Shak2

New_Era

you can definately get a carputer system for 2K are you looking at building one? such as buying the HD, mobo, ect or a full ouready built system? I too am 17 and getting a car in feb so your not the only young guy here.

Shak2

hahah well im glad im not the only young one...but umm im looking for one already built preferably...i was looking at the one that is made for G35's...is that a good one? How much would it cost to install becuase i have no clue and not enough skill to install one by myself?

Derwood

Well asking if we think they're worth it is kind of a silly question... considering where you're asking it... lol

As for if you can get one for 2g's... I spent less than a thousand on my carPC- but I utilized a broken laptop and some other components.

Just keep in mind that there is a decent amount of work that goes into these projects. I for one wouldn't want to go through and do this kind of work to a $40,000 without a GOOD amount of research or someone with a good deal of experience guiding my hand.

EDIT:

Prefab systems aren't all that involved, and getting one installed isn't any more expensive than getting a new stereo installed.

Shak2

Thanks for the input Derwood...I understand what ure saying but how much money would it really cost to put it in, like is it that much work where the installation might be more the the carputer itself?

New_Era

do it yourself man its not very complicated! you have a car manual most likely and it probably has break-down's. Read up in the FAQ's and back posts, go to the work logs at the top right search your car i'm sure there is a build in progress or finished.
It pretty much consists of getting power and routing wires under/around/through area's of your car and little fabrication in your dash.

And you know what i know who you can go to, to get it done Free, can anyone guess?

Shak2

Thanks man, but i dont know about that...i honostly cant get any of that done by myself...i dont know how to fabricate or run wires, i am car illiterate for now until i start supin up my G35.

New_Era

well if it will be that hard, go to the off topic section and find a person in your area that has done an install and hook up with him and have him teach you, i know i wouldnt do it free but it will be hella cheaper than having it installed at a shop.

Shak2

The problem is that i honostly DONT want to have to do this myself because i have been waiting for this car for almost 2 years and i am getting about 15 THOUSAND dollars off of it and its in AMAZING condition and i know that if i was gunna do the wrk then i wouldnt do it right somehow but if anyone knows how much it would cost to do maybe by experience then that would be great info to know...thanks!

h3rk

I'd just get MP3car's infill complete package solution with streetdeck. That would probably be your best bet. Just know that this passion of ours is more a hobby than a commercially available plug-n-play industry. Its much closer now, but it is still a hobby wrought with frustrations, hours of studying, and countless hours of tweaking (not to mention, it's something of a money pit). Even streetdeck users, using probably the easiest FE to get going on, have been lighting up the forum with tons of question about the newest release lately.

As for a hardware solution that makes it easier not to screw up your new car, Go with the infill. It's a double din, all in one, computer.

-zip-

I dont think it is a good idea if you are not willing to look at it like a hobby. As others have mentioned there is a lot of downtime, learning and tweaking.

Get the rims, and/or look into a good H/U speaker combo. If it has support for GPS, iPod, bluetooth and has a touchscreen you are almost there anyway.

Carputers are just not plug/play and forget just yet.

I have socks that are older than you

__________________
Carputer
Installed Since April 2, 2005
Intel D201GLY|Fusion Brain|Audigy2 NX||ODBPros ODBII|Engenius362ext |Motorized lilli|GPS Rikaline 6010|Opus 150|Powermate|Ergonomic Touchpad|
Sound Stage
Eclipse CD8455|MTX TA3404+421D|Infinity Comps|ID 12" Sub

h3rk

Yeah, I forget sometimes how I started and that I've done easier stuff before and that I started with smaller tasks like HU installs. Sound advice for sure.

But if the tech and hobby of this field really interests you, by all means keep at it!


You should probably get that fixed, I'm not sure I'd brag about that. Those things are designed to wear out, I think. :P

nobb

I also installed my carpc at a young age. I got my first car in my senior high year and installed the carpc that following summer. I faced the same dilemma as you and didnt know if I should tear apart my new car to put in a carpc. I would say dont get a carpc if you are not willing to install it yourself. $2k can get you an AVIC. In addition to the physical install, it really helps to know exactly how your system is setup so that you will know how to fix any problems that WILL come up. It seems cool to have a carpc at first and I was pretty keen on having one when I was 17, but it is a real pain sometimes so you really need to see this as hobby to enjoy. I have wasted countless hours fixing carpc problems when I should have been studying for midterms/finals. It's been 1.5 years since installing my carpc and there were many times that I regret my decision. It is a really good learning experience in many areas but dont get a carpc if you are not willing to put work into it.

greatwhite

How the world has changed.

4 year old car at 17yrs old, and a lexus at that! Never would have seen that in my high school days................

Save your money, buy the rims and look for a good headunit.

This is carputer stuff still in the hobby stages and not really for someone who doesn't want to, or can't, do a fair bit of fabrication.

I just spent a couple weeks on just molding the dash bezel for the screen alone.

And the bezel is still not done. Nevermind the rest of the couple hundred or so other things that need t be done.................

Then you have to get into software and all the other assorted bugs an headaches. On top of all this, it'll still never be as reliable a a regular car stereo. It will do a lot more than a hu, but you really have to work at it to get it to do these things reliably.

just the facts...........

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Shak2

Thanks for the input guys...I guess ill just get a touchscreen GPS that had DVD and CD and MP3 playback capabilities...i really dont have that kinda time/skill to do it myself and fabricate my own stuff so i really do appreciate the information cuz i wouldnt of known how hobbyish it really is (if thats even a word) and i wouldve wasted a lot of money that i couldve spent on something else...Thanks again!! Merry Christmas to everyone too!!!