OT -- Finally got a car with a CD player

[stepay]

My once trusty 1995 Saturn SL1 died last week, and I decided it wasn't worth it to repair it (13.5 years is enough), so after searching high and low for a new OR used car, for various reasons I finally settled on a 2005 Honda Accord. It has a CD player. My Saturn didn't and our 2000 Ford Windstar doesn't have one either. I can now actually listen to the music of my choosing in my car.

 

Woo Hoo!

[wmp]

I hope yours is as cool as the one in my 2007 Honda. Mine plays regular audio CDs as well as data CDs containing mp3 or wma files.

 

[kanker.]

Congrats on the new ride man! What's in the player today?

[stepay]

Congrats on the new ride man! What's in the player today?

 

Well, I must admit that I just listened to my old band's CD, so that was the last thing -- covers of White Room, Riders On The Storm, Cold Shot, Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers, Ball and Chain, Before You Accuse Me, Blue on Black, Confidence Man, Cry If You Want To, Lonely At The Bottom, Willie The Wimp, Crossroads, Key To The Highway, Fool For Your Stockings, House Is A Rockin', I'm On Your Side, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, and a really bad version of Sweet Home Alabama (we just played it off the cuff by request, and the singer didn't know the words; D, C, G -- how hard can that be?).

 

My other CDs in the car currently are Traffic's Mr. Fantasy, The Best of The Police, Supertramp's Greatest Hits, The Doobie Brothers' Greatest Hits, Chicago's Greatest Hits, Blues Traveler's Four, Cracker's Kerosene Hat, David Gray's White Ladder, and Ben Fold's Rockin' The Suburbs. I listen to lots of blues music while I work, so I've got really no blues in the car right now. In the mood for some Cracker, so I'll listen to that later today when I'm out again.

[MikeT156]

Quote by Stepay:

 

"I finally settled on a 2005 Honda Accord. It has a CD player."

 

Welcome to the 20th century! Well, better late than.....

 

Mike T.

[timwat]

Congrats on the new ride! Getting a car has always more exciting for me than getting new gear.

 

[Gismo Recording]

I haven't heard of "Willie the Wimp". Is that something like a Weird Al parody of "Willie the Pimp" by FZ?

[stepay]

Quote by Stepay:

 

"I finally settled on a 2005 Honda Accord. It has a CD player."

 

Welcome to the 20th century! Well, better late than.....

 

Mike T.

 

Yeah, I know. I'm a frugal sort and buy cars and drive them for as long as possible. I'm that way with most things. I just got cable television in December. I've been married 19 years, and during that time we had cable for 1 year only before we got it in December, and we hadn't had it in 10 years.

 

Other things I'm behind the times with:

 

1) I don't have an IPOD.

 

2) We have ONE cell phone between us, and my wife has it most of the time, so pretty much I am without a cell phone. That will change probably next year when my oldest goes to middle school, and we'll probably get her one and I'll get one; will have to see how expensive it is for all of us; right now we pay $29 a month for 250 anytime minutes a month that we never ever remotely approach using.

 

3) While the phone we have allows for texting, I've never sent a text message in my life (not from a phone anyway).

 

I DO have a DVR though! Love that thing. Got it when we got cable.

[Tonysounds]

No, it's a cool Stevie Ray Vaughan song about a notorious Chicago gangster who was buried in his Cadillac. (TRUE STORY)

[delirium]

some cd players comes with cars...

 

http://afxafx.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/06/17/1.jpg

 

[Mr. Nightime]

When I bought my 2004 Ram 1500, one of the selling points was the Alpine CD-stereo that the previous owner had installed. Plays MP3s as well. now if it had a jack for my iPod......

[kanker.]

2) We have ONE cell phone between us, and my wife has it most of the time, so pretty much I am without a cell phone. That will change probably next year when my oldest goes to middle school, and we'll probably get her one and I'll get one; will have to see how expensive it is for all of us; right now we pay $29 a month for 250 anytime minutes a month that we never ever remotely approach using.

 

3) While the phone we have allows for texting, I've never sent a text message in my life (not from a phone anyway).

