For a number of years, I had heard ads on the radio and seen them on TV for auto electronics shows. These ads claimed that major retailers and resellers would be setting up at a location near me and that they would be offering name-brand electronics at a fraction of their retail price. These electronics typically included radios, CD players, MP3 players, speakers, amps and more, and each was available at a discounted price that I simply couldn’t find anywhere else.

While I had mostly passed these ads off as nothing but rubbish, one day, my curiosity got the best of me and I planned to go to one nearby. The ad stated that vendors would have the latest and best in car stereos, speakers and amps, all at discounts of 90% off of retail, so I decided to see what all of the hype was about. I was a fan of upgrading and modifying my ride at the time, so I figured if I could do so without spending extra money; what would it hurt?

Unfortunately, when I arrived at the sale, I found out very quickly that I had been had. I paid $12 at the door for entry, and this only allowed me to walk around and peruse the various auto electronics on sale. As I visited each table, it became apparent that I was not going to save any money at all; essentially, all of the vendors were selling junk. Each vendor I visited was hocking no-name, low-budget electronics, many of which I had heard bad things about. Although the prices were incredibly low, I knew from experience that a $10 CD player wasn’t going to last long.

In spite of my better judgement, I did buy a pair of 12″ speakers for $20. I got them home, hooked them up, and within two days, they were blown. Of course, by that point, I couldn’t revisit the retailer for a refund because the electronics show was over. I simply had to live with my purchase.

When it came time to sell my vehicle, I had to remove the speakers, as no respectable buyer would have given me top dollar for my car with such poor speakers inside. I soon learned that, in order to get the best price on a used vehicle, it’s important to keep as much factory equipment inside as possible, and also avoid installing cheap, inefficient equipment.