Hey folks,

Im the new guy around here, I was searching the interwebs for help, and bumped into u guys, and wow am i glad I did! It seems if anyone can help me, you guys will.

OK, long story short,..used to have a '07 Caliber (lease). Loved that car, but with finances not being what they used to be, opted not to finance it, turned it in, and was lucky enough that my cousin was selling her Neon...so I bought it.

2005 , super basic....Stick Shift, Roll up windows, NO AC! 29k miles. In awesome condition, like new!

In the Caliber I had upgraded to the REC Nav Radio 6CD changer & Sirius radio. radio nowadays stinks, I hate the music, and I cant listen to sports talk everyday all day, theres only so much Mets/Yankees I can deal with!
With that being said,... I cant live without Sirius. Or a Navigation cuz I dont know how to get ANYWHERE on my own, not to mention my wifes family lives ALL OVER the Tri-State Area so we visit them every weekend, NAVI is a MUST HAVE for me.
God I LOVED that radio! Now I have am/fm cassette!

So my first upgrade idea was to make this car livable, inside. I wanna upgrade the radio to somethingsimilar to what I had.

Mainly I need, Sirius & navigation, anything else is just gravy. oh , and IN-DASH, Im trying to avoid all the little units sitting on the dash with all the wires running around,...I had a portable sirius in my first car, (B.C.-before Caliber) and I have a lil portable GPS now, I wanna get it IN DASH. Thats key.

1: Does it exist?
2: ..to fit my Neon?
3: How do i know what radio I can buy?
4: Can I install it myself? (trying to keep costs down)

Im overwhelmed with all the Din, Din and a half, Double-Din talk, I need help. Please!


NEXT ISSUE: Is there a way to install an AC on my car?
If so, How much should it cost?

 

i honestly would go to a shop that sells the head units u r looking for, i am not sure how much something like that would cost......

as for ac, u are talking alot of money, becasue it is not just the basic stuff like the condencer, compresser, exc. it will be the ***** on the dash to control it. i htink the harness was the same for ac and non ac cars, so that i think u will not have an issue with... but i would be guessing u can try a local junk yard to get everything u will need to do the swap, but i am guessing it will be pritty pricey..


and welcome to df

 

try a stereo shop for the radio. My guess would be around 400-600. My alpine is about 250.

 

Best thing I can tell you is to check out a wreck yard and find a descent neon that has all the components you need to get the AC. That will be the cheapest way to go! Good luck and welcome to the forum!

 

Hey there. I'm new here too but something occured to me I thought I'd share. The 2nd/3rd gen neons actually have two bays that will take a standard sized head unit, the second one being the lower pocket where the CD changer would normally go. I don't know what's available for in-dash nav units, but if you find one in the standard format, you could also get an in-dash satellite radio for the lower pocket. A little extra wire to the bottom and you could have an interesting setup.

As for the A/C, I've explored the option myself and it's not easy. Some of the many things you need to install are:
- mount for the compressor, compressor, and accessory belt
- all of the metal tubing, wiring, relay, fuse
- coolant can (plus you'll have to get it recharged)
- three **** control inside plus connections
- condensor, second radiator fan

The old neons also needed a bigger radiator but I think the radiator setup is the same now.

I've never done it but the conclusion I arrived at was that I might as well buy another neon.

 

Is your Alpine, Navigation?


The A/C is a far off dream I guess,....just too much work and way too much money.

But the stereo,..I guess I was hoping to avoid a Car Audio place, just cuz I know theyd try to hit me over the head! lol

 

Take a peek around Crutchfield. They have tons of stuff on their website.

 

well thats the thing cuz i dont know what size (radio) fits into the neon

 

A single DIN with and installation kit. Besides, they have a car selector on there that will tell you what will fit in your car. One reason I mentioned that site.