28th Nov 2011, 11:46

Aftermarket stereos are a pain these days, as the factory ones are integrated so completely into the dash. I would find it a pain to open the glove box every time I want to use the stereo, as that is pretty much the only place to put a stereo nowadays. The factory stereos are so much better than they were in years past, that I feel no need to upgrade that part of any car. You can always add an amp and speakers if you really must have a louder stereo, but how much "quality" do you really need to have in a car? I am very much into high end sound systems at home, and I am usually very happy with any car stereo as original factory equipment.

Another issue in vehicles like Fords with the SYNC system, is that the system is integrated with the stereo, so it is hard to unplug the stereo and replace it.

As far as crank windows go, I have never had a switch fail on anything powered I have owned. I'm not saying it won't happen, but in the past 10 or more cars, I've never had it happen, so it isn't enough of an issue for me to worry about, and not having them lowers the overall value of the car on resale by more than their cost. This has been true on new and older used vehicles I have owned.