Audio Systems: Skipping cd player, dodge neon, money department

Question
I have a 2003 Dodge Neon with the factory cd player. Over the past year it skipped intermittently but seems to be getting much worse. It skips almost every 30 seconds now, and  it doesn't matter what cd is in. I have tried a cleaning disc and it seemed to help for a couple days then the player was skipping like crazy once again. Also on a few occasions the unit has quit altogether. It shows power but no sound comes from the speakers even when switched over to radio. If I shut the car off, it resets and will work again. Is there a way to fix the unit or does it need to be replaced?  

Answer
It is time to spend some money. :(

The good news is that it should not set you back too far in  the money department (especially if the speakers are still ok).
That said:
You can then get $90-135.00 deck at circuit city or walmart that will play AM/FM/CD/CD-R/CD-RW/MP3 and XM with 50x4 watts per channel. Once you attain the install kit and the wiring adaptor for your stock harness (same store) you will have spent less than $150.00 (unless you want a deck with LOTS of features).
Having a new warranteed MP3 deck that will play up to 256 tunes per CD is not such a bad thing.
A zealous yet careful novice can probably do this install.
Jmael


PS:  It certainly CAN be repaired.
 In todays' electronics biz, this course of action would not be anywhere close to cost effective, though.  I can say with great certainty that it would cost more to repair it than to replace it (and you would still have a mostly used  and non-warranteed unit upon its' return to you).

Trust me, get a new one and be happy!