The DeLorean is back. I’ll admit that there are sleeker and more beautiful cars out there in this day and age, but I really doubt any of them bring out the memories and qualities that the classic DeLorean does so naturally.

Piloted by Doc Brown and Marty McFly in the Back to the Future trilogy (one of my personal favourites), the DeLorean will be outfitted with an iPod dock and nice screen display.

This electric variant of the classic, forever-famous and original flying time machine will be available in 2013 for a retail price of $90,000. For more information, check out the DeLorean Motor Company website.

What would you think if I told you that I figured out two ways to connect my iPod to my car — for less than $20? You might be skeptical. $20 is awfully cheap — does it really work, Herbert? I actually just stumbled upon the first alternative a week ago, and it’s been working well for me and my ’98 Chevrolet Cavalier (yeah, I’m on a really tight budget haha).

I was sick of not having a CD player in my car, and not being able to play my own music. I’d been spending more and more time in my car, and so I decided it was about time I figured out a way to connect my music to my car. Just to try it out. Well, it really does improve the driving experience — although it might become a bit…distracting. Keep that in mind. My advice would be to leave it on a pre-made playlist and only hit the Next and Previous buttons.

1. The FM Transmitter

There’s this idea that FM transmitters are expensive. I know I entered the market with that notion. Before I did anything, I decided to visit my local TigerDirect (yeah, a retail store) and pick up an FM transmitter. They had two different kinds in stock — one by Monster (sold for upwards $100, which I considered for probably a second) and one by Prolynkz. Unfamiliar? So was I — but hey, it’s $14. What could go wrong, right?

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3896269&CatId=193

And it did go off without a hitch. Initially, my friends and I found it a bit sketchy — it came without a battery, and I don’t think it works on the cigarette charger alone (didn’t work for me, anyway), so I had to find a couple of AAA’s to plug in. Also, there were no english instructions — which added to the iffiness of the product.

Still, it works well. Its transmission quality varies upon location in the car (weird, eh? But I’m sure this ‘issue’ isn’t unique to this product). Typically, I’d be pointing out the poor sound quality issues — but my Cavalier didn’t have good speakers to begin with, so I can’t really criticize. If you’re on a tight budget, or if your car can’t perform up to par anyway, then I’d suggest picking the Prolynkz product up. However, if you’re looking for great sound quality, I’d suggest either spending a bit more on the transmitter or even getting a custom deck installed inside your car. Or, if you’ve got a tape deck…

2. Cassette Tape Adaptor

Initially, I had my eye on this solution because it was cheap. A ‘legitimate’ version created by Belkin (a trusted name in my books) can be found for a mere $19.99.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10033668&catid=25017

I like that in comparison to the FM Transmitter, the Cassette Tape Adaptor would probably be less trouble. For one thing, you don’t have to seek out a station without any airwaves bugging it — I know that my transmitter’s music includes even a bit of static at the best of stations (I use FM 89.3 for now). Also, I would feel much safer with Belkin than with Prolynkz initially (even though Prolynkz is acceptable, haha).

Get in my Car!

Driving is just that much more enjoyable now — I can listen to what I want, when I want. No more changing radio presets or listening to that bad ol’ rap music (just kidding guys, I love rap). Life is good.