How do i listen to my ipod in my car (without going broke)?

[NiftyJ88]

My newer car has an aux jack that I just plug a cable into, but our new to us minivan is an 03 and doesn't have that jack. I don't want to spend $150+ to listen to my ipod in the car, so what is my most budget friendly, yet quality option? I have found things that play through the cassette deck and fm transmitters. Any thoughts?

 

[niclodn]

I'd go with an FM modulator. You can pick one up for about $20. All you have to do is plug it into your ipod, tune your radio to the correct station and you're set!

 

[wdwmom0f3]

We had one of the cassette things and it worked great. I bought it at Target for 20.00. It's to bad that I traded cars because this one has no way of playing it.

 

[PHXscuba]

DH had an FM transmitter with our van we had until recently. He just plugged it into the "cigarette lighter" jack and tuned it to a station in the 80's. Seemed to work pretty well for us.

PHXscuba

 

[themousetrap]

If you have a cassette deck, definitely go with that as it's wired and is of better quality than FM.

If not, be sure to get a quality FM modulator. They have mods specifically for iPods that generally don't run over 30 bucks.

The feds have regulated how powerful a signal can be from those modulators to the point where the cheap mods would almost have to be touching the radio to work. In bigger cities, all the frequencies are taken and your radio will basically delegate the antenna over the modulator, so if you're driving long distances, prepare to keep adjusting the unit.

We bought a Belkin FM modulator for 40 bucks and was able to pipe in the portable DVD player over our car speakers with little to no static - until the long trips as mentioned above. Then, we invested in a satellite radio kit that plugged a modulator directly into the back of the radio between the antenna and the radio itself so there was no antenna delegation at all. That is by far the best permanent solution. Almost CD-quality sound.

The kit only cost me 30 bucks, but you have to have some car radio installation know-how to install it.

 

[CyndiLooWho]

I would probably go with the fm transmitter. It is not going to give you nearly the same sound quality as the jack or other directly wired source, but it's about the best for the amount of money you want to spend.

Before you buy one, do some research and talk to people who have them. I know from experience that a $10 unit is not nearly as good or as versatile as a $50+ unit. I think dh spent about $75 on his, and it's much, much better than the cheapie one I got. But it's not as good as the one that he got wired into his car by a long, long shot.

 

[Handbag Lady]

Where do you live? If it is in a large city with MANY radio stations, the FM Transmitter might not work.

My husband's expensive one didn't work here in L.A. because all of the radio stations are full. He kept getting bleed over from a religious station. Although funny when he's playing KISS, it wasn't very funny on a regular basis.

So, we bought him a new car with the Aux Jack.


I would go for the cassette converter. Three friends have those and it works great for them.

 

[hollieplus2]

I never found a FM transmitter that worked well. I bought this and it's awesome. Couldn't be happier. It's small and the battery lasted 3 months and I used it everyday.

http://www.amazon.com/Altec-Lansing...4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1243979053&sr=8-4

 

[jlima]

I had an FM transmitter gadget that used the lighter plug in the car and sat in a cup holder; however the second one I've had just died. I purchased them at Fry's and they've lasted about 8 - 10 months. ITA with the PP that said FM transmitters aren't that reliable . . . this one is the best one DH & I tried. It will also charge an Ipod. The Fry's here in Las Vegas doesn't have them in the store right now, and their website says out of stock . . .have to wait until they have them in stock; grrrrr . . .

http://www.frys.com/product/4745399?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

 

[speedyf]

Another vote for the cassette thing if you have a cassette deck. I use it in both my 2002 Camry and 2005 Highlander.

I purchased a Phillips brand cassette adapter for $9.99 from Wal-Mart. I see on their site they have a different brand adapter for $4.88:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10756089

This is what my adapter looks like:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007R4LI8

Speed

 

[HugsForEeyore]

I been dealing with this issue. I have an old car - 1994 Honda with a busted casette player. Of course, no Ipod jack on that car.

I first tried an FM modulator, which worked semi-ok at first. Never a very clear sound. Like others said, there really aren't any "blank" frequencies around here, so I was always picking up radio stations. And funny thing - I would drive by cars who were also using an FM modulator set to the exact same station, and I would pick up whatever they was listening to! The unit I had used batteries and never came with a charger of any sort, and it burned right through those batteries (2 AAA). In about 2-3 hours they were dead and had to be replaced. And over time, the FM modulator seem to lose it's power and soon just start shutting itself off all the time.

I got soooo frustated I went and did the "unthinkable" - I paid $220 for a state-of-the-art Kenwood stereo with CD player and Ipod input jack, plus installation. It was the BEST thing I ever did, wish I did it years sooner. I know it's nuts spending money on an old junky car but I was sooo fed up!!!!! Nothing works as well as an input jack, and I am so glad I got one now!

If the OP intends to keep the car awhile, it may be worth it to cough up the dough and get a new stereo. I have NO regrets!

 

[casndan]

In my old car I didn't have an aux jack either and I found that the cassette player worked MUCH better than the FM transmitter. The sound quality through the FM transmitter was really poor and that's when I could even get it to work. I'd definitely go with the cassette player thing, it's more reliable and cheaper.

 

[tinker_stinker06]

i use the cassette thing it works in the care as well as the cassette player i have in my stereo. it doesnt keep it charged but i also have a car charger when i need it

 

[Karenj2]

If your minivan has a DVD player, you might want to try a $3 cable... My iTouch (and others' classic iPods) work with a split cable (one red plug, one white) into the DVD player plugs on my 2004 Pacifica. It's a bit weird starting it up, but eventually the radio goes from CD to AUX and the songs start playing...

 

[Shelli_5]

I had the same problem! I purchased one of the cassette adapters, but wasn't very happy with it at all. I ended up spending about $150 or so on a new stereo system for my car that had a jack for input.

Good luck finding a solution that works for you!

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I'm buying a new stereo for my car with the jack in a couple of weeks. I spent $30 on a Belkin FM translator and it wouldn't work on any radio station. It was either extremely static-y or you could hear whatever was playing on the iPod plus what was on the radio station.

 

[Binnie]

I use an FM modulator (I think my new one is a Monster brand), and it works great. I've had to change frequencies several times, but it works well enough for me.

The only downer is that I have to unplug my Sirius to make the ipod work.

The sacrifices we have to make for good music!

 

[MichelleVW]

We just bought a 2002 Explorer and put a new stereo in it for the girls so they could listen to their ipods. It was only about $180 total including installation and it was well worth it.

 

[Veronica Lodge]

I use a casette adapter in my 1999 Chevy Cavalier. We will probably be getting a new car within the next year or two and I didn't feel like buying a new stereo for the car. It works fine IMHO. I thought about an FM modulator, but since I am in the DC area, I thought the plethora of radio stations would inhibit its operation.

 

[MichelleVW]

I use a casette adapter in my 1999 Chevy Cavalier. We will probably be getting a new car within the next year or two and I didn't feel like buying a new stereo for the car. It works fine IMHO. I thought about an FM modulator, but since I am in the DC area, I thought the plethora of radio stations would inhibit its operation.

My DH sells our cars all the time, so luckily the guy who put in our stereo will take the new one out and put the old one back in for free when we sell this one. It was totally worth it.