[eslai]

I have a CD-400 sitting in my garage, got it in 2002 or 2003.

I was attracted to Nakamichi because of their understated appearance and vaunted audio qualities. Nakamichi had earned a bad rep in the states by this time because their in-dash CD-changers were breaking left and right. When I went shopping for a Nak, I heard mostly bad stories about reliability, but nothing but praise for their sound quality.

Took the risk--I bought one off eBay from a reputable seller and installed it in my Eclipse. About four months later the thing started having problems reading CDs.

Now for the killer: Nakamichi won't honor their warranty unless you buy their products from one of their authorized dealers.

Again, I have a CD-400 sitting in my garage. (this however, is partially my fault--the eBay seller did say that they'd replace it for me, but I never got around to shipping it back. Lazy me.)

I recommend that you NOT buy a Nakamichi, but if you do, buy it from an authorized dealer near you so that the warranty stuff isn't a problem.

Alpine would be your best bet I think. They're also the least flashy of the mainstream bunch I think. I can't stand a head unit that blinks and flashes like a discotheque, with curves and buttons that look like they were designed by Nike.