Just picked up a silver 05 with 25k miles on it. So far Im in love with it coming from a 05 focus st. I've been lurking around the message board for a few days and it seems like this is a really good source of info.

The car is completely stock and I want to get my iphone hooked up so I can listen to my music. Is there a connection in the back to just plug via the headphone jack? I'm not looking to spend a lot right now on getting it hooked up to the stock stereo. Are there any aftermarket stereos that are compatible with the controls on/near the wheel?

Thanks guys, feel free to ask me anything also.

 

If you get an after market radio, your control wouldn't work unless you get the bypass which i think is 200-300 something i believe.

and congrats on the s2!

 

Thanks for the response. I figured that it wouldn't be cheap. Can I just hook my iphone up via aux cable? I dont mind if I can't power the phone at the same time.

 

you could pretty much buy an after market radio that has USB. That's what I did.

 

Yeah I think they might be a bit cheaper. I believe to make mine compatible with the side controls was $150. Honestly I chose not to do it due to the price. You will just have to use the actual radio to use the controls. Most aftermarket radios lately also come with bluetooth and a microphone so you can be hands free which is pretty nice. Also to answer your ipod hookup question yes you can use a aux cable which can be hooked up somewhere and still use your phone. A cool place to put you aux hookup is by the pouch on the passenger side under the plastic piece so you don't have to put a hole in the glove box. Enjoy your new purchase!

 

Yeah I think they might be a bit cheaper. I believe to make mine compatible with the side controls was $150. Honestly I chose not to do it due to the price. You will just have to use the actual radio to use the controls. Most aftermarket radios lately also come with bluetooth and a microphone so you can be hands free which is pretty nice. Also to answer your ipod hookup question yes you can use a aux cable which can be hooked up somewhere and still use your phone. A cool place to put you aux hookup is by the pouch on the passenger side under the plastic piece so you don't have to put a hole in the glove box. Enjoy your new purchase!
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That sounds like a good plan to me. I'll have to take a look at it later to decide. Thanks for your help!

 

I've been using Griffin Technologies' iTrip ever since my 1st gen iPod. It's a mini FM radio transmitter you plug into the iPhone/iPod, select an empty FM frequency in your car radio and the iTrip, push play and voilà, you're listening to your iPhone/iPod thru your car stereo speakers, no strings attached. Better yet, you can control everything from your iPhone/IPod, plus it works with all types of FM radios, home stereo included. In effect your iPhone/iPod becomes a mini FM station. There are brands out there other than Griffin but for starters you may want to ck the iTrip at: store.griffintechnology.com/itrip.