Jbird83

hi, I'm brand new here. I've owned ford trucks all my life. I recently got a 2008 f150 xlt. I've got a desire to put a decent stereo system in it. My questions: Who in the Dayton/Troy Ohio area does a good job? What do you suggest I get? Will I need new speakers? And what type of prices am I looking at?
I'd like to have something that plays cd/mp3. Nothing extravagant or too fancy, but something pretty decent and something that won't cost me a lot of money. Obviously, I'm a moron and won't consider installing it myself. Any suggestions?
Is it even remotely possible to do something for under a couple hundred bucks or am I just dreaming?
Thanks
Mike

Maggadore

First off, Welcome to the site.

Your best bet is to install one yourself. Its not hard at all, to replace the head unit all you need is a install kit for that year of truck and a wire harness. And you could upgrade all the speakers in the truck for about $220ish total (thats just for like a mp3/cd player and a little bit better speakers nothing great just better then stock)

But... If you dont want to do that you could go to a best buy or walmart and would cost you about another $110. So around $350 just for a basic new head unit with mp3/cd and a little bit better speakers with instalation.

Hope it helps you out.

Good luck.

Triton v8

I agree with ^^^. I HIGHLY recommend ordering from www.Crutchfield.com. They have good prices and GREAT customer service. If you need ANY help at all I'll give you my number and you can call me and I'll walk you through every step of the install. I've installed numerous radios and I can walk you through it. Installing your own radio is easier than you think and it will save you $75 an hour that the average shop charges.

As far as prices go, you can get a great cd player with an iPod hookup for about $200-$250 and it will come with ALL the necessary mounting hardware and the necessary wiring that you'll need.

IVIuzzy

i agree with the self install. there arent many wires and the wiring harnesses are all color coded. best buy and circuit city are more than crutchfield, however their prices include the "free" install....so its not really free.

crutchfield is nice because they send you all the harnesses and directions, anyone can install a radio with these directions. price depends on if you want an amp and stuff. good amps cost arond 350-500. i doubt that you want that.

im assuiming with a new head unit and speakers you would want to budget about 400 and youd get a pretty good setup.

loganberry

crutchfield is good, but there are many other sites out there that are as good/better and cheaper

wooferesetc.com
partsexpress.com
madisonaudio.com


and many more, just search around crutch isnt always the best

FireMedic

If your going to buy speakers use a site like onlinecarstereos.com where you will get a better deal but not as good of a warranty if your buying a nice head unit or amp go through a reputable dealer with good warranties just in case you fry it. If you know how to solder save money on a wiring harness and you'll push more power by soldering.

Triton v8

I've ordered from all 3 of those before I learned about Crutchfield and let me say, you'll have a BETTER experience with Crutchfield. You may end up spending $10 more at Crutchfield but you won't be disappointed.

I stand behind Crutchfield 100% because I've ordered from other places on the web and I'll never do it again.

loganberry

uhh on most things u will end up spending alot more than 10 bucks, just because they hold mainstream brands and distribute them fast does not mean they are the best...FAR from it, u can get much better stuff if you search around...but if ur wanting a kicker cvr or an alpine type r, go there...or u can look around and spend as much or less and get way better for your money

uclabruin98

I'm about to get the Pioneer AVH-P3100DVD for my 07 F150. I haven't installed radio before although my friends are pretty good at it, but they haven't done a Ford truck. My question is when you remove the old radio, is there any special tricks so the clips or the plastic on the dash doesn't break? Or will Crutchfield tell you all that in their instructions?

Smokin Lariat

The one question no one's asked is what head unit do you have now?? I just put a Kenwood 5120 Nav/DVD system in my 06 Lariat today and I'm considering selling my OEM head unit that is the AM/FM, single CD, cassette with OEM Sirrius receiver AND Brandmotion iPod adapter with its wiring harness as a package. While aftermarkets are nice, I was very happy with the sound quality of the OEM unit... I upgraded mostly because of the desire for in-dash NAV.

Ditto on buying at Crutchfield. I found my 5120 for as much as $100 cheaper but I bought from Crutchfield for their customer service, ongoing tech support. Theyre great.