Hi , I am helping out a teenager with his first car. He wants to replace the factory cassette player with a CD Player. I suggested we pick up a factory unit designed for that car off E-bay. So all the wiring harnesses would drop right in. In addition to any other advise you have , I am wondering what the actual part/model # would be for this application. No Toyota dealers in the area to ask. Thank you.
Acutally, if you go to Wal-MArt ($6.99, more elsewhere) you can pick up an adapter that will allow you to wire whatever stereo you want into the factory wiring harness. They are color coded to aftermarket color codes; you mate up the colors, plug it in and instant tunes.
Or he could buy the add on OEM CD player (they came single CD, 3 CD or 6 CD). Single ones are most dependable. One from up to about year '96 should work. If he buys the whole new unit and it says theft detterent on the front ensure you get the required amplifier and the pass code if it was set.
Thanks for the help! All good ideas.
The original factory radio has a preamp in/out in the back designed to connect to an equalizer (I have a 91 DX). Therefore it is possible to connect an external device, like an ipod or a cheap CD/MP3 player. This is a very cheap solution, although it isn't as convenient as a regular in-dash MP3 player. I paid 40$ for a Panasonic CD/MP3 player with a remote that fits well next to the parking break. Each CD holds hours of music, so changing CDs is not so frequent. with a small 50$ amp, 50$ sub, and 80$ speakers, the sound quality is excellent. The wiring took some work, and I also built my own power supply for the CD. I didn't intend to spend that much on the sound system, but after I installed the CD player, i was tempted to improve the sound. The original cassette player is not as bad as the horrible factory speakers, so I don't think there is a point in investing in a new unit without upgrading the speakers first.
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