I am looking to replace the original 1985 radio in my 740 with something that has a direct ipod input. I am tired of messing with an FM transmitter. The antenna position in a wagon does not pick it up well.
Any recommendations?

thks

Instead of an FM transmitter you may want to try a cassette adapter. I have been fairly happy with my Griffin adapter. It's a lot better than FM transmitters though still not as nice as a new radio :o)

just remove the amp and connect the speakers directly to the new unit
its not hard to do

there is plenty of car radios out there with an input at the front to connect an ipod and they are pretty cheap these days

I put an Alpine (9856, I think) from Crutchfield in my wife's 740 - it's IPOD ready - one cable from the rear of the head unit to the IPOD. The IPOD menus show up and are controllable through the Alpine controls.

$200 for the receiver, $30 for the cable. Installs in about an hour. Crutchfield will include a wiring harness adapter, usually at no extra charge.

It's a nice lower to mid price upgrade for an older car.

Thanks for your response. What year is your wife's 740? My '85 has some kind of amp driven by the stock radio. Will the dash insert accommodate a DIN radio?
I'm wondering if I will have a lot of wiring to do and whether I will have to by-pass the amp. The old original radio still works but it changes station by itself.

thks

1990 740 wagon. I replaced the factory radio, the one with the amp and speaker connections mounted by the steering wheel.

Crutchfield will provide an adapter harness specific to the car - you crimp the head unit wiring to the harness, and the other ends of the harness are plug compatible with the factory vehicle harness behind the radio (which includes always hot power, switched power, ground and antenna power leads) and the speakers out plug by the old amp. Plenty of wire, and and easy to route behind the dash. They also provide instructions with pictures. Very simple installation, and the result looks like a factory installation.

I routed the IPOD cable through the side of the storage box above the ashtray - the cable end tucks back into the space when not in use, and the IPOD sits conveniently in the ashtray.

Find a radio with auxiliary input on the front. Then you'll buy a cable with 2 male stereo connectors on each end.

The $99 Aiwa (CDC Z-101 ??) in my car had an aux input.
--
84 245 tan, '86 745 GLE, '89 16v, '90 744 GL (RIP '84 245 red)

Don't have any experience with IPod compatible players...but www.crutchfield.com has decent prices and very good service. Many that aren't made specifically for IPods can still have an aux input. Though the Bosch brand Blaupunkt looks good on paper, both that I've had have been flakey (display doesn't always come on, takes multiple tries to turn on, shuts off randomly, and a few other endearing quirks).