Car Stereos: 96 toyota tercel speakers, toyota tercel, factory speakers

Question
hello i just got a 96 toyota tercel and it seems all 4 speakers are blown and the trunk is torn apart...now im not sure what size speakers to get
i want a great sound system for the least amount of $ keeping in mind my little car vibrates badly so id like it to still dsound good..thanks
cheers!

Answer
Hi Angela,

According to my information, your car uses 4" speakers in the front doors, and 6-1/2" speakers in the rear deck.

Just about any after-market speaker you buy should outperform the factory speakers, even if they aren't blown.  My advice would be to listen to a few sets of speakers in car audio stores.  Look for a speaker that sounds natural and realistic with music.  You're not looking for the "brightest" or "bassiest" speaker, or the loudest--just the most natural sounding. Don't assume that a 3-way speaker will outperform a 2-way design.

No matter how much you pay for the 4" speakers, they're not going to be able to handle very deep bass tones.  You'll want to install passive crossover filters for the front speakers, or pick a head unit that includes a high-pass filter feature that can be applied just to the front.  Your front speakers will sound much better (and won't rattle) if you don't send them the bass notes.

If your budget allows it, you might consider adding a single 10" or 12" subwoofer and amplifier (or an amplified sub).  A subwoofer system isn't just for annoying people in their houses as you drive by; properly adjusted, it can pick up the low end and make your music sound much more powerful, while taking the strain off the front and rear speakers so they can play more clearly and with less distortion.

Hope this helps!

Brian