Impulse buy- Early 80s suggestion

[essbee]

Hi! I'm brand new, thanks for having me. I decided that my inner 10 year old would like a killer boombox. She was 10 in 1984 I'd like to spend under $300. I am not an audiophile but probably looking more for the early 80s Breaking look while still being able to play tapes and listen to the radio. Suggestions appreciated. Thank you!

 

[beansmaynard]

The highly sought after models go for a lot more than 300 these days. It's a sad truth that I've had to come to terms with.

Plenty of people a lot more knowledgeable than me will reply soon (it's a great community) but some excellent models I'd recommend are:

Sharp GF-9191
Sharp GF-575
Hitachi TRK-8190/8290

I only recommend, because I have these in my collection.

 

[Lasonic TRC-920]

Hi! I'm brand new, thanks for having me. I decided that my inner 10 year old would like a killer boombox. She was 10 in 1984 I'd like to spend under $300. I am not an audiophile but probably looking more for the early 80s Breaking look while still being able to play tapes and listen to the radio. Suggestions appreciated. Thank you!

Can you search google for boomboxes and find some pictures of radio's you are interested in and post them here? Then we will have an idea on whether you will have one of those radio's or if you are going to have to save up more money. It's always possible to get your dream radio.
Are you handy at all? Mechanically inclined?

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Megablast_73]

Hi! I'm brand new, thanks for having me. I decided that my inner 10 year old would like a killer boombox. She was 10 in 1984 I'd like to spend under $300. I am not an audiophile but probably looking more for the early 80s Breaking look while still being able to play tapes and listen to the radio. Suggestions appreciated. Thank you!

I suggest you the Aiwa CS-600

 

[essbee]

Thanks for the warm welcome! I am a total noob so I appreciate the kindness. I am not at all handy lol. Can folks share some feedback? I am thinking about snagging this Lasonic TRC-918. It looks like it's damaged on one side but I am assuming that's why it's available at this price. Advice? Worth it or not? Thanks again!

 

[AE_Stereo]

Buy a National/Panasonic, if you want a working cassette deck. Most Panasonic cassette mechanisms still work and are the easiest to access and repair.

 

[Northerner]

Thanks for the warm welcome! I am a total noob so I appreciate the kindness. I am not at all handy lol. Can folks share some feedback? I am thinking about snagging this Lasonic TRC-918. It looks like it's damaged on one side but I am assuming that's why it's available at this price. Advice? Worth it or not? Thanks again!

You can do better for that price

 

[essbee]

You can do better for that price

Thank you for checking it out!

 

[Eddy]

Buy a National/Panasonic, if you want a working cassette deck. Most Panasonic cassette mechanisms still work and are the easiest to access and repair.

A RX 5250 is a very good choice

 

[Tinman]

Unfortunately, the chances of getting a fully working "killer" vintage boombox for that price is slim to none.
Maybe a few years ago but not now.
That said, it's possible to get a decent box.
There are a couple of Panasonic RX-5150s on ebay that are stated to be working.
Even if a seller states it to be "fully working", take that with a grain of salt.
Check this one out, RX-5150 (note that the antenna is bent).

 

[essbee]

Unfortunately, the chances of getting a fully working "killer" vintage boombox for that price is slim to none.
Maybe a few years ago but not now.
That said, it's possible to get a decent box.
There are a couple of Panasonic RX-5150s on ebay that are stated to be working.
Even if a seller states it to be "fully working", take that with a grain of salt.
Check this one out, RX-5150 (note that the antenna is bent).

Had that listing open Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[essbee]

Thanks again, all. I ended up offering $100 under list price for that Lasonic and the seller accepted. I’ll be back to figure out how to fix it