Gen 5 head unit in gen 3 Camry?

[seligman]

Is it possible to buy a stock head unit and in-dash CD player/changer
intended for use in a new Camry, and install them in my '96 Camry?

The parts manager at the local dealership said that it won't work,
since the stock head units now require a connection to the car's
computer that the older model doesn't have. That sounds like a
plausible anti-theft measure. Is it true? If so, is there a way
around it?

--ss

[Luc]

NO.

[seligman]

Luc, thanks for the quick response, but do you mean "no" it's not true, or "no" there's no way around it?

--ss

[TakeABao]

Originally posted by seligman
Is it possible to buy a stock head unit and in-dash CD player/changer
intended for use in a new Camry, and install them in my '96 Camry?

No.

If so, is there a way around it?

And no.

[EDIT]

I'm not exactly sure as to why you wan't to do this since you can definitely get a decent aftermarket head unit at a low price.

[seligman]

Originally posted by TakeABao
I'm not exactly sure as to why you wan't to do this since you can definitely get a decent aftermarket head unit at a low price.

There are two things I want that seem very common on stock units,
and quite rare on aftermarket ones. First, I want an in-dash CD player but also
a cassette player. Am I a
dinosaur? Cassettes are still quite useful for non-musical recordings.

The other thing I want is, well, it's more of what I don't want. I don't want a
spectacular light show illuminating the interior every time I pop in a disc.

I'd love to hear any suggestions or recommendations. A bit
of black tape, perhaps?

--ss

[WhiteRabbit]

I'm pretty sure you can find an aftermarket head unit that isnt too flashy, Pioneer makes some pretty stock looking ones, ie KEH-P2030 ($99) or the Alpine CDM-9821 ($139.99), CDM-9823 ($179.99). Sony's CDX-R3000 ($139.99) looks pretty simple too.

Just make sure the one you get has MOSFET and some preamp outputs just in case you want to add amplifiers later.

[Luc]

The Gen5's radio has a 1) curvature throughout the front, and 2) wider fascia. With those two options, it wouldn't fit or look nicely in the Gen3 whether the plug on the back is compatible or not. And yes, the plug on the back will be different. You can look for a Gen4/4.5 or Gen1/1.5 Solara 3-in-1 unit that has the indash 6-disc changer, but you will need to transplant the OEM amp and entire harness to/from radio and amp. Lastly, you will need to find a place to mount the amp, which isn't easy.

[The Wolf]

Check out Crutchfield, http://www.crutchfield.com and look for double-DIN CD/cassette players. Pioneer and Aiwa make them, I know. I think they also have a Sanyo single-DIN cd/cassette player. You could also get a stock gen3 cassette player and find the ad-on cd player that replaces the lower pocket.