At that price (installed even) with a 5 year warranty, I'd say "Hit It". You would definitely know within 5 years if it was gonna be a problem.

I didn't notice if it had an alarm, but as a former cop, I can tell you car alarms are borderline worthless. Nobody pays attention to them but the owner of the car. So, if you can't hear it, it don't help much.

But the remote starter is the stuff dreams are made from for us cold weather folks....

Prestige is one of Audiovox'* product lines. Thumbs up from me. Strange that it only has a 5 year warranty though. Do you think you'll be keeping the car for longer than that? Even lifetime warranty units are non-transferable. They typically state "...original purchaser in original vehicle..." in the warranty terms.

Doh! I missed Prestige in your list the first time!

We plan on keeping the car for a while. It only has 100K so no reason to unload it...

I'm also considering the next best one on that page...the Viper Long Range Remote Start 130XR/2. Other than the brand name and an added couple hundred feet of range, it seems comparable.

Viper/Clifford/Rattler/Hornet/Boa/Avital/Python/Sidewinder are all made by DEI, and are good products. Audiovox is decent as well. As far as CodeAlarm...I'll put it to you this way - Code Alarm Tech Support says that its crap.

Someone posted that they wished rear defroster could be activated by remote...it can. Attach a relay to the status output wire (same wire for a bypass module) and hook it up to the defroster wire. When the remote start activates, bam - the defroster turns on as well.

LOL! Boy, if the employes think it'* crap, that'* bad news.

Seriously, though... I have 2 current vehicles and one previous vehicle with Code products. Although I am having a range problem with my truck, they are very reliable. The range problem is due to making one good unit out of two. The receiver board and antenna was removed from one unit that was smoked and soldered into one that some dip **** decided to just cut the antenna.

I haven't worked with any for a couple of years though. I stopped installing starters right about when they changed to the F-series (F40, F55 etc). Perhaps the quality has gone downhill from there. They used to provide the OEM alarms for GM, Ford and Subaru many years ago.

Sounds like it'* a good thing that I'm going with the Viper!

I just made the appointment. I'll let everyone know how it works!

I chose an UltraStart remote starter. It'* the 1250 model. It has a TRUE 1400 ft range and has some cool neat, programmable features. Easy install too. Everything is well defined in the installation and owner'* manuals about what the outputs and inputs do. Out the door price for me was $65 including tax at a local high-end car audio joint. UltraStart has two-way units as well as combo alarm/remote starters. Check em out www.ultrastarters.com

I got the Viper 130 XR. It'* got 1500 feet of range. My wife loves it!

One question, though...

I opted not to get the keyless entry integrated into the Viper remotes. That would, in effect, make the factory fobs not needed. They wanted $50 to integrate into the Viper remotes. What would I need to do to program the Viper remotes for the vehicle'* keyless entry system? It would save me $50. Randman...you seemed sharp on this!

You would simply have to connect 2 wires from the module to wires in the driver'* door jamb boot. Can you scan the wiring diagram so I can take a look at the pin-out? If not, I can usually find installation manuals online.

There'* a chance that you'll need the wires too. From what I remember about Viper equipment, the door lock outputs are a separate plug-in harness with 2 or 3 wires. When I would install equipment without those options, I would omit the harness as well. It makes the install just that much cleaner. Not to worry, though. I probably have something laying around here that will work.

i have the autopage 850lcd