1. I never listen to Stern, that would cut into time that I could use to enjoy some good music.

2. I rarely listen to CDs; the radio programming is interesting a varied.

3. My car makes a great boombox.

4. I paid for year #2, no qualms about it.

5. It is very nice to be able to travel across the state and beyond and never have to change stations (or hunt for a station that has decent reception), unless I want to listen to a different channel.

Bottom line is that for me, satellite radio is well worth it. I would simply get the car I wanted, and not worry about which provider it was linked with. It's all good (except Stern and Oprah!)