I bought mine around that price too, in fact slightly more expensive as it was the first unit in SG. In buying these imported units, you need to have trust in Alpine's quality. Meaning that of course these have no warranty. So far they have not let me down.
All I can say is that you just have to trust the quality of the set, and maybe when you open the box verify that its indeed a virgin new set, and all plastic packaging hasn't been opened before.
9835 vs 310 - sound quality wise it should be similar, except that the 310 has the option of using optical cable for your signal, which 'should' sound better. 310 of couse has many many more features, its a totally different unit.
1. You get a 7" DVD screen + DVD player
2. You get touchscreen control of all functions
3. You get to use touchscreen to control your 701 processor (save cost, no need 701 display unit)
4. You get option of adding rear view camera
5. you get option of adding TV Mobile in yr car (Cheap DVB-T tuner can work! $200+ only)
The extra money you pay for the 310 is worth it, IMHO. But it would be a waste if you don't spend a few hundred more to get the 701 processor to unleash 31 band EQ, DTS/Dolbydigital processing and all the other features. This killer combo (in terms of cost effectivesness) will be many times better in sound quality and more fun (DVD, touchscreen, TV mobile, rearview cam) than just a standard HU like a 9835.
One of the major reasons why i bought the 310 is also that I don't need to deploy the screen each time I drive. When the screen is closed, the small display outside is actually damn useful to allow you to change tracks, change radio stations, switch between radio/cd/changer modes. This very useful display wasn't there in the older model. Nowadays I deploy screen only for watching DVD or TV, or when I need to visually tune the system or change detailed settings. Otherwise, its just a stealth looking unit that is 95% functional screen in hidden mode.
