I am thinking about getting an ipod for my car. Found one on tmart.com, a generic for $34. Would I be better off getting an ipod rather then a generic? Just want a 2 - 4 gig. 2.8 touch screen.

Bets

A "generic" ipod will be quite sufficient . The main difference will be price . Apple products of any kind , an ipod in this case , are more expensive .

Will these play through my car entertainment system?

What do the specs for the one you're looking at say?

Drac HERE Is the one I was looking at.

Look at THIS one from WalMart.

Next question is what kind of connectivity does your car require?

Checked my car and I have USB and input in the console between the seats. Manual tells me how to connect a device. I am leaning toward the Sylvania from WalMart. What is your opinion?

I have no opinion as I drive a 1992 Ford Escort GT with NOTHING electric on it at all! Just wanted to make sure you had all the connections you needed on both the device and the car.

Maybe someone else who has a modern car can give you some help. My baby only has 142,000 on it with the original clutch and 5-speed transmission and I will drive it until it dies!

Draclvr,

Guess you don't drive much at night...not having lights & such.

Sorry couldn't resist.

-OldMan44

Good one, OldMan! What I meant is that I have mechanical locks, seats, etc. But, yes, it does have a battery although only the dash lights work in the interior. Finding the ignition in the dark is an adventure!

I love my little old car and it still gets 30 mgp. Plus, that 7,000 RPM red line still works!

The Devil made me say it.

Know what you mean though. I have a 94 Coralla 3 speed automatic on the floor with 168,000+ miles on it that still gets 30 some odd mpg but not near the power you have. I'm driving mine till the wheels fall off. It has one of those computer controlled electrical systems (mainly for the ignitation system). The thing I hate about them is you can't work on the bloody things without a New York telephone book sized tech manual, a shop full of electronic test equiment & a engineering degree to boot.

-OldMan44

And I love my '96 Jeep Cherokee Sport which gets 30 gallons to the mile. (I don't drive to California much anymore. ) I had a Honda for 14 years but got tired of SUVs trying to run me off the road. They see this baby.

I doubt there's a way to plug an Ipod into it unless I move my computer into the passenger seat.

Gil.

I guess you could do that Gil. I saw a truck going down highway 44 with a tv mounted on the dash and it was on. I also saw him try to take some concrete off the barrier. Sheesh, what an idiot. Needless to say, we didn't get near him.

Running I-44 is taking your life in your hands with NO distractions! Yikes!

Hi Drac, think I will go with the one from WalMart. I don't need one with a camera.

Sounds like a good plan to me. I take it you can play your own music through your car speakers then? That would sure beat hauling around CDs.

That is what I think too.

If it's just for the car, I agree that a generic will probably be the answer, but for more general use I find that the iPod does have advantages (eg good controls and compatibility with iTunes and docking stations)- I use a couple of older 8 GB iPod nanos, so no camera and small screen but great for the music and can easily be carried in a shirt pocket.

Also quite cheap second-hand/reconditioned on eBay.

Well, I decided to go with the Tmart MP3. It had 5 star reviews whereas the others were only 3.

Lex, that is all I want it for, so I don't have to carry CD's.

Got my MP3 player. Now, I have more questions.

Since my player is generic I assume I cannot use Itunes. So, I am using Windows media player on Win 7. My question is, do I have to rip my CD or can I drag and drop. It takes playing the CD to rip. Is there any other way to put the CD on without playing it?

Bets

I've never had to play a CD to rip it. In fact, I just ripped one this morning. I just put the CD in the drive, opened up WMP, selected the CD and clicked on Rip.

Does your MP3 player have any software that came with it to do this? I have a Creative Zen XFi 2 which came with software to move music or whatever over to it. I seldom use it as I just drag and drop from my computer to the player.

If you want to use iTunes to make mp3's, check ***here***.

Thanks. If I used my noodle instead of using it for a decoration, all I have to do is put the CD in my XP in the back bedroom and let it play. I listen to the first few tracks while I am on the treadmill, then just let it finish up. Doesn't tie up my Win 7.

Just looked at the site Jenny. That sounds easy. So now, I have two different ways to do this.

Hello flutist,
I also have a usb port on my new car but I went a different way.I am using a flash drive. It is great! I "ripped" all my cd's with windows media and dragged songs I wanted to the flash drive. I have 300 songs on it!There is a choice in the windows option to choose "high quality" which makes bigger files but they sound as good as a cd. I am using a 16gb flash drive so it wasnt an issue.My car has a choice for Usb port but your car may say aux. or something else.I was reluctant to give up my 6-cd changer in my other car but now I have 30 cd's on the flashdrive! Also I'm not transporting any cd's.

Wow Geo. What a great idea. I just looked at the manual for my car and I can set up my MP3 with USB and then activate it with voice commands as I have Sync on my system. I have a 2012 Ford Focus and just love it.