i recently replaced the deck in my '90 westy.  at first, i was determined to stick w/ blaupunkt because of it's relationship w/ VW.......you know, keep it close to original.  then i found out that blaupunkt no longer makes the quality stereo equipment that it use to, in fact, i don't even think that it's still manufactured in germany.  the rumor was that they've outsourced the production to china (i believe?).

for the money, i'd go with a different brand of equipment.  i chose an alpine deck with the optional iPod box that has a connector for the iPod in the glovebox and some alpine speakers for the rear cabinet and doors.

either way, i suggest getting a deck w/ a removable faceplate - apparently, vanagons are extremely easy to break into.

good luck!
dusty.

On Thursday, September 22, 2005, at 10:24PM, Hank Springer <hankspringer@SBCGLOBAL.NET> wrote:

>Hi all
>New to the list, and glad to be on it.
>I have owned my '85 westy since last december. It has a rpd 435 radio/cd unit that has wigged out. In researching this a bit. it seems it might be as easy to stay with Blaupunkt as to go with something off of the shelf. Midwest Electronics currently are offering two units, the Venice beach and the laguna, at a reasonable price. Just wondering if anyone out there has any experience with either of these units, and what the installation was like.
>Happy Trails...
>
>