I'm thinking of buying a vRS local to me, however much to my surprise, despite this being a 53 reg vRS, it only has a cassette / radio. Think it's one of these:

 

 

Can these be easily changed? In some cars they have to be divorced using manufacturer diagnostics (needs Tech II on Saabs to divorce them).

 

Also, could this be replaced with a double din unit? Looks like it can accommodate one. All I'm after is to be able to play my ipod through the stereo, not that bothered about CD's.

 

Apologies for the muppet questions - I've had a couple of Superbs in the past, but never an Octavia and I'm a complete noob when it comes to ICE despite being on old git.

 

 

Vrs should have a cd changer on the l/h side of the boot as you look in. There is not any issues putting an aftermarket stereo in, it is just that some do not play nice with the diagnostic interface if not wired correctly. I can't really tell you if you have to mod loom or not until you give us an idea of the radio of choice.

 

If it helps, my Alpine went straight in with no bother at all and will run an ipad, a sub, and play mp3s.

As kentphil1 said - CD changer in the boot should be standard.

 

My Alpine CDE-173BT is pretty good. Also has bluetooth for hands free calling and playing music from your phone. There is also a mechless version (no CD player) which is slightly cheaper. You'll need an aerial booster and possibly an ISO adapter harness to fit it.

 

The standard speakers and headunit are rubbish. The sound quality does improve a bit with a replacement HU but still isn't great.

Thanks for the replies - the ad didn't mention the CD changer in the boot. At least that would keep me going whilst I look for a more suitable replacement.