I'm trying to find the cheapest place I can possibaly purchases all the parts necessary for my sound system... ... I'm curious would anyone recommend refurbished equipment? If so where can I find it?

 

SonicElectronix.com, OnlineCarStereo.com, BlueLagoonUSA.com, PartsExpress.com, eBay (for refurbs....Sonic also offers some refurb items, same with BlueLagoon I believe).. those are some of the better places to look (sites may be removed since they aren't sponsors...I think they can stay though as I don't actually link them..) . Nothing wrong with refurb -- one of my amps is and haven't had any problems -- some may have visible scratches, etc. so you always take that chance -- but most come with some sort or warranty for 3 months or so which isn't long but at least gives some peace of mind.. The only used/refurb product I would buy is amps (used subs are OK sometimes if you are going really high end JL, etc).

 

I would say that buying a used/refurb amp is a good way to save money, if it is factory refurbed or by a specialist, who knows his stuff, it will perform like new. With subs it's 50% chance you got screwed even on durable and expensive models. I've seen many JL 12w6v2's with overheated voice coils, that measured fine on multimeter, but their motor geometry was lost, warped coil rubbed against magnet/etc producing less then desirable sound. Surround is another issue. Many people still think, that putting 600-1000w RMS to a sub early in the morning when the car was staying all night in temperatures below freezing is fine

 

if you buy cheap, it'll sound cheap. with audio, you get what you pay for.

Start with a nice deck, new speakers, and a 4 channel amp. If you do it wisely you can make it happen for under $600.