat the snot out of them

Click to expand...

ROFL... LOVE car amps that aren't made for car conditions! No offense, DMDYNE, but you guys survive on the extended warranties for such situations, right? Not CC, but BB tried to sell me an extended on a Rockford Fosgate Punch 'cuz it might overheat in the summer.... when I declined I mentioned that the manufacturer just might have thought of that and might like to be aware of dealers that bash its products. LOL

Bazooka has great amps, but 50% of the 16-19 year olds will crank the gain all the way up on the amp, max volume the head unit, and try to run the amp for 2 or 3 hours...not many amps that aren't top of the line will make it the duration.

You wouldn't need a warrenty to cover the amp overheating, you just have to allow it time to cool down, or give it appropriate ventilation. Warrenties are good in the face of accidental damage and unknown maufacteror defects. Trying to scare you into a warrenty because the amp may or may not overheat is BS. lol

Alpine, Pioneer, or Eclipse is the way to go. I myself have an Alpine 9830. Did you ever think about doing a fiberglass sub box? You can mold it to the area where you want it and they aren't that difficult to do. Awesome choice on the subs by the way! I love those subs! Which model do you plan on getting?

i would recommend the new alpine cda-9855 or 9853 head unit. I also agree with Dtowncats, look into alpine, pioneer, and eclipse, although i've been told(never had experience with them) that they are not very sturdy or reliable but have GREAT sound quality.

i just bought the Alpine cda-9855. I havent installed it yet but I hear its a great deck. Anyone else have it adn willing to share their thoughts?

Pioneer Avic N1 or 2