Never look for a good deal. Look for a good relationship.

Why? It’s simple, if you can find a good shop, they can help you spend your money on the right things. That is always a better deal then not having what you really wanted all along.

If all you want is a pair of Alpine 12’s in a box, then any shop will be happy to help. But when you walk into the right shop and say you want that, don’t be offended if you are asked more questions like what sort of music do you listen to, what car are you driving, do you have an amplifier, and there are hundreds more possible. It may sound like that sales person is just trying to get you to buy something else… but in reality, if they are a good sales person they are building a relationship with you. They are trying to understand some of your underlying needs and from that they can share their library of experience with you to help find wat you really want.

You see, that Brand X and size Z is just a label. Let’s compare it to shopping for shoes. Nike makes a mean pair of bball sneaks. But I’ve never seen the swoosh on a pair of hockey skates. They make soccer shoes, but are they better than Addidias? And who would wear a pair of Giorgio Brutini’s while white water rafting? No one! But every component in car audio has a purpose, strong points and weaknesses. A good shop knows their product line and their installers know your car. They can help you choose the right equipment and use it in the best way possible - no matter your budget.

Ok, they can’t do a complete alarm with autostart, windows, locks, hood, trunk, pager and the works in a VW Squareback for under $300, but they can help you choose the right starting point and install it right with the understanding that you intend to power the windows and thus need the outputs ready.

It’s always a good idea to ask questions about your car. Find out what they have done and what they have seen. If you are like me, bring in magazines or photos of things you like when it comes to custom work. Talk to the installers if you can. Discuss the ideas you have, the ones they have and talk about options too. Separates (mids and tweets) are more expensive and may be exactly what you came in for, but the shops’ experience may tell you that the best location for your front speakers means the cheaper co-axials. You would be surprised how many of the best sounding cars do not have an active mid in the door and tweeter up high.

Whenever it comes to spending a dollar on install work or a dollar on equipment, that dollar is best spent on custom work. Again, anybody can have a pair of 12’s in a box. How about a slick fiberglass enclosure for a single 12 that molds into your trunk yet rocks out just as much (if not more) than that 12″ pair in some nappy old box?

So…. about me - I’m NOT in the industry. I did work at a couple of shops way back when, but I’m the kid that read Car Audio and Car Stereo Review under the covers while the other kids had comic books. My first CD player was a Sony something (cdx-800 maybe?) car audio unit that I had to go to Radio Shack and buy a 12 volt power supply to use. I wasn’t 16 and when my dad discovered it, I was in a heap of trouble. He dragged me back into the store and made me return it. My eyes had barely dried, then the restocking fee hit me. Like I said, I’ve worked in car audio, but I’ve really just always been a customer. I’ve spent thousands of dollars on equipment and done probably as many hours behind the screw gun as well. Now I make computers work while planning the next ultimate system.

Every journey begins with the first step. That step into the right shop is the most important.