Hi all,

I've just acquired a '97 Daimler Double Six, but it doesn't have the original stereo in it. The CD Changer is still in the boot, no idea if it still works. How important is it to the value/originality of the car to have the factory head unit still in it? Whist I live in Sydney, Aus. I'm currently in London for a few days, and figured I could possibly pickup an original head unit whilst I'm here, but is it worth it? What is one likely to pay for a working original head unit? I did one search and someone was selling one on ebay for £250, but that's a lot of coin for an original head unit - is that the going price?

The head unit in it now will need replacing anyway so I have to buy something just would like to know if there's consensus whether having the original head unit and cd changer working etc are better for the overall worthiness of the car. Given how much issues there I see from searching on here that people have had with the stereo's I'm just weighing up whether it's worth it?

Or is there a more modern reliable headunit that can still control the factory CD changer in the boot?

It's not my daily drive, just going to be an occasional cars and coffee or the odd weekend cruise car, so sat nav etc isn't important to me. Bluetooth would be nice but doesn't bother me with or without.

Apologies if there's threads with direct answers to this already, if someone knows those that could link me?

Cheers - Craig

 

firstly if your concern is value, maybe buy one and keep it as a spare just incase.

secondly i never care bout resale value cus i wanna enjoy my car for me.
personally for me i do what i want as i want.
i do try and make it so i can return stuff to stock if ever needed which is easy to do with any head unit.
in 20 years maybe an aftermarket v original stereo may have an impact on price but i am pretty sure at this point unless you have a concourse example, it really doesn't matter.
most people want functionality over originality.
and those that want originality are not really looking for a 95 model. and if they are they want full pristine.

thirdly if you want better audio just any head deck will be good.
atm the cars here don't have too much value and demand.
how that will change in time i dunno.

i am also in sydney.
i removed my stereo and upgraded it to an android unit and will be going big stereo soon.

thats my thoughts and opinions anyway.

 

I don't think a non-original radio would reduce market value of the car. But...having an original radio, installed or not, is a good selling feature. Always a good idea keep original parts as it matters to some potential buyers.

I don't know what the value of a used X300 radio is these days. The failure rate is high; surely many used radios are not working. Fully functional ones might be getting rare.

When I had an X300, years ago, I bought (over a period of time) 3 or 4 good used working radios off Ebay for about $100 each as I recall. The idea, obviously, was to always have a spare on hand. This allowed me to do quick swap-outs when the inevitable failure occurred.

Cheers
DD

 

I am inclined to agree with Doug. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. The condition of the car is what counts for value, and sadly X300s aren’t likely to be shooting the lights out any time soon. I wouldn’t worry too much, but don’t throw out any original stereo just in case a future owner is obsessed enough for it to matter.

 

The car will be worth a little more with a new aftermarket stereo head unit! The originals are just so so bad... most are dead and not worth repairing except for those few purists that must have it. And that's fine.

The advantage the purists have is that the original head unit is literally the ONLY device, even across the Jag and Alpine ranges, that can run the 6-disc CD changer in the X300 series. So if the head unit is replaced with aftermarket, the CD changer is gone too.