questions about FM transmitters for mp3 players

[blackrain]

i'm looking for some real practical advice on this. When I bought my sansa m230 mp3 player at BestBuy, I asked about an FM transmitter. BestBuy had two or three that were all over $40. That sounded too pricy and I wanted to do my research. In the last couple of months, I have read about a lot of transmitters that have static and drift, and that the newer ones with the phase locked loop circuitry only have 3-4 channels to choose from. My understanding is that this corrects drift or the slow tuning out of a song but this would be horrible for long trips through Pennsylvania because of the limited number of channels.

Are the pricy ones at BestBuy any better than the ones online for $10-15?

Is there one that someone would suggest?

It seems like for every fm transmitter, there's at least one person that complains about the static or drift, and at least one person that says everything is perfect. The reviews never tell me anything because of the conflicting feedback.

I was also looking at the Arkon SF100 on woot. I figure that if they all suck I might as well get the cheapest one that sucks

I commute to work every day through the lower hudson valley in NY (westchester-rockland county) and plan to use this for work commute or trips through Pennsylvania to see family


Edit:
i'm open to other suggestions, but I don't have a tape or caesstte player in my car for the cassette/tape adapter which I heard is the best solution

 

[Suture]

I actually tried two FM transmitters.

The first was a no-name brand. Only offered a choice of 3 or 4 frequencies. It was horrible. The second was a $50 iRiver FM transmitter. It was like night and day. I could dial in any frequency I chose, and save 3 or 4 to a quick button, so I could switch to a different frequency if needed. However, I still did not care of the sound quality. My preferences are a little picky since I record music, however my friends did not notice the sound quality degradation much. And of course, I hate navigating through the MP3 player while I'm in the car.

I am in the same boat as you, having a non-iPod MP3 player, but have been paying attention to the new head units that been released recently by Eclipse, JVC, and Kenwood. They're now starting to offer USB ports, however you can't read off an MP3 player, only a USB memory stick at the moment. It's only a matter of time before they finally release one that allows you to either use an external HD or a non-iPod MP3 player; that's what I'm holding out for.

I've since given away the iRiver FM transmitter, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.