Hi,
I’ve owned a 2003 Cooper S for three years now and very early on got fleeced by our local BMW dealer ($500) on an Ipod connection kit which generally is a load of trash, but I won’t go into details.
I'm just after advice on what type of head unit to replace the original aging unit with and what actually fits in. Will most head units fit in or id the Mini different in some way(s)?
I would like to keep it as less conspicuous as possible (so less likely to be nicked) so no big flashing screens and also a front AUX socket is a must to plug in my Iphone.
I've seen a couple of Apline units (one being CDE-121E) which look OK. And I’m assuming even though they don’t cost too much they should sound better than the original.
I’m looking to spend no more than $300 (AUD) (I’m good at finding bargains on the net so all models up to $500 will be good) and I’ll be using the original speakers so it’s just the head unit

The Head Unit Gallery (http://www.mini2.com/forum/first-generation-interior-ice/60533-head-unit-gallery.html) thread may be of help.

Alpine model numbers are probably different in Oz but look for the head unit to have a digital iPod connection. That means the DAC on the Alpine decodes the music and it gives way better quality than the normal analogue iPod connections.

haha, I almost got that iPod kit too. Glad I didn't. $70 FM tuner- That'll do!

As for the head unit, I probably wouldnt worry too much about what it looks like- people aren't going round looking in MINIs to see what CD players are worth stealing... They look in old crappy Commodores, Lancers and Silvias... Stuff that' easy to break into.

And most auto sparkys/accessories stores have little cubby holes to fit under the head unit if it's too small to fit in the gap.

Doesnt matter how cheap the headunit is, they will still steal it. Unfortunetely I learnt that the hard way. Original ones are less likely to be stolen though, plus dont have to mess about taking face off all the time.