It presents quite the dilemma, because even the crappiest cassette deck serves as an irresistible lure, tempting some crackhead to smash your side window with a spark plug and then gouge the hell out of your dash with a prybar while removing his $2 prize. Fortunately, Jalopnik Cheapskate Tips™ have the solution! These days, all you really need is a means of connecting an MP3 player- or even a cellphone with music-playback functionality- into an amplifier driving a couple of speakers.

4-time DOTS honoree WhatWouldJesseDo leaves his super-clean '83 Toyota 4x4 in the parking lot of a local train station each day, and the truck has had its stereo torn out by thieves three times in as many months. Each time, Jesse installed a cheaper, less appealing stereo, and each time he returned to his truck to find the window smashed and a hole in the dash. All he wanted was a way to plug in his iPhone and have music while behind the wheel, yet the truck had to appear completely bereft of anything that might be readily converted into hubba rocks, 40-ouncers, black tar, DMT, or Ibogaine.

I found the solution when rigging up 2-way radio communication for the Black Metal V8olvo race car; we didn't have the money to buy fancy radios with in-helmet headsets, so I rigged a cheapo GMRS walkie-talkie with a modified CB radio microphone and fed the audio to this no-frills audio amplifier, which drove a couple of door-mounted junkyard speakers. When the spotter called out a yellow flag into his walkie-talkie, the driver- as well as drivers of other cars and, occasionally, spectators in the bleachers- heard him loud and clear!

The thing has "MP3 IN" printed right on the case, so that was all the inspiration I needed. This little amp, sporting an alleged 360 watts of power (ha ha ha!), is sold under countless brand names, but all are the same; I assume there's some town in southeast China that's made up entirely of huge factories churning out these little blue boxes. They're crap, but they get the job done and the sound quality doesn't suck as much as you'd expect; you get RCA and 3.5mm lines in, two speaker outputs, volume, bass, and treble controls (which feature a really cheezy multicolored flashing LED setup). They're all over eBay, and you can get yourself one for under $15 shipped.

Jesse opted for the prestigious Cheng Sheng version, which boasts an impressive 400 watt output (I'm guessing it's more like 25). He stopped by Chez Murilee yesterday, while I was working on wiring the 20R Sprite, so I just grabbed my implements of Wiring Hell and shifted operations to his Hilux.

Since the last car thief owned wire cutters, enough of the old stereo's wiring harness was still present to make hookup of the Cheng Sheng Amp a simple task. I had a stash of inline noise filters I'd picked up during junkyard expeditions, so I added one to the power circuit; without such a filter, ignition noise is liable to come through with such a cheapo amp.

Just to make sure everything worked, we rigged up a temporary wires-twisted-together installation and tested it out with an iPod. Sounds good!

If your car lacks speakers, no problemo! Just head over to the nearest self-service junkyard when it's having a Half Off sale and grab some factory speakers for $2 apiece. I prefer high-end Japanese cars for my junkyard speaker selection; why go with Nissan when you could have Infiniti for the same price?

Since portable music players all have volume and EQ controls, there's no need to install the Cheng Sheng where prying eyes might spot it- just wire it so it's powered up when the ignition is hot and leave the volume knob cranked, then adjust the sound on the music player. In Jesse's truck, the best out-of-view location was under the seat. Rather than drill holes to mount it, we just used self-adhesive Velcro.

A 3.5mm stereo plug to dual male RCA cable can be had for next to nothing, so the budget so far remained under 20 bucks. We ran the cable under the seat and to the center console. All systems go when plugged into Jesse's iPhone!

But the dash didn't quite look wretched enough. To convince would-be thieves that they'd be better off moving on to the next vehicle in the lot, the Toyota's dash had to look thoroughly de-stereoized, preferably with a tangle of sliced wires hanging out of a gaping hole where a stereo once lived. Here's a shot from the junkyard to provide inspiration.

By a stroke of good fortune, I'd just torn out the last vestiges of Prince Of Darkness wiring from my Austin-Healey; what could possibly look more disreputable a-dangling from a jagged dashboard hole? Quickly, I fished some of Lucas Electric's finest from the trash can. You know what they say about Lucas Electrics: Get home before dark!

Some work with the cutters and a few zipties, and it looks just horrible! The only concern here is that the Quantum Unreliability Field of the Prince Of Darkness wires might destabilize the Toyota wiring harness at the quark level, but we figure the Warlord Grade™ construction of the Hilux can handle it.

