I have a saturn SL2 1997 4dr sedan, currently the radio in it is AM/FM/Cass would like to make it a CD. Have found quite a few on ebay but most of them list years as 00 - 05, 06 - 08, but rarely have i found one that lists 97. So my question is, is there a difference in the years as to what radio will fit what year of auto?

Would one of the ones from 00 - 05 fit my 97? Or do I need a specific one for 97?

Thanks and have a great day.

 

I believe 95-99 are the same. I have a 95sc2 and a 97 sc2 and the radios are identical. I did switch mine for a cd version off ebay.

Someone correct me if I am wrong........

So I don't believe anything newer than 99 will be a direct fit

 

according to this web site, all GM cars since 1990 use the same plug for the stereo systems.

http://www.installdr.com/Harnesses/GM-Wiring.asp

The difference might be in the design of the dash board and the part that surrounds the radio or the radio mount.

I put a 2002 Honda Accord radio in my 97 Honda accord for the same reason as you have, but the plug changed in 1998 as did the mount, however the hold in the dash did not. I bought a new plug for the newer radio and and a reverse plug for the old one and wired them together to make an adapter. I modified the mount to hole the new radio and it all works great.

On my 02 Saturn which came with a radio only, I put in an aftermarket system with HD, CD and i-pod capabilities. I bought an adapter and a new mounting plate to adapt the radio face to the dashboard. The higher power of the aftermarket radio quickly blew out the factory speakers so I replaced those too. I only used the front speakers as I don't like sound coming from behind me. All in all, it cost be about $500 including the i-pod cable and adapters.

You can do the same aftermarket system today for around $300 or less, the HD part really ran up the price when I did mine. If I had to do it over, I wouldn't bother with the HD but it seemed like a good idea at the time. I use the i-pod almost exclusively.

If you go aftermarket, I strongly recommend that you use crutchfield.com. They provide free adapters to make the 6.5" speakers fit the 6.75" bolt pattern used by GM.