Looks like you guys have some good insight and I need a little help...
I bought a 2005 civic lx...couldn't afford to add all the nooks and crannies at the time. I love music and therefore hate the stereo that came with it (yick for sound and appearance!) Infact, I hate the whole look of that middle audio/climate control section! I saw the special edition stereo and thought it would be a nice addition since it covers that little pocket under the stock radio (why the hell is that there anyway???)...after much searching I finally found the SE stereo aftermarket. The cheapest I can find it for is $616, which is discounted from $835. Considering that the only reason I want this one is to cover that stupid little pocket (or I would otherwise just buy a very nice panasonic or sony for half the $$) I think it's a bit overpriced. I called my honda dealer... no help there of course. Does anyone know either of a cheaper place to find the SE stereo, or another stereo that fits over the crappy stock one and that little pocket underneath...maybe even one with a small DVD screen?

 

For what the special edition is, its too expensive. Try digging around in here: http://search.ebay.com/double-din_W0QQfkrZ1QQfromZR8 aviod pyramid, pyle and stuff like that. All of these will slide right in perfectly. The pocket is for what a pocket does. Cd's pens and all of that goodness go in there. Its just extra storage, thats all.

 

ooo thanks, that helped a lot!!! Sorry I didn't mean to sound like I don't understand the use of a pocket, I put my CDs in it... I just feel it's poorly placed.

 

You don't have to get just one double din unit either, you could get two single din units like, CD player and equalizer. There's also probably some kind of factory blank that you could put in there to just cover up the hole. Whatever you do, do not get an after market mounting kit! It will really look bad then. Read this before installing after market mounting kit.

 

Yeah, just cut that thing and put a kick *** pre-amp in there or a vafc or a Tv or a picture of your mother or a picture of my mother or cover it with cork and make it a dart board or put a little nitrous bottle in there or maybe you could just cover it with a peice of paper that says, " still having this here means I didn't spend $835 on a different stock radio just becasue I think auto storage pockets are dumb."

 

Hahaha thats hilarious. But I think a DD would look way cooler. Kinda like a eclipse DD with almost all screen.

 

Or tear out the entire dash and put in a 42" Plasma TV like they do on Overhaulin and those types of shows. Like I really like to sit in my car and watch TV! I can think of a lot better things to spend that cash and time on.........a woman at a nice deserted lookout point......need I say more?