I'm researching for my other car, a Nissan Altima. I want iPod capability, and would consider a model without a CD drive (like some of the Alpines). I'd like to know of the 4 choices, what the prevailing opinions are, or if there are other brands worth looking into.

Any help would be helpful . . .

 

I vote Alpine. Ipod hook-ups, decent EQ (once you learn the options), cheap (9884 is going for like $150 last I saw)... I have the 9884, and it's a pretty sweet deck.

 

i'd say any of those except the Sony and you're fine. I've been using an Alpine double din for a few years now and i haven't had a single problem with it. the deck i really wanted was a Pioneer, but it was too expensive at the time. 3 years later and i'm still really happy with my Alpine

 

alpine-9884 or 9886, pioneer deh-4100ub or 3100ub will give you what you need and will do the job.

 

Thanks for all the replies/votes. I'd already been looking closely at Alpine. Does anyone have or know about Alpine iDA-X303? I've been thnking about because I'm mostly using my iPod these days and could easily get along without the CD player.

As far as the 9884 goes, it looks like a good unit, but one thing I read in the description says
I have a 4th generation Nano, so I'm wondering if anyone has used one with this particular unit . . .

 

The thing with Alpine's head-units is that almost none of them come with iPod hookups right out of the box, and in the CDA-9884's case you also have to buy the cable if I'm reading correctly. This is one reason I went with Pioneer (though I have a Premier headunit) because they have the cables in the box for you. My head unit doesn't play my 20gb iPod photo but I've tried all sorts of Nanos and they've worked.

If you do consider Pioneer just make sure you can work their "rotary commander" menu navigation. I had a customer who couldn't press the button directly in the middle to save his life. As for me, I can now use my headunit without looking almost exclusively.

 

I have a CDA-9884 and a buddy has a CDA-9886 and another one with a CDA-9887, and all of us have gotten out Ipod cables with our head units.

As for the OP's claim about the Ipod nano's, not sure about that one. I run a 30 gig on mine, and my buddy with the 9886 runs an 80 gig (iirc), and we've never had any problems. I'd say call Alpine and ask.

 

^ that's interesting...i recently bought the 9884 for my dad and it didn't come with ipod wires and my buddy just bought the 9886 and no ipod wire...did the place you bought it from throw it in for you? an ipod wire runs about $30 nothing too expensive.

and +2 on calling alpine to ask.

 

We all bought them off of Crutchfield, and they were in the box with it... That's one of the reasons that I went with the Alpine, and not something like Pioneer. I buy all my head units from Crutchfield, it's the only thing they compete in price-wise, unless they're having a big sale (which happens pretty often).

 

I have a Kenwood with iPod controls on the faceplate and a rear USB connector. Worked immediately and easy to figure out.

Cost me $200 and I installed in my Prelude in minutes.

 

Thanks everyone again! I definitely plan on buying from Crutchfield . . .

 

Does anyone know anything about this unit?: Pioneer DEH-P4100UB. It has all the features I want and the price is good. Also, I've had favorable experiences with Pioneer in the past . . .

 

i'll go with alping cuz i have it im my 04 tl and my chevy 3500 it really good

 

stick with alpine or pioneer. i've personally had both and found that my alpine (9885, which i got brand new for $119 had a much better ipod integration than the pioneer. not saying the pioneer wasn't good, it just seemed to have more of a delay then my alpine. and crutchfield is overpriced, mostly everything they sell you can find online for cheaper. the only good thing about them is they give you all the installation parts for free.

 

I've been thinking about the Pioneer DEH-P4100UB, and if I'm not happy with it, I'll send ti back and get an Alpine CDA-9884. The Pioneer will charge my iPod Nano 4g, while the Alpine won't, so that's what is tipping the balance in that direction.

Thanks everyone!

 

keep in mind many people selling stereos online are NOT authorized retailers of said stereos. Crutchfield is an authorized retailer of everything or most of what it sells, I think. This means if you do need to file a warranty claim, then you shouldn't have any hassles whatsoever. You're rolling the dice to see if the manufacturer will help you out of good will otherwise. But some people buy unauthorized and/or the warranty period ends before any problems arise anyway.

Basically, if you get a defective one, which you can't do anything about, you're screwed then