Looking for product advice on replacing the head unit for my C4. Which receiver do people recommend? My principal criteria, other than sounding decent, is ease and speed of install. I'm not looking for a major project; no sawing, no pulling wire, etc. Ideally, I want to pop the old receiver out and pop the new one in and go.

I've looked at some of the 1.5 Din receivers available, including the Pioneer DEH-P77DH and the Alpine CDA-D857, and wonder if these actually are going to fit in the dash w/o surgery. Are there any other models I should study? Do these GM/Chrsyler sizes come with a harness that snaps into the existing stereo harness? I've seen Ecklers sell harness adapters. Has anyone used one of those? Are there any products with cassette and CD?

 

You need to replace the whole system if it is a bose system. The various components are not compatable with aftermarket units. They run on different power ratings. You will need to at a minimum replace the deck, 4 speakers, and run speaker wire to the speaker locations. This is not hard but is a little more than you were asking about. It will sound much better than stock. I would get a pioneer 4300 deck, and boston RX coax speakers front and rear. This will cost about $600 including shipping. Wire is cheap, $10-20.
Then you need a dash kit. $10 and simple to use. And a wire harness. $10 and simple to use. The wire harness will plug into the existing power plug in the dash. It will have wires labeled for all your connections. Attach this to the harness of the new radio and plug it into the dash. This way everything is labeled and you don't need to modify or cut any wires in the car. Next, run a speaker wire from the deck to each of the speaker locations by routing it under the carpet. This should take 10-20 minutes a wire. Lastly, install 6x9 speakers in the back and 5 1/4 in the front. They should bolt right in.
I would not get a double din deck. You have a double din opening, not 1.5 din. Double din decks are very limited to the number of cars they can be used in so you will have a hard time if you want to take the radio with you later or want to sell it. Also, double dins usually have less features than single din units for the same price. You typically need to spend 50% more to get equivilant features. The kit will fill in the dash to make it look appropriate. Metra and schosche make kits. You can get a kit and harness from radio shops, radio shack, best buy, etc.
You can get boston speakers cheap here: http://www.tmselectronics.com
Here's a link for the pioneer deck: http://www.mmxpress.com
hope this helps

 

The decks you picked basically have the power harness I talked about built in. It should take a beginner 2 minutes to wire one however. Also, they will not work with the rest of the stock system. People have plugged them in and had them work but they usually burn out or the amps burn out as they are not designed to work with the bose stuff.
The adapters that cost $10 do not change the voltage going to the amps. They are only for power hookups like ground and 12v constant. Those adapters are more involved and cost $50 + to get. Audio link makes one and they are prone to adding engine whine to the system.

 

Actually, I have the base, non-Bose system. Does that change any of the (great) advice you gave?

 

If it is non-bose you should be able to wire directly to the speakers. The harness will enable you to connect directly to the speaker wires. However, since GM used paper speakers in all systems bose or not, after 11 years they are bound to be shot. They may still make noise but they are 90% chance bad at this point. I would change the speakers to the new ones at the soonest possible time. The BA speakers are a poly cone material with a rubber surround and seperate tweeter. The GM speakers are paper cones with foam surrounds that dry rot and disintegrate with time alone like mummies. Hope this also helps.

 

I hear you on the speakers. Unfortunately, I have no time now for a project and need to solve this quickly. My receiver is dead and having something, anything,is vital to survive rush hour. Come the summer, we'll kick out the jams.

You know, "they" say you should spend at least two months salary on your car stereo ;)

 

You got that right boss.