I have a 97' Bonneville SSE with the bose delco radio. While it works im not to fond of it. i dont like lack of adjustability and the extremely shitty quality lows not to mention the absent mids.

so my question is...

what would be more beneficial? replacing the speakers or replacing the headunit? and what would be easier?

i dont have onstar cause i know that plays a roll in the decision.

i eventually plan on replacing both come time and income.

If you're going to upgrade the stereo in your car it would be in your best interest to replace both the head unit and the speakers. An aftermarket head unit will only sound as good as the speakers and good speakers will only sound as good as the signal being sent to them. High output head units will also overload the stock speakers and make them cut out if you turn the volume up too high. Installing these items are quite easy, just make sure you buy the right sized speakers and a wiring harness for plug and play installation of the head unit.... that'* my 2 cents.

ok. what should be done first and what is the easiest?

in my opinion i would say the head unit just because its a few screws and it is out and just as long as you get the correct "clip" to have the wires match up you can just plug it in. also if you sell the car you can pull it out and put the stock one back in just as easily.

here is a link for a great head unit a friend of mine has it and it has great sound also its only about $80 as opposed to the 140 list price.

CZ109 - Car Audio/Stereo - Car Audio/Stereo Accessories - Clarion - Clarion Car Audio CZ109 Detachable Face CD/MP3/WMA Receiver with Remote 200 Watts

yeah i'd do the deck first for sure.

alrighty. i was leaning that way anyway cause the stock one throws an e20 code so i cant play any cd'*.

i do later plan on replacing and amping all speakers but thats gonna be a pricey upgrade so im gonna hold off.

what do you guys recommend for a headunit? i want mp3 capability and maybe even a usb port for a flash drive or ipod.

id also like to try and keep the steering wheel controls if possible.

in addition to the link that i left for you this is another great head unit that has usb ports as well as a regular auxillary port and remote

KDR600 - Car Audio/Stereo - Car Audio/Stereo Accessories - JVC - JVC Car Audio KDR600 In-Dash AM/FM, CD, MP3, WMA Receiver with Front Auxiliary, USB input, and Variable Illumination Display

Kenwood KDC-MP142 (kdcmp142) All In-Dash Car Stereo Receivers Car Stereo Receivers and Head Units Car Audio Car Audio, Video, & GPS Navigation - Sonic Electronix

MP3/WMA support, front AUX connector for your iPod or whatever MP3 player you have. No USB (I find them overrated) and not SAT Radio support. If you want SAT Radio you gotta spend an extra $15 from the same website.

i can see that. i already have an ipod anyway and a flash drive sticking out of the radio would be ugly. this should be as easy as installing the correct harness right? undo a couple screws, pull here, yada yada yada. done. i just dont want to have to deal with splicing a whole bunch of wires together and color matching. dont get me wrong i could if i needed to, i just dont wanna. lol.

does having the factory bose make switching out headunits any harder?

one more. considering im looking to switch out the all speakers come time and amping those then possibly getting a a sub if i deem necessary. (i dont like huge amounts of bass, just a little extra when i want it) should i look for a radio with 2 pairs of rca jacks? one for sub amp and another for the speaker amp? and what kind of amp should i get? im not 100% sure how many speakers i have so i cant decide on an amp.

you got it, it'* pretty simple, wire the harness to the deck and plug it in, having the Bose is not a factor, you just have better components than the regular AC Delco junk.