My new car has no CD player :-(

A) I am fully aware of how to use a USB stick, and fully capable of creating one. That said, I have boatloads of CDs, and when I leave the house I like the convenience of picking a few for that day's music. I also don't have most of them ripped because it's just a pain in the ****.

B) No option not to get the advanced headunit in the Honda, and it's a custom setup that won't accommodate an aftermarket CD install.

 

We bought a brand new Toyota RAV4 this weekend.
No CD player.
We knew that going in but figured we'd learn to dump music onto a stick (even though it now means buying an external drive or something for our Mac Mini LOL)
But two days in and we're missing the CD player already.
Weird thing is, the entry model LE still has the CD player.
I think it got dropped on the high models in favour of the NAV system.

Of course, having said all that, we rarely used the CD player in the old car anyway

 

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Just put in an after market player.

 

Problem is that in most new cars, there is not a simple DIN/DoubleDin solution anymore. The Entertainment display in integrated into the CanBus and everything from Climate to traction controls gets affected. Cars today have amazing tech that has tremendous benefits unless you are just so buried in the past as to not realize/utilize them. I've seen the Harmon system Chrysler uses (as an example) go from my 09 Challenger (which I swapped to a Pioneer head end) to my 12 Ram which was very nice and included CD and Hard drive, to my 17 Ram which sends nearly everything through the either the 8" display or the 4" in the instrument cluster. It is awesome and I would not even think of going back.

 

It seems weird at first blush, but then makes sense. Infotainment systems which eliminate the AUX jack have built-in user interfaces and access the music on the device through the USB port (safer than fiddling with trying to select/play tracks on a connected phone/player and eliminates redundant wiring).

I can't think of anything in 2017 other than a CDP or cassette Walkman which would require the phone jack input, as all smart phones and media players can access USB. Some holdouts might wish to continue to use the "legacy" devices, but not enough to make it worthwhile for the manufacturers.

 

It'd have to be to get around the M60 ring road at rush hour!

 

I have owned the following autos:
1979 Pontiac Firebird - AM/FM Cassette
1987 Honda Accord LXi - AM/FM Cassette
1990 Honda Accord EX - AM/FM Cassette, CD player
2001 Honda Odyssey - AM/FM, CD player
2006 Honda Accord EX - AM/FM, 6 - CD player
2011 Honda Pilot EX - AM/FM, 6 - CD player
And my next car purchase will be:

BMW 328i - AM/FM, 6 - CD player

My next vehicle purchase will always have CD option.
Any others options out there?

 

The majority of people don't use CDs anymore, CD player units are deadweight and with the increasing CAFE standards, reducing weight on a car is critical , every gram counts. A CD unit weighs several kilos.

Do what everyone else does. RIP them to digital and put ALL your CDs into a tiny little USB drive.

 

It Must have a USB input? I bought a 2017 VW GTI SE in January. It does have a CD player in the glove box but also apple play. For apple play there is a USB input and I now live it more than having a cd player. In fact I haven't played a cd yet.

 

My 2015 Tacoma still has a CD player in the deck which I use from time to time but I find myself using the bluetooth and playing albums off my phone more. My digital library is ripped to the computer, and accessible with itunes, and for 25 bucks a year itunes match lets me play anything from my 21000 song library on the phone(and streamed into the truck's radio). What surprised me was the sound quality of the bluetooth on my radio. It sounds pretty much exactly the same as playing the same song from an ipod hardwired into the radio. In terms of audiophile sound, a CD still takes the cake but its not by much over the bluetooth stream. I think bluetooth and the music apps are why auto manufacturers are phasing out the CD option.

 

Why not just get an iPod or similar device and rip all your CD's to it. I have ripped my entire collection of 3000 plus CD's to my PC and have never looked back. All my CD's are now in boxes in storage. I have a 64gb iPod Touch that stays in the car all the time with about 6000 songs on it. The best part of it is having the ability to have play lists and shuffle playback. I have a 2014 Impala that does have a CD player, it has never been used. At home I have a dedicated PC based music server running Jriver Media Center with my entire collection on it. I don't miss having to play CD's one at a time at all, everything I own all in one place at my finger tips.