Now, some of you are probably saying to yourselves, "Well, that's all well and good for when I want to listen to Foghat's Fool For The City on my $12 iPod Shuffle knockoff, but what if I want to listen to the radio, eh? What then, smarty-pants?" Well, of course you want to listen to the radio, and you can totally do it with this setup. Just pick up a $6 portable AM/FM and plug the audio cable right into the headphone jack. Hell, you can even use a Walkman cassette player. Mission accomplished!

It is rechargeable, so there are no wires hanging out of the deck and it will connect wirelessly with an MP3 player to stream music through your vehicle's sound system. The rechargeable battery will last around five hours. You can now rest assured that your vehicle is just as capable as the new age Sync contraption. It's available for $40, so no need to rush out and get a Focus. [Slashgear]

The "cassette" takes SD memory cards, so just Just load one up with MP3s, insert it into the cassette-like adapter and pop the entire thing into your car's cassette deck. Then cruise along with your MP3s playing through the car's stereo — and you did it all without any of those fancy FM transmitters or wires running everywhere like used to deal with back in '93 when you got your first Discman. Since it's battery-driven, the good folks who made it also thought about including a headphone jack so you can pop it out and be the ironic trendy retro kid at the local Starbucks using an MP3 player non-ironically. The Car Cassette MP3 Player is available for $40. [ThinkGeek]

Oh, it's because the owner, Frankie Rio, decided to use a Lexus GS350 for one of those subwoofer decibel competitions. You know, Frankie, there's a reason beater vans are popular for these kinds of competitions. Vans are a lot cheaper and generally, hold many times the speakers, and are made like brick shithouses. Hopefully this display of wanton destruction at least won the competition to pay for the repairs. Who are we kidding? This 159.5 dB monster is probably being held together right now with duct tape and some super glue.
[FloridaSPL via Audiojunkies]

The VoiceBox Technologies voice recognition software in the Pioneer units allows users to speak "normally." There will no longer be an exact rhetoric required to achieve a simple task. For example, rather than having to say something long the lines of "Play Artist Green Day," the units can recognize casual conversation like "I want to hear Green Day," or possibly "Play those phat Busta Rhymes beats, yo." [Giz]

"Since Scion customers are in tune with audio technology, it makes sense that we enhance our already outstanding audio offerings for them," said Jason Adang, Accessory Audio and Electronics Planning Manager, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. "Digital HD Radio technology is ideal for our youthful, tech-savvy customers who will enjoy the wide range of content available on HD Radio channels."

Despite HD Radio's recent attempts to revitalize its name, the fact of the matter is that HD Radio is a niche that nobody wants to explore, especially the youth-demographic that Scion desperately wants. Oh, and the last time we checked being "in tune with audio offerings" doesn't mean "adopting technology on the brink of extinction, Toyota and Scion. [Orbitcast]

Talladega. Yes, the partial name of the semi-funny Will Ferrel movie is the codename of Microsoft's next generation of Sync. Then again, we all know codenames are rarely used for the real release of any product, but who knows with this case. I can already imagine the kids: "Hey dudebro, check my sa-weet Talladega system!" Yeah, it just doesn't sound right. [Automotive]

Prior to this relationship, Ford and Sony had a limited relationship that included factory-installed Sony Xplode speakers in a variety of Ford Focus models.

The big kicker with this release is that the first 150 people to check out the Ford Flex with Sony equipment will receive digital download samplers, or in other words, free MP3s. The Flex will be on display today from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. eastern.

FORD FLEX WITH SONY AUDIO SYSTEMS MAKES ITS DEBUT IN NEW YORK AT THE SONY STYLE STORE

* Ford reveals first Sony-branded audio system in the new Ford Flex being shown at the Sony Style store on Madison Avenue today from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m.
* Sony Music will be handing out 150 Sony digital download samplers to customers coming to see the Ford Flex
* Ford has signed a long-term agreement with Sony Electronics for Sony-branded audio systems in Ford and Mercury vehicles in North America

New York, March 18 - Ford Motor Company [NYSE: F] and Sony Electronics are showing the first fruits of their new relationship in North America in the form of the new Ford Flex with Sony audio. The Flex appears at the flagship Sony Style store on Madison Avenue between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. today, where the first 150 customers will have the chance to get their hands on a Sony BMG MusicPass digital download card sampler.

