iPod in the car

I have this

it works pretty well because I can select any danged frequency I want. I barely ever get any interference and I'm in a huge city (Houston).

While there are better choices, I like this one. I can take it from car to car, if I'm going on a roadtrip in a friend's vehicle, if I have to drive my mom's car to uni for some reason... I like it.

 

They have the fm modulators..you can get them installed or buy an in store option like (itrip)..which personally I think sounds like crap.

Then you have the tape deck adapter, if you have a tape deck in your car.

Then you have a possible AUX port in the back of your radio, you would have to look on your car manufacturer's website or maybe the manual to see if the aux port exists. Then you could go to a place like Best Buy or any car audio installation shop and have them run a cord from the back of your radio out to thru the dash and you can hookup your ipod. This option will give you quality sound.

Or if your factory radio or currently installed radio doesnt have an AUX port in the front or the back, you can get a special ipod compatible playhead. This is the option I had to go with because my factory radio didnt have an AUX port. I chose to go with an Alpine, there were a few others to choose from but they had the best option.

I got it from Best Buy and they installed for free, and ran a cord that looks just like the Apple supplied cord except its black. It also charges the ipod at the same time. I can control the Ipod in a smilar style from the actual radio as you do with the scroll wheel. The scrolling is a little slower, but its definitely livable. It came to about $300 for everything. This option gives you true quality sound.

http://www.alpine-usa.com/products/leading_technology/leading_tech_kca-420i.htm
http://www.alpine-usa.com/en/products/series.php?category=AV_HU

 

I bought an Alpine head unit a couple of years back with an iPod interface box that sits under the front seat. The head unit recognizes the iPod as a really big CD changer, so it's slow as hell to navigate, but it's much safer than using the iPod itself and has the bonus of keeping the thing charged. Plus I can leave the iPod sitting safely in the glove compartment.

I believe that the newer Alpine units don't need the $100 iPod Interface - you just buy a $30 cable that plugs into the iPod. The navigation is supposed to be much faster, as well. In terms of handiness and sound quality, it's hard to beat. Alpine makes beautiful-sounding stereos.

If you don't mind digging into your own car a bit, I highly recommend buying from Crutchfield. They include a personalized instruction guide for installing the stereo in your car, as well as the appropriate tools to remove your old head unit.

 

That is correct.

 

I just got a $130 Sony Xplod head unit with their $50 iPod connector kit. Very similar to the Alpine kit. I used to use a cassette adapter, which sucked. I tried a couple different FM transmitters, but couldn't find a bleed-free frequency I could stick with while driving around the metro Baltimore area.
This Sony also has a line-in jack on the front. The sound quality on that is better than the cassette adapter, but pales in comparison to the dock connector solution.
Installed, with the wiring harness and all that extra crap they spring on you, it ran almost $250. Well worth it, IMHO.

Of course, now I realize how badly I want new speakers in my truck.