OK, so the purchase of a new Mustang (or any car) is being put off for a few months because of economic factors. And now with a lot of people I know getting new cars, I'm feeling like my truck is dated and "old." The truth is that it's not quite 7 years old and only has 51,000 miles on it. It's actually in great shape, very dependable and comfortable. But when I orderd it, I did something that I regret today, I ordered it with a cassete stereo instead of CD. Even though I had almost 200 CDs at home, I still listened to Cassetes in the car, or more often just FM radio, and was too cheap to pay $100 for the CD player. This is of course is why I don't have power windows either, but it's a small truck and rolling the windows down isn't that much of a chore.
So the other day, my brother gives me this subwoofer package for behind the seat, a freebie! And now I'm thinking of pulling out the factory stereo and putting in an aftermarket CD stereo. And of course if I'm going to do that, I should upgrade the speakers too?? So I went to Crutchfield to see what's availalbe and what will fit in the factory location as far as speakers.
I've always loved the Crutchfield catalog, with it's fitment guide. Now with their website (link in title) it's simple to see what fits and they sell wiring harness adapters, to eliminate all the splicing and guesswork. So I was able to price a reasonable system, CD receiver and 4 new speakers, for under $300. That includes the wiring harness and mounting kit as well as custom installation guide free!
So, should I do it? When I was younger, a factory radio wouldn't last a week in any of my cars, something I picked up from my brothers Tom and Bob, who were much more knowledgable about electronics than I. I remember my Festiva had a Sony "High Powered" deck and a 4 channel amp under the seat, driving 6 speakers mounted in the dash, doors and package tray. I had about 150 watts of clean power and decent bass. This was before heart attack bass was needed. I remember putting a Sony deck and speakers in my Pinto too.
I also have a set of KC Daylighters for the front brush guard, that I need to wire up and install. Maybe these simple accessories will give the Ranger enough "newness" to keep my spirits up until I have my Mustang. But I'm not looking forward to the installation process, I'm not as flexible as I used to be. Do any of you remember being upside down beneath the dash, trying to run wires? I'm not looking forward to it. Hey, maybe I'll just go to Best Buy or Circuit City and let them install it??
And once it's installed, I'll dust off all my 80's New Wave and Dance CDs and drive around with the damn thing blaring. If you hear Dianna Ross Swept Away and see a bearded redneck looking guy, don't be frightened, it's just me. Yes, I said Dianna Ross, you want to say something about it??? Or Patrice Rushen Forget Me Nots . We all have our quirks, mine is my odd taste in music. Hell when I had the 6 disc changer in my Mustang, I would shuffle between Dwight Yokum and Dianna Ross and Yes. Unlike cars, where I'm a solid Ford guy, with music I'm all over the map. No show tunes or rap though, well I do have that Body Count album by Ice T, but stopped playing it after the controversy died down.
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