How much for installed GPS navigation?

[jkerouac]

My wife and I are shopping for a new car, and leaning toward the Camry Hybrid for its nice balance of efficiency, comfort, and overall performance and value. Not the most exciting car on the road, to be sure, but a decent all around package.

In any case, we have been leaning toward the most full featured version, which includes a GPS navigation system. As it turns out, none of the dealers in my area seem to have the exact same color combination that we want with a navigation system. One does, however, have the exact same car, but minus the navigation system.

The difference in price is ab. $1,200.

I hadn't thought much about the nav system, except as a "nice to have" or "sure, why not" kind of feature, particularly for my wife. -- Hey, I'm a guy and guys don't need no stinkin' directions! Besides, my phone already has gps-assisted tracking and search and didn't cost anywhere near $1,200. On the other hand, a system installed on the center dashboard would be much more convenient and therefore usable.

But now I'm thinking that this is $1,200 less that I am spending, and an extra piece of built-in technology that I don't have to worrry about. For half that amount, I could probably buy a pretty nice portable GPS unit with more bells and whistles and a larger screen than my phone's -- and I could more easily replace it if it broke or wanted to upgrade. Plus I could use it in more than one car, not just this one.

So who here has built-in GPS nav systems on their cars? And if you had it to do over again, would you go with the auto manufacturer's unit or an aftermarket unit?

[brep]

I had an Acura TL (had to sell it for a mini-van, man - that hurt) with a built in NAV and loved it. When I started driving my truck, I picked up a Garmin Nuvi. Having experienced both, go the portable route. They are cheaper, better, easier to upgrade, and transferable between cars (friends, rentals, you name it...).

My vote - save the 1,200 (that's a nice laptop!)

-B

[jkerouac]

My vote - save the 1,200 (that's a nice laptop!)

-B

Or two or three nice reps! Thanks, B.

[LordRasta]

Or two or three nice reps! Thanks, B.

Exactly!!!

[jsmith11]

Hey, I can help as that is what I do I sell these navigation devices both portable and installed units.

If all you need is good navigation with Points of Interest and ease of use then defenitely go the portable way. You can transfer it from car to car and the software is so good now it is almost perfect. The downfalls to the portable units are obviously the power cord that goes into the cig light (can hardwire to avoid this), the size of the screen which is very small and the fact that people love to steal them! (Take it off the dash and solve that problem too). The cost is the biggest positive. Last year the good units (Garmin, Tom-Tom etc) were 600+, now the top of the line Tom-Tom is 500, that includes bluetooth for the phone and hookup for the iPOD!

For the indash devices well they are far superior in looks, options and add on availabilty. Meaning if you decide to buy say a Pioneer indash Avic-D3, you will am/fm dvd/cd and hard drive NAVI! All for the low price of $1000! That was unheard of even a year ago! With this radio you have the option of turning it into a media center for your car i.e. adding, bluetooth, xm/sirius, high speed ipod integration and now even hd radio! So if a media center is what you are after go the indash route you will not be disappointed but if all you need is Navi then go the portable as it is plenty sufficient for navigation needs!

Hope this helps, pm if you need any more help!

[brep]

Exactly!!!

What was I thinking????

-B

[jkerouac]

Hey, I can help as that is what I do I sell these navigation devices both portable and installed units.

If all you need is good navigation with Points of Interest and ease of use then defenitely go the portable way. You can transfer it from car to car and the software is so good now it is almost perfect. The downfalls to the portable units are obviously the power cord that goes into the cig light (can hardwire to avoid this), the size of the screen which is very small and the fact that people love to steal them! (Take it off the dash and solve that problem too). The cost is the biggest positive. Last year the good units (Garmin, Tom-Tom etc) were 600+, now the top of the line Tom-Tom is 500, that includes bluetooth for the phone and hookup for the iPOD!

For the indash devices well they are far superior in looks, options and add on availabilty. Meaning if you decide to buy say a Pioneer indash Avic-D3, you will am/fm dvd/cd and hard drive NAVI! All for the low price of $1000! That was unheard of even a year ago! With this radio you have the option of turning it into a media center for your car i.e. adding, bluetooth, xm/sirius, high speed ipod integration and now even hd radio! So if a media center is what you are after go the indash route you will not be disappointed but if all you need is Navi then go the portable as it is plenty sufficient for navigation needs!

Hope this helps, pm if you need any more help!

Those are great insights, thanks.

As it turns out, for the extra $1,200 that they charge for this package, the only additional thing you get is the navigation system. The next package down minus the nav already includes a great-sounding JBL stereo that offers satellite radio, a six-CD changer, and Bluetooth, as well as the moonroof, heated leather seats, etc.

[archibald]

I'd research any aftermarket GPS systems thoroughly. We've had three GPS's: The fabulous ffactory unit that came w/ the 2007 Acura MDX, the decent factory unit that came w/ our 2004 LexusRx330 and the unbelievably horrible aftermarket unit I paid 2 grand for (including Sirius and a DVD system) w/ the 2005 Ford Exursion. Whatever the ford dealer put inside (I'm too lazy to go out and get the manual to remember the brand , which has the word star in it somehwere but no onstar) our truck is so astoundingly bad it's almost funny. Locations that have been around for decades--for example a restaurant I like that's been in the phone book since 1964--are AWOL, only the first 5 digits of phone numbers are displayed, there is no category search, if you enter a location you know the quickest way to, you'll laugh aloud at the route it choses for you. If you plug in a location you don't know how to get to you're [censored] off because you f'n just know there are 20 faster ways to get there. If you make a wrong turn, fuggetabot it, it's like the thing is punishing you--it'll take you 10 miles out of your way instead of telling you a quick way to just turn the f around. The only time we use it is when the babysitter needs to drive the kids somewhere. In fact, she's the only person on earth who that thing can possibly help.

[mikellem]

I have Navigation in my MBZ c-320

Love it and wouldn't be without it!

-MM