I've never really understood why people make such a big fuss everytime someone installs a Mac mini in a car. It's really not that hard, and it shouldn't cost $5,000 for a custom Mac mini install (and trust me, any Mac mini install in a car is a custom job). My best guess estimate for a do-it-yourself job would range from $1,300 to $2,500, which would include the Mac mini. If you happen to have a lot of parts lying around, or have done previous car stereo installations, the cost may even be less -- like maybe just the cost of the mini.
I don't have a Mac mini, but I have a PowerBook, so as a proof of concept, I attached my Powerbook to my car. After seeing how the PowerBook did in the car, it made me realize that I will never spend the kind of money people do on Mac mini'ing their vehicle -- a laptop is much more cost effective (and you can take your computing area anywhere).
For those curious about how to install a computer in the car, read on.
Now, before anyone thinks that this is complex project, it really isn't. It's all just a matter of plugging in the right cables to the right inputs. My project was complicated by the problem that I didn't have the right cables (I needed an S-Video to RCA or a DVI to RCA connector). I still accomplished the installation, but through a more roundabout manner. For installing a Mac mini, Apple has a DVI to RCA and S-Video adapter ($19).
I already had a LCD screen (Pioneer AVH-P6500DVD) in my car, which is why I had the available inputs. All the major car stereo manufacturers (and many lesser manufacturers as well) make headunits with DVD Player with LCD screens. These will cost between $600 and $2000. Unless there are some specialized functions you need specifically your Mac for (such as DRM'd content ), a DVD player with LCD screen will most likely serve your needs.
There are differences between installing a PowerBook and Mac mini, but the main one is this -- with a PowerBook, you can get by without a power inverter. To be truly mobile with the Mac mini, you must have one, even if it's the type that plugs into the cigarette lighter. Power inverters change the DC power of your vehicle into the AC power that your laptop or PC can use. Power inverters don't cost too much -- a good one with enough wattage to run a PC can be had for less than $100.
With a Mac mini, one would also have to have a keyboard and mouse and the appropriate connections. Because I had the keyboard and trackpad already it wasn't a problem. Because the screen is so small, You're really not going to do much typing on it anyways. Mouse tracking seemed jittery on my LCD -- that may be due to the age of the AVH-P6500DVD (it's almost 3 years old)
While my AVH-P6500DVD seemed to have no problem taking input from the Powerbook (up to a res of 1024x768), the display seemed a little laggy. Part of this may be attributable to the device that converted the S-Video output to composite video. For users of laptops, having the in-dash LCD screen as an extension of desktop (or even mirroring the desktop) is nothing but a novelty. The display seemed to have no problems running videos (i used the iTunes freebie BSG clip to test).
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