I've got a friend who was an installer for many years, including MECP certification and shop management. He has only one brand to recommend: DEI (Directed Electronics). The Clifford alarms seemed to be the top. Of course everyone has an opinion, but that was his, and I trust him on it.

We put one into my car over a long weekend, using the Clifford alarm (a DEI brand) and several other DEI parts, everything plugged right together and worked ont he first try. I've had it about a year now and it's been perfect. It's bewildering how many things can be set on it, and how much room it has to grow down the road to add other features. Specifically it was the 8000 model.

So - there's one recommendation. You tend to get what you pay for, as usual. Fortunately the difference between a cruddy and great alarm is like $100 vs. $400 bucks, so nothing major really. The installation is where it's at...