OEM car stereos have come a long way, but the premium prices of those I remember to be umm, interesting. Not to worry, though, a good specialty store can improve the car's system while maintaining stock look. That's what I have done with my cars. From what I remember of the rental Volvo I cruised around in, the control center doesn't really lend itself to an aftermarket replacement. But that's okay, I'm sure an amp under a seat and drivers placed in stock locations would work quite well. You may want to check in to the compatibility of the particular OEM headunit and aftermarket amps, though. And you may want to consider coincident instead of separate drivers because the placement of the separate tweeters in OEM stereos is typically poor - just something to consider.
Sound Domain has an okay forum, but I would just go to a car audio specialty store (Not Car Toys! :) The good stores make purchasing very straight forward and what you want seems pretty simple.
The best speakers I have heard are Dynaudio. Less expensive, but good are MB Quart and Boston Acoustics. There are a lot of decent amps, you can't go wrong with any of the reputable brands. Maybe a McIntosh amp will make you feel more at home.
Another issue I think you may want to be aware of is the Nazi-brightness of many car audio tweeters. Not a lot of soft domes running around (I can only think of Rainbow and Dynaudio). Anyways, the main point is that what you want is very do-able, and a good store will take you there easily. Good luck
Sound Domain has an okay forum, but I would just go to a car audio specialty store (Not Car Toys! :) The good stores make purchasing very straight forward and what you want seems pretty simple.
The best speakers I have heard are Dynaudio. Less expensive, but good are MB Quart and Boston Acoustics. There are a lot of decent amps, you can't go wrong with any of the reputable brands. Maybe a McIntosh amp will make you feel more at home.
Another issue I think you may want to be aware of is the Nazi-brightness of many car audio tweeters. Not a lot of soft domes running around (I can only think of Rainbow and Dynaudio). Anyways, the main point is that what you want is very do-able, and a good store will take you there easily. Good luck