I'm looking into an 02 xe, and was just wondering how good/bad the factory stereo equipment is. I'll be leasing, so I'm a little hesitant to make any stereo mods. Also, does anyone know what the speaker sizes are for the 02 xe?

And if it would be best to put in a new stereo (amp, subs, speakers, cd player) Would the install place be able to put it back the way it was when my lease is up?

Thanks,
Megan

Welcome Megan, these are a few of the results I found by using the search function with the term "02 Stereo" hope it helps;

Click;

Here
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Install would be fairly easy to reverse.

Speakers are the easiest item to change and make the biggest difference. Locally, CarToys, Mag HiFi and some tohers will do a specail installation agreement for Leases, meaning that they will charge you a little more upfront for the install, but will swap the factory equiptment back in when you're ready to trade it in.

CarToys has the best selection, but I've heard horror stories about their installs. But you can atleast go there to look and listen to what will suit you best. Stereotonomy in Issaguah has some decent prices and does great installs. Plus there guys are paid on commision. Just avoid the stereowherehouse installation bay at all costs.

A new CD player would help, but you can build a pretty nice system even with the stock head unit. Adding an amp, new speakers and subs can get pricey in a hurry, so do your homework about what brands and types of equiptment you like and then look for the best price. Check out the stereo archives to see what some of us have done.

I have the regular 6 speaker system, and IMHO it's not too bad for a stock system.

There is only one place in Washington State that can truly upgrade a stereo without drilling any holes or cutting any wires, or anything. If they remove the stereo there will be absolutely no indication that there was ever an aftermarket stereo. Obviously, this comes with a price. The place is Innovative Audio in Bellevue. They are the most amazing stereo shop I've ever seen.

If IA is out of your league, I think the next best bet is Magnolia Hi-Fi...with the Roosevelt and Bellevue location probably being your best bet.

I would avoid any of the other stereo shops in the area for installation work. I like Stereotomy in Issaquah because they carry Eclipse and some other good stuff, but I've seen several severe hack jobs come out of their installation bay...two of them being on my own vehicle.

That sucks Chuck. What happened? They have done a fantastic job on my alarm, and have upgraded and tinkered with it to my liking for free every time. The Good Guys did great work on my X as well. But I had their best installer working on it. Most of the others I wouldn't trust.

Stereowherehouse destroyed my dash, shift knob, paneling and incorectly installed an amp so that it blew.

Innovative is great. They'll do custom work like no other, but you will definetly pay the price. The charged my friend $1500 for a Clifford Avantgaurd 4 alarm, with a few up grades. You could get that off ebay for less than $500.

I tend to believe that the Eastside has more professional installers and knowledge.

I was out at Stereotonomy the other day, when an X drove by. The installers just looked in disbelief at it. They said that CarToys installed the system, and mounted a cap upside down. The cap then blew and the guy had a tank of butane in the back. His X blew up while he was on the freeway. CarToys not only had to pay, but for Inovative to do the new installations.

I was in the same situation your are a 2 months ago. When I was in the showroom I listened to the stock 6 cd changer system and said no mods because it sounded okay and I too planned to lease. My wife even asked me if I was going to swap out the deck because that has always been my practice for every new vehicle purchase. I definated responded no......no mods on a leased vehicle. Within a few days I was becoming unhappy
with the stock stuff and decided on a change. I installed a Alpine 7894 in the process of changing my fronts, will leave my rears stock for fill and adding amp and sub. All these mods will have no cutting or drilling. My deck looks great and fits very nice with the Nissan pocket. The only problem is amp location and sub enclosure that will not take the entire space in the hatch area. Wish JL stealth box was available. When installing make sure who ever does it leaves all the stock wiring in place and does not hack it up.
Ask them to put connector on the wire they do cut so that if you return your X that all the stock equipment can be re-install without too much problems. Also talk to the lease company and ask them what is expected when it is returned. I was told that the stock deck was required to be in place.

I will be pulling my JL subs and amp from my explorer to put into my X. Do you guys think that will be enough to compensate for the stock speakers, or should I look into replacing those too? And if so, what are the dimensions of the speakers in the X? I have a Prizm too, that I just put new speakers into. It'd be nice if I could put 'em into the X before we get rid of that car too.

the rear are 6x9, but shallow. The 02s I believe count the tweeter in the 6x9 as a seperate speaker. The front are 6 3/4 but a 6 1/2 will work. There are plenty of people who have stated what the replaced their speakers with, so check out the archives. I put the JL Audio XR650cs upfront and some Kenwoods in the back. With a couple JL subs and a 5 channel amp, it sounds awesome. I did have to put in a 1 farad cap and Optima yellow top though, as I run all my lights most of the time at night.