Thanks for the power clarification. In 2000, the top of the line wattage was 100 in the SE (which was what I bought).

Even with "100 watts", I found that the sound was not only muffled (cheap speakers), but it was really hard to hear the stereo while driving on the highway. The combination of a cheap head unit and cheap speakers makes for a cheap sound. Most people have the idea that more power means better sound. While this is true to an extent, a big item that most overlook is the distortion ratio. Even if you pump out 50 watts of power to a speaker with a high distortion ratio, you will get a loud, muffled sound. Distortion ratio is the percent of useless noise that is generated by the head unit. A good head unit with a good built-in amp (or external amp) will have a much lower distortion ratio than the stock head unit.

Also, the paper speakers are much more efficient than the polypropylene or better woofers found in aftermarket speakers, but they cannot reproduce the same clarity and are much less rigid and durable. This means that they require less power to provide audible sound, but the sound they produce will not be comparible to the clear sound the nice speakers will generate with adequate power.

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2000 Silver Ice SE 4X4 Auto
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1406935&a=10805120