A little hint - start pricing unlimited texting plans - you'll need it as your kid, or more importantly your kid's friends, will be texting constantly. It's also a marvelous way to flirt with your wife

[Garrafon]

I thought CD players were old technology now?

[wmp]

It's hard to buy anything before it's obsolete.

[MikeT156]

Steve:

 

I hear ya man. I had a "disagreement" with my cable TV/Internet provider and deep six'd their service back in 2004, so no broadcast TV and no internet service at hime since then. You'd be surprised how much more productive you can be without cable TV. I've read every book in the house since then and get books for Christmas instead of other mindless things.

 

I'm going to break down and get a DSL shortly. I just got my ancient PC upgraded and its actually fast enough with a current enough OS to run on the WWW.

 

I keep my vehicles until I have to leave them on the side of the road and have them hauled off to the junk yard. I haven't had a car payment in 20 years. I'm not only cheap, I'm poor.

 

Welcome to life in 21st century America!

 

Mike T.

[ProfD]

"I finally settled on a 2005 Honda Accord. It has a CD player."

 

Yeah, I know. I'm a frugal sort

 

I just got cable television in December.

 

1) I don't have an IPOD.

 

2) We have ONE cell phone between us; right now we pay $29 a month for 250 anytime minutes a month that we never ever remotely approach using.

 

I DO have a DVR though! Love that thing. Got it when we got cable.

Reminds me of those Geico commercials.

 

Seriously, congrats on the newest ride. Reputation of the manufacturer speaks for itself. No problem there.

 

Unless you enjoy listening to CDs in their entirety, make compilation CDs of your favorite songs/tunes. Could reduce the number of CDs carried but more importantly, preserves originals.

 

When the time comes, consider a family plan to include a cell phone for everyone with unlimited minutes and texting. Get rid of the house phone to offset the cost if necessary.

 

Enjoy your new car. Be careful if/when listening to the Blues. Not good to drive and cry at the same time.

[The Real MC]

I quit watching broadcast or cable TV since 2000. Waste of time and $$$, too little worth watching, and advertising-to-program ratio is way too high. I have developed a repulsion against marketing and advertising - most of it is deceptive and there are waaaaaaay too many ads.

 

I replaced my '93 Saturn SL2 with an '04 Ion-3, and to my delight I discovered that the stock CD player will play mp3s off of CDs. I had been getting sick-n-tired of hearing the same 27 classic rock songs on broadcast radio. I now have mp3 CDs categorized by style so if I am in the mood for fusion or jazz or funk (styles that no radio around here plays), I pop in a CD press random play and it randomly plays any of the 150 mp3 songs on the CD. It's like having my own radio, only I don't have to listen to ads. It is sooooooo liberating.

[Joe P]

Steve,

Congrats on the ride.

 

Don't feel bad, my wife and I only have one cell phone between us and no internet at home either. Kids are still young enough so that it's not a big deal.

 

I've had in-car CD since '95, though, so I got you beat there. And I do have an iPod which is a God-send for music management especially for a musician. You should really look into that.

 

Regards,

Joe

 

P.S. We used to play Willie the Wimp!

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

A "CD player"? What's this "CD" of which you speak? I think I remember those from the '90s.

 

[The Real MC]

They were a little smaller than vinyl albums, except they had music on only one side and the player didn't need a crank to operate.

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Hmm. Doesn't ring a bell. Were they compatible with an iPod?

[Dave Horne]

Back in 1979 or so I bought a Fiat 128. I removed the back seat so I could carry a Rhodes to jobs. I cut a piece of paneling to take the place of the rear seat, installed two speakers and also installed a cassette deck.

 

The first tape I bought was Steely Dan's Aja and that tape was played many times through that system.

 

It was a great little car - I could do four wheel drifts on Route 218 between West Point and Cornwall, NY. Route 218 was used many times to shoot car commercials; they would shut the road down for a day while they filmed.

[Joe Muscara]

They were a little smaller than vinyl albums, except they had music on only one side and the player didn't need a crank to operate.

You mean they were like this?

[Griffinator]

so after searching high and low for a new OR used car.... It has a CD player.

 

You are sooooooo early 90's. Did you just get cable too?

