(ThyBlackMan.com) For many, their car is their pride and joy, a place where they spend hours most days. Music always makes the journey nicer, helping to bring enjoyment to otherwise boring journeys.
However, as your car ages, so does the stereo. In fact, as electronics are developing so quickly, often the car stereo becomes completely outdated long before the car is that old.
Car stereos, especially good ones that will last many years, are often quite expensive. This makes many owners delay upgrading them. Fortunately, if you own the title to your car, there are ways to spread the cost of your car stereo.
How to Pick the Best Car Stereo
There are many aftermarket car stereos available, choosing the one that you will like and enjoy long term is tricky. Here are some tips:
- Affordability – Pick one that you can afford the repayments for comfortably. Consider your existing car repayments and obligations.
- Installation – Is it a part of the deal, does it cost extra, or will you do it yourself?
- Fittings – Does it fit as standard? Will the car need modification?
- Lastability – Pick a stereo that isn’t going to be too outdated in a year or two. Spending more now can save money later. Consider if it can be upgraded later
- Car features – Does the stereo use you cars premium features that are installed for your current setup? (Antennas, CD changer etc.)
- Screen – Do you want to use Sat-Nav, or watch TV etc.? Some have screens that automatically slide out when the unit turns on, allowing them to fit into a ‘standard stereo’ slot.
- Stereo features – Think about if you want a USB port, Bluetooth, HD radio etc.
- Old-school features – Do you still play CDs? If so, maybe a CD player or multi CD changer would be an idea
- Speakers – If you upgraded to a more powerful stereo, you may want to consider upgrading the cars speaker system at the same time to enjoy it’s full power
Spreading the Cost of Your New Car Stereo
Once you’ve managed to find the perfect stereo to match your personality and your car, you need to pay for it. Paying hundreds of dollars can seem daunting. However, buying a really cheap stereo will likely mean that it becomes outdated quickly, leading to unnecessary extra expense in the near future.
If your credit rating is good, then you could look into bank loans, peer-to-peer loans, overdraft, or even credit cards. However, be sure to check the interest rates, as unsecured borrowing options often mean that the risk is balanced out by the lender applying higher interest rates.
Even with bad credit there are ways available to secure a loan. These include car title loans, home equity loans, and bad credit loans. However, bad credit loans also come with marked-up interest rates.
Loans based on asset equity allows people to be assessed for a loan based on a combination of their ability to repayments, credit rating, income, and the asset itself as collateral. As there is less risk to the lender, these also have more reasonable interest rates.
As secured loan companies assess many factors, including your asset’s value, it also makes secured loans a lot more accessible. For car title loans, so long as the car is running and in reasonable condition, even those that own an older car will stand a good chance of approval. Home equity loans are also good, but may require more time to process, as often a lot of paperwork and even a property valuation will be required.
By spreading the cost of your car stereo, you can afford to buy a quality stereo that will last years to come, without needing to pay out hundreds out in one payment.
Why not see if you qualify today? Tomorrow you could be driving with your favorite tunes belting out through a brand new stereo system.
Staff Writer; Doug Short