 

My 2016 Kia Soul has no CD player, so I'm learning how to use the USB, aux inputs and the Bluetooth connection. I'm even starting to steam internet radio.

 

I know you're wedded to your CDs, as I was, but using your USB input for a Fiio or iPhone or such is so cool! I haven't used the CD player in my Mazda yet. You would probably be able to navigate to tracks, skip tracks and adjust volume without taking your hands off the wheel. Invest some idle time in ripping some CDs and I think you'll be hooked.

 

BTW, Bluetooth has improved but is still vastly inferior to USB, IMO. Even with the road noise I can tell the difference.

 

In my case the loss of CD is meaningless and I don't use USB thumb drives either. The phone is connected to the unit through Miracast and I stream directly from the NAS and media server at home, or from Tidal if I feel suicidal. I've been doing it for years and it also enable me to bypass the awful UI of the head unit for something that is suitable for human consumption.

 

I should also say that after decades of absolutely awful factory entertainment system, it does seem that most car makers have now given in to outsourcing them and they are miles better than they were years back.

 

I went to buy another Mazda3 last year and found it didn't have a CD player, not even as an option, so I walked. My 2005 had a 6 disc changer that I used to great advantage on drives to CA and elsewhere, especially on longer drives. I made themed trips and loaded 6 CDs by an artist or a genre of music. It took away some of the boredom of driving.

I ended up buying a low mileage 2015 Prius 5 that had a CD player and I really like the car, especially its gas mileage and the JBL sound system which is pretty good for a car.

 

I don't even use the CD player when I am in the car. Just simply use a car radio instead.

 

Files are so much on-the-go friendly.

 

Apple Play® has been great. Even though my 2017 VW GTI does come with a CD player I never use it. I have almost 3TB of lossless music on a HD though my Macs and have created a CAR playlist in iTunes. Every week or so I simply change that play list. add new albums, remove others, switch it out and sync up my iPhone. I usually include around 1500 songs each time. So much better than my previous CD experience.

Yes I used to grab a CD as I ran out of the door but now I just drag what I want into the playlist and re sync. Takes a couple of minutes and I have way more music that I used to have bring along CDs

Plus with Apple Play the music turns off when the phone rings.

 

Just wait 'till they eliminate that option! What I hate about Bluetooth is that it's just that much easier for your stuff to be hacked.

Look at it this way: if you rip all of your CDs onto a hard drive, you can just copy what you want to a USB at any time. That's how I do it. And, you have a LOT more music at your disposal. Once you have all your CDs ripped, it's really fast and easy to pick your music when you go on a trip. If you don't have a computer with a CD-ROM in it, you can go to the store and buy an external USB one for about $35. If you don't have a USB on your computer, I don't know what to tell yoa!

It is here in most places, too. And, now that have the technology that can tell right away if you were texting or checking Facebook or Snapchat. Thing is, it creates new legal issues like privacy.

That's also a myth, a bunch of bull---!

 

That is very dangerous. With a USB, your controls are on the steering wheel in most makes.

 

My last car (a 2012 model) had a CD player, a USB input, and a 1/8'' aux jack. Very convenient. I started out using the CD player a lot but gradually switched over the USB stick about 50% of the time. Even with a ton of files loaded on the phone, playing music off it was hugely distracting. It was easier to load albums onto the USB stick and hit "random" or just find the album I wanted before starting the car.

 

Not at all, i have bt, usb, jack and cd in my car.
Now explain to me how i can purchase a cd at a gas station and directly listen to it if my car is not equipped with a cd player...
I most often use cds because using bluetooth or usb/sd restricts my choice, i would always listen to the same music i already know ... Having a cd player gives me the option to purchase music wherever i am and to listen to it directly in my car. It gives me far more freedom than thousands of gigas of music on a stick.