This will be the first time the Sony audio system has been featured in the innovative new Ford Flex full-size utility.

Set to launch in summer, Flex is a daring new vehicle in the full-size crossover segment and will further build momentum for Ford crossovers, which already include Ford Escape and Edge.

Flex will feature a host of new technologies in addition to the Sony audio system. These include SIRIUS Satellite Radio with Travel Link™ as well as the award-winning SYNC system, which has been further enhanced for the Ford Flex.

"We have enjoyed a very successful partnership at Ford of Europe with Sony-branded audio," said Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice president of Global Product Development. "Customers tell us that good audio systems are high on their list of priorities. Sony-branded audio and a host of other signature technologies will help differentiate Ford products in the marketplace."

"Ford and Sony are two of the world's most well-known brands," said Don Courvisier, vice president and general manager for the Automotive Entertainment Solutions Group at Sony Electronics in the United States and Europe. "This arrangement is a natural fit given our success together in Europe."

This is the third collaboration between Sony and Ford in North America. Ford and Sony offered a limited-edition Focus Sedan in 2000, outfitted with Sony Xplod® audio equipment. More recently, Ford offered "Sound Designed by Sony" in the Ford Focus in North America.

In Europe, Sony-branded audio systems are offered in the Mondeo, Focus, C-Max, S-Max and Galaxy models.

Subaru is now joins the likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz by hooking up with Harman-Kardon for premium audio systems. I couldn't be happier. In a day and age where aftermarket audio is dying off, it's important to seek out the top-of-the-line manufacturers to supply in-car audio systems.

I got a chance to sit in a 2009 Legacy outfitted with the Harman-Kardon system and the sound was nothing short of amazing.

Fisker goes on to claim that his company has been receiving "between 50 and 100 orders a week" for the Karma, meaning it now has a one-year waiting list. Most of those orders have come from Europe.

The $80,000 Karma was first unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in January. It has a top speed of 125mph and reaches 60mph in six seconds. [Via Forbes Autos]

The Eclipse AVN2210p MK II allows for a TomTom GPS navigation unit to dock in and out of the head unit. This is extra-convenient for regular swapping of cars and for those that like to do a little walking with a GPS unit. The unit also includes a CD player with MP3 support, Bluetooth and more. It's available from Crutchfield for $600. [Crutchfield via Uncrate]

Most new cars include enough options for in-car entertainment and information including personal navigation systems and more. Also, the current model of in car systems don't utilize the previously universal rectangular deck space in favor of other designs that are less convenient to install.

I hate to say it, but as much as I enjoy my regular Crutchfield as bathroom reading material, aftermarket audio may be experiencing its swan song as manufacturers take over and give the consumers everything they could ever want for in-car entertainment. [TWICE](Image)

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Porsche's system supports the iPod and other MP3 players via a auxiliary input and includes 1.5-inch speakers implemented in the front three control knobs. Also included in a 3-inch subwoofer. Given that the audio system seems to be primarily an AM/FM player, it was nice for Porsche to include RDS, or radio data system that can display artist and title information for FM radio. It's available for a very hefty $800. [Pro-Idee via TRFJ]

The Kameleon has proximity sensors, so it will light up when a hand is near. It also comes equipped and ready for HD radio and satellite radio. It will even link up to a backup-camera to utilize the 3.5-inch display. It include Bluetooth and iPod capabilities, as well. I thought I had grown out of my car-audio-obsessive days, but I can feel 'em rushing back with this sexy thing. The JVC Kameleon will be available later this summer. [AudioJunkies]

You can choose from an Italian V8, 6-cylinder boxer, rally engine or even a formula car for, you know, when you really want to confuse the hell out of people and get heads a-turning at the kids' soccer field. I'm sure the Tesla guys already have a gross of these ordered. You have to make those machines sound tough some way or another. [Carscoop]

The device's cellphone envy knows no bounds. Naturally, it includes Bluetooth so your cellphone can link up with it and complete the union. The RK8200 will be available in March for $280. For that modest outlay, you also get a face that folds down to uncover a hidden compartment for gadgets and other stuff, like sandwiches and—YES!—cellphones. [CrunchGear]

Photo credit: Curtis Walker