[ultimatenewb]

Hi everyone,

Sorry for such a newb question- after years of not driving, I now own a 1993 Ford Escort (with under 20K on the engine!). Can't stand just having the radio, so I went out and bought a Sony CDXGT730UI. My question is- which mounting kit and wiring harness do I need to buy? It is very confusing- I've looked everywhere online but it seems like different brands harnesses cover different years.

Also, if anyone can recommend a nice set of speakers that would be easy to install, I would really appreciate it. I have very limited experience with car audio, and will be doing all of the work in the parking lot of my apartment complex, so I need something reasonably easy to hook up. If anyone has a good speaker/amp setup that cost under $200 and involves a moron-proof install, that would be huge!

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[crystal]

Do you have the "premium sound" option with the factory unpowered head unit, and a separate amp below?

 

[ultimatenewb]

No, I just have the normal factory setup.

As an update, I got the Sony HU installed (fairly easy, but not a lot of room behind the unit), and now am trying to assess my options for upgrading. The stock speakers sound OK, but the low end distorts very quickly. The Walmart up the street has some speakers, amps, and subs on clearance (1/2 off), heading over later to check out the model #s. Rear speakers seem like the easiest installation, and I'm willing to pay someone (found a few people on the local Craigslist who offer audio install) to do the rest of the setup. Unfortunately I don't have a ton of time to put into learning all of this myself and am on somewhat of a budget.

I like the Sony unit except for the glare on the display and the fact that it sits very low on the instrument panel (not Sony's fault). I use it with a USB drive and it works flawlessly, picked it up new on Ebay for $135, no bluetooth or HD radio but my main concern was finding something that looked nice (an info-rich display) and had a USB in.

Thanks for responding.

 

[crystal]

Where did you put it? It's not very low on the panel i didn't think....

The front speakers are very easy to install, too. Just pop the door cards off, remove 4 screws, disconnect old speaker, insert new speaker, replace 4 screws, put the door panels back on.

15 minute job to do both sides.

 

[ultimatenewb]

On my 1993 Escort GT, the radio is right above the cigarette lighter. I'll post a pic later. It's not a huge problem, just with .mp3s you're trying to read much more information than is typically required, so that travel time for your eyes becomes even more important.

Thanks for the directions on the speakers. I know on some cars changing the door speakers is a PITA, but that sounds easy. Might head over to Walmart and snag the Sony's they have on clearance ($60 I think). The real distortion is on the low end, so at some point I want to get a sub, but that might be more work than I can handle myself.

 

[crystal]

Amp/Subs are easy to install in these cars.

 

[ultimatenewb]

Amp/Subs are easy to install in these cars.

I think you might be overestimating my abilities! I'll look into though, trying to decide how much I can spend. Seems like anything would be an improvement over stock. I'll post the speakers I was thinking about grabbing from Walmart and would appreciate thoughts- car audio is something I haven't paid attention to in a long time (no car!).

 

[LadiesMan]

I'll speak from expierence when I say that is it very very easy to change the speakers in these cars. One note though when you remove the window crank (Incase you don't have power windows) keep track of the tab that keeps that crank on. They like to shoot off sometimes but it's okay if you lose it you can go to your local NAPA/Autozone and get a pack of 20 for like 5 bucks.

 

[ciento44]

Amp/Subs are easy to install in these cars.

I think you might be overestimating my abilities! I'll look into though, trying to decide how much I can spend. Seems like anything would be an improvement over stock. I'll post the speakers I was thinking about grabbing from Walmart and would appreciate thoughts- car audio is something I haven't paid attention to in a long time (no car!).

No, seriously... it's cake. I installed an old school Rockford amp into ours, and it was WAY easier than just installing a head unit with the stupid premium sound BS that was on our car.