[NewImprov]

About a year ago, I bought a 1989 Mazda MX-6. It was super cheap and I needed wheels quickly, and the owner was a friend of a friend who needed to get rid of the car quickly. It's a fun drive, faster than any car I've owned for years. It has a cassette deck, and when I picked up the car it had Cream's Disraeli Gear" in the player. So I listened to that for a few weeks. Eventually, I got one of those Ipod to cassette adaptors. Last week, I finally opened the first aid kit the previous owner had left in the trunk, and, among the bandaids and aspirin is a cassette of Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti! I guess it was for emergency use only. Anyway, for the last month or so, that has lived in the deck, what a great album! Definitely John Paul Jones' finest moments, Trampled Under Foot, In The Light, Kashmir, etc...

[JeffLearman]

Didn't you know? Physical Graffiti is for emergency use only!

[NoahZark]

Stepay:

 

No music fan (and clearly you are one) should be without an iPod. I'm not exaggerating to say that when I first bought mine it literally changed my life. The "miracle" of those early days -- when I was simply floored to be able to carry around with me my entire collection of CDs (at the time, 300+ discs) and listen to whatever I wanted at any time -- has been tempered a bit with the passage of time. That said, my iPod is still, by far and bar none, my favorite electronic device of the past 20 years (although TIVO is a close second!).

 

Do yourself a huge favor: GO BUY ONE. TODAY.

 

Noah

 

P.S. Congrats on the car.

[stepay]

Stepay:

 

No music fan (and clearly you are one) should be without an iPod. I'm not exaggerating to say that when I first bought mine it literally changed my life. The "miracle" of those early days -- when I was simply floored to be able to carry around with me my entire collection of CDs (at the time, 300+ discs) and listen to whatever I wanted at any time -- has been tempered a bit with the passage of time. That said, my iPod is still, by far and bar none, my favorite electronic device of the past 20 years (although TIVO is a close second!).

 

Do yourself a huge favor: GO BUY ONE. TODAY.

 

Noah

 

P.S. Congrats on the car.

 

I realize that a CD player in a car isn't cutting edge -- I also realize it's a good thing to be made fun of for; that's ok; I've been made fun of before. I've just never had one so it is a step up for me, and I'm geeked about it. I really would like an IPOD, so perhaps I'll get one -- maybe for Christmas. I'm not poor, but I don't have unlimited amounts of cash sitting around either. Just this last week I wrote two BIG checks -- one for the Accord and one for a patio that I'm putting in the back yard. Then, yesterday I find out my daughter's next phase of braces (which will cost $3,600) can't start until she has oral surgery to remove her wisdom teeth (covered in part by insurance, but we will have to pay a little of that) -- she's only 11! Then I look around my house and see that I will need to replace the floor in the kitchen and both bathrooms soon plus a new back door, and new carpet up the stairs and upstairs, etc. I don't believe in carrying lots of debt, so the only debt I have is my mortgage, and that eats me up even.

 

I have made MP3s of most of my collection of music, so while I work (I'm a computer guy) I listen to whatever I want when I want, so for big blocks of the day I listen to music -- this is why I haven't felt such a need for an IPOD just yet.

[ProfD]

I also realize it's a good thing to be made fun of for; that's ok; I've been made fun of before.

Nah bro, we kid you in fun. It is excellent to have priorities in order.

 

Besides, by the time you decide to use an iPod, you'll find a free one somewhere in your box of Cheerios unless you buy generic cereal too.

[stepay]

I also realize it's a good thing to be made fun of for; that's ok; I've been made fun of before.

Nah bro, we kid you in fun. It is excellent to have priorities in order.

 

Besides, by the time you decide to use an iPod, you'll find a free one somewhere in your box of Cheerios unless you buy generic cereal too.

 

You might be right about getting a free iPod in a box of cereal soon. I know the kidding is all in fun. I can handle it.

 

I also didn't go out and buy a digital camera when they were new. We inherited one from my wife's grandfather that he bought for over $600 once upon a time. It's a 5 megapixel camera, and it takes awesome photos. My daughter saved up her money and recently bought herself a 7.1 megapixel camera for $84! The thing is incredible. I bought her a 2 GB card for it, and it now holds 916 photos at the 7.1 mpx level. If we drop it down to fewer megapixels, it holds even more. Crazy.