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CD Changer ? what will work in my car?


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I have a 98 Outback Limited Legacy

 

I was thinking that for what I can afford if possible I should get a 6 disk changer added to my factory head unit…

The head unit I have is a CD / Tape / WB and says Panasonic on the tape flap….

 

SO my question is what CD changer will work for my head unit.. Other then a factory changer… My head unit has a disk change button on the 1st two radio presets… I would like something that works with my existing setup, but if need be I will get one that runs of your FM radio…. If you know what model changer will work please send me the info…

 

 

Thanks for your help!!

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I put an older Pioneer 6 disk FM unit in my 97 OB LTD several years ago. I say an older Pioneer unit because I bought it originally for my 92 Pathfinder and had it in there for 5 years before putting it into the OB. It had a wired remote that I just left in the open tray under the radio. The changer unit itself I put in the cargo tray that sits over the spare tire and under the cargo floor. Here it was out of site of thieves and easy enough to change 6 pack cartriges at the next gas stop. Just open the rear hatch, lift the floor cargo cover over the spare, pop a button on the unit and reload. I did have to cut part of the plastic cargo tray in order to get the unit to fit. All I did was pack it into the tray using foam to hold it in place from sliding around, so when I traded cars it was a snap to take out. Hooking the unit up to your existing weather radio is a snap, and it will take longer to run the wiring from the cargo area to under the dash than it will to hook up the antenna and wiring connections to your fuse box. My 02 OB LTD already had a CD player built into the radio so I passed the Pioneer unit onto my dad who still uses it in his older Crown Victoria. Great sound, easy to install, and won't break the bank to buy.

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Originally posted by 1 Lucky Texan

You could check out eBay for WRX pull-outs.

 

The WRX/Forester 6 disc in dash changer is definitely your best option if you want a stock look. Your Subaru has room for a double din unit and as far as I know there is enough depth in your dash for this changer. It should be a plug and play installation with no wiring required.

 

Since it is often not the "audiophile" system that many enthusiasts want you may be able to locate a used one quite easily. Also unless a car is really badly wrecked any radio from a wreck will work.

 

The OEM Subaru changer from Panasonic is like $450 at best. A used Subaru 6 disc in dash should cost less than that. Have a local scrapyard search for the part and quote the price, they should be able to quote a price even if they have to secure the radio from another scrapyard. Scrapyards are now a big business so they are all interconnected via the internet and telex networks.

 

Here are a few on Ebay:

 

.http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3058654306&category=50556 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=38640&item=2443056021 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3058970698&category=48612 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=38640&item=2443296358 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=43948&item=2443582494 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=43948&item=2443583705

 

 

One thing to note is that the Subaru audio systems (with the exception of the McIntosh equipped Outback H63.0-VDC) are not the best performers.

 

Aftermarket Panasonic CD changers will not work with the Subaru deck, even though it is also made by Panasonic. The plug is different enough so that your stealership can make a huge profit selling you a changer.

 

If you are interested in sound quality get an Alpine, Clarion or other aftermarket radio. If you are experienced with MP3 files, you can even get a head unit that will play back CDR's encoded with MP3 files. A single CDR with MP3's can hold more songs than 6 audio CD's.

 

My Sony changer accepts 6 cd's and has MP3 playback, so I can get about 80 or so songs per disc for a total of almost 500 songs

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