Hey gang.
With the recent temps here in NY, and the issues that it creates with our FD/EMT calls in this weather, my wife and I are considering remote starters for both my 04 LeSabre, and my 01 Silverado.

Mostly, they would be for starting just from home. We are both on our FD and EMS, and it would be nice to start the car, get gear together, get suited up, and not have to worry as much about how cold the cars are. Mine would also be for starting the truck from work, as we are supposed to park a ways away from the front doors.

The truck has no programming, there is no chip in the key, although it does have some sort of factory alarm. The Buick of course, is not simple, and has the coded driver 1 & 2 keys and remotes, with the passkey 3 or whatever system is in that now.

Which of the cheaper systems would work best, and do either car or truck need some sort of a bypass module?
I would be installing this myself, with the help of my housemate who is a mechanic who has installed remote starts before. Just not sure on the specifics on the GM systems, and what things to watch out for.

Thanks all!

Done well, remote starters are great. Installed poorly by not using solder connections or not splicing into the correct wires, is a nightmare waiting to happen.
I will let other'* who have installed after market remote starters further comment on installation.
I would hope that the unit itself would come with good installation instructions as well, something to look out for. You will need a color coded wiring diagram for each vehicle, before starting on such a project.
I myself, would pay a pro to do them who is more familiar and ensure each connection is soldered in place. Then I would have a warranty as well.
Just as a secondary thought, if you had a block heater in each vehicle, warm up time is greatly reduced, and by the time you got the gear ready, they should be all warmed up by then.

Don't use the cheap stuff like Bulldog and the like. Otherwise, you'll be back here asking questions we don't know answers to. With that said, get them professionally installed.

the pro'* are not trustworthy, they are the ones who f'd up my old monte when it was one year old to where it wouldnt start at all even with the key at random times. do it yourself, you are the only one who cares if you are stuck somewhere in the cold. solder EVERY connection and it will be fine. the big wires carefully strip without disconnecting and solder to it and it wont mess up the normal function. as far as what brand i have used cheap ones and few hundred dollar ones and they both lasted a long time. the only different to me seems to be the advertised range, the cheap ones were like half of what they say.

the bypasses are where if you spend money it can make things much easier, have to do some research. the truck has security same as the bonnie, they connect to the purple wire and disarm the security. but in addition the higher end bypasses will allow what the car can do to be wired into the bypass. for example if the bonnie has horn honk, window rollup, alarm/disarm, whatever is available through the cars network. those would be wire to wire connections from the alarm module to the bypass you can do out on the bench which is much easier than doing all those on your head under the dash. plus you arent messing with a bunch of factory wires you dont have to. i have used BYPASSKIT brand they seem decent, as far as the alarm i would get whatever you can find on sale at sonic or something. the ones with the two way remotes are cool, they have pretty good range and will beep you back when the car is started or is broken into

dlpkgm, is what i use from DEI expresskit requires no further programing which costs extra. dei makes the best stuff and if you get a dei alarm they wire via a bus. on the truck it only does immobilizer but on the buick it does like 20 things. dei makes a ton of different brands and models, says not to buy from ebay or sonicelectronics but thats where the best deals are.

Directed - Car Alarms | Remote Starters | SmartStart | Telematics | Keyless Entry | GPS | Vehicle Security | Window Tint | Remote Start | Window Film

Wow, just because you have a hard on for one outfit, doesn't make the rest of them bad. That was uncalled for and unprofessional to suggest that someone do it themselves.

all these pro audio places employ is teens making minimum wage, with some small business owner breathing down their back all day to bang these jobs out as quick and cheap as possible. being in electronics, i personally know a bunch of people who are or were employed by these places and they are all like that regardless of how long they have been around or their size. show me some proof that some are good and i will change my opinion. you are not going to have any of them care if you are stuck with your family in january some place because they messed up the cars start wires. happened to me the biggest and longest around shop in western NY did it. i went an hour out of the way and paid them 400 bucks to do it too. since the car was so new i had to pay the dealer another hundred or two to take it back out so i could at least drive the car