How much do you want to spend? What features are most important to you?



An MP3 is a way to encode audio that compresses data so it can store a lot more of it while keeping a high standard of quality. Pioneer has a long-standing reputation for quality and also for being one of the easiest car audio systems to install and use. They make a range of car audio that can play MP3's, including the lower end DEH-P3700MP for a little over $100 to the AVICD1 navigation system for about $1,600. If you are looking for a basic system to play CD's and MP3's, a simpler system will be fine. But, if you want more features like navigation or a DVD player you will pay a lot more for a higher end system.

One of the most important things to look for is how you are going to navigate through all of your MP3 files, especially while driving.

If you have a large library of music, you will need to find an MP3 player that makes browsing through the discs as easy as possible. Many discs can hold up to about 250 songs, and it's crucial that you can find exactly what you're looking for as quickly as possible. One of the most reasonably priced MP3 player's Pioneer makes is the DEH-P5500M, which costs around $270 and allows you to organize files by artist, track, folder name, file name, and album. It also has satellite radio and CD changer controls. It's also imperative that you check that the discs you use on your computer for music are compatible with the ones for the MP3 player, otherwise you might end up with a library of music that won't play in your car. ID tags to identify songs must be a certain version compatible with the car's system, or you'll end up with a lot of unusable music. If you figure out what you're looking for, you can make an educated decision about which system will best suit your budget and your listening needs.