But there are definitely COOL things about this stereo upgrade, too:

Let's start off with a shout-out to my homies:

Shawn (Psychos2) made me a subwoofer enclosure for my 10" CDT Audio sub. It fits like a GLOVE (a really, really tight glove!) in the spare tire hatch. And it sounds FREAKIN' AWESOME now. I actually had to bring down the bass a bit from the installer's level, because at mid- to high-volumes, that sub pretty much blows out the windows.

As long as I never, ever get a flat tire, this rear-door sub enclosure is an extremely worthwhile mod. If any of you are 'on the fence' about it, just do it: contact Psychos2 and get him to build an enclosure for you.

Greg (Orion) hooked me up with a mint-condition Ford Taurus cup-holder/coin tray insert. It's now residing in the lower single-DIN CD changer space. It also fits like a glove, and it looks completely stock. I can confirm that standard Wild Cherry Pepsi cans fit in there...but nothing larger than a regular soda can!

I'm still testing the rest of the system, but it rocks like a mo fo. The rear camera WORKS, even if I don't like the camera mount job. The Kenwood DVD/stereo/GPS Navigation/Sirius Radio/iPod adapter all work perfectly, as far as I can tell. The retractable 7" monitor looks pretty damn close to a stock system, if the VX had come with one! It's a perfect height and size, and it is BRIGHT and sharp. (At night it automatically dims.)

So. Good stuff. Thanks again to Shawn and Greg for the assists!

PS: YES, photos are coming. It's dark and raining outside right now, plus I'd rather wait until the rear-camera tumor has been excised.