2003 Odyssey audio advice

Hi.

I've got a 2003 Odyssey LX coming in soon. To my surprise, it comes
with only an AM/FM cassette player and not a CD player. The upgrade
to a CD player is almost $400. So I got to thinking that maybe I'd
just take that $400 and put toward a name brand player, which would
also give me the option of playing MP3's and such.

But yesterday I was talking to a guy at Best Buy who said that some
models of Honda ran their airbag and cruise control (or something)
circuitry through the radio and that aftermarket radio refits could be
pretty tricky.

Does anybody know if this is correct?

Also, is the quality of the Honda CD player such that I should
seriously consider just paying the man?

Thanks,

-jim

 

We are in the process of deciding on an Odyssey. After weighing the
various combinations of options and trim levels, we are leaning towards
an EX because the difference in prices is marginal.The only thing I really
don't like about the EX is the motorized sliding door. CD is one of options
that the LX needs to be upgraded. It is actually hard for me to understand
that CD is not standard; it is probably cheaper than cassette.

 

The difference in price that I've been given is in the neighborhood of
$3000. The main addons with the EX are power doors, motorized
driver's seat, keyless entry, CD player and roof rack. There's a lot
of smaller things that I forget about but the only addons that
appealed to me as must have were the CD and roof rack, both of which
cost $400 as options. The rack I can get cheaper and probably better
in a Yakima or Thule system. However, if the other options are
valuable to one then I think the EX is a pretty good deal.

Agreed! I'm just wondering whether it's that easy to upgrade on your
own.

-jim