some place to look for a cheap inverter is costco, its like sams club where you have to have a membership and of course there has to be one close to you but i've yet to see one somewhere cheaper the 1000 watt one i have cost me like 35 dollars. other than that the internet is going to be the cheapest place to find one. as for retail stores like walmart, target, or a high end electronics store is going to be some of the most expensive places to get them. i left a post over on the thread in the family section as well. the 1000 watts is definately overkill but it is nice to be able to run just about anything you would need in a car. you can retrofit a tv into it if you don't have them built in, dvd players etc, its great for traveling where you can plug anything into it, you really don't realize how much you'll use it till you get it. like i said on the other thread, if you aren't completely confident you can do the work yourself i would recommend hiring the work because it can strand you on the side of the road if you mess up the alternator or battery.