You don’t always need to buy a new car to get the latest features.

by work_login

I have a friend with 6 year old Civic that’s paid off and only has 55k miles. About a month ago, I was surprised to hear him talking about getting a new car again. I asked him why he wanted to get rid of his civic and he said he rented a new car on his trip that had proximity entry, push button start, and android auto/Apple CarPlay built in. I’m not gonna lie, once you try and get used to those, it’s hard to go back to a key and regular stereo so I understood where he’s coming from.

Well, years ago in high school and college, I used to install car audio, alarms, remote starters, all that. I told him he can add all those features to his Civic. We added proximity lock/unlock, push button start, 7” stereo with Bluetooth, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay, and a backup camera. All that ended up costing him just over $500 but now he has a car that he loves again and doesn’t have to drop 20-30k on a new car. I helped him install it but even at a professional shop, that’s probably no more than $1000 total.

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I know there are multiple reason to buy a new(er) car, but if you like your car and just want newer features, take a look at what products are out there, you might be able to add those features to your car and save a lot of money in the long run.

EDIT: many people asked, so here’s a partial list:

  • 2102T Directed PKE Passive Keyless Entry System. Works extremely well, DEI makes quality products. Most bad reviews I’ve seen online were from people that didn’t understand how to install it. This is a kit for professional installers so DEI does not give any tech support for DIY installs.
  • The stereo is user preference since there are many to choose from but he got a Pioneer AVH-2300NEX. If you want to go cheaper, I have an ATOTO SA102 in my car and it doesn’t have any issues. But there are probably hundreds of stereos to choose from
  • push button was a generic one he found online, I don’t have the mode number. Just find one with decent reviews on Amazon. They come in different styles so that will be user preference as well. You also need an immobilizer bypass module if your key is chipped.
  • backup camera was from Amazon, they are all pretty much the same so pick whatever style fits your car best.
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