Hi guys, I’m a total novice with cars and car stereos. I went to a car audio place that was recommended to install a simple Bluetooth stereo. Just the stereo part – no speakers. The car already has speakers (nothing special).

They quoted me $350 CAD (about $255 US). He said about $250 ($18s USD) for the stereo and $60 - $100 ($45 - $75 USD) for installation.

I wondered why I needed a $350/$255 radio and started looking online and found Amazon sells radios that claim they are compatible with my 2001 Toyota Echo (I only drive a few hours per month, so no reason to get a nicer car, really) that go for around $90 – $120 USD:



My questions:

1 - Am I wrong in thinking that just because they say this is compatible with a 2001 Toyota Echo that these stereos would work in my vehicle? Is it really that simple?

2 - Is there any good reason I should not just purchase one of these cheaper models and bring it to the shop to install since that would save me $100-$140 USD after shipping? Is that extra $100 - $140 worth anything? Or better yet is this ordering and bringing the stereo worth the $140 saved, in your wise opinions?

3 - What if I also wanted to replace the two FRONT speakers (that rattle a bit). Is there a CHEAP pair I could buy that you guys could tell me works with my car model?

4 - Is this easy enough for me to install and how could I find out how to do it (esp with the wiring of my 2001 Toyota Echo)?

Thanks in advance. Gotta love the Interwebz.

 

Well for one... you never mentioned which stereo they were installing in the first place. We cannot make a comparison if we don't know what the shop was installing vs what you found online.
Again, it's just like saying, I just want a car to take me to work, why are they charging me so much for a Cadillac when a Toyota Echo is way cheaper. There are big differences between a Cadillac and an Echo. Same could be for the stereo they were installing.