How much did you guys pay for the AVN 2454? Does it have NAV, Play DVD movies, and have a tuner? Or is each a separate option that needs to be upgraded? I'm also curious to know how the movies look regarding resolution.

Lastly, can it be installed using stock stuff or do I need to get the console modified?

Thanks!

kafene.

 

kafene
The 2454 plays movies out of the box as far as tv goes you will need an external tuner . I bought the Rosen TV tuner, it also has two additional inputs for other video sources. You will also need to buy the JDM dash kit from j-garage.com to install the radio. Cost of the parts is $386.00. There is an excellent tutorial on this site and G-owners.com for aftermarket radio installation.
Getting a 2454 right now is a major pain as the radio is in HIGH demand. Retail is $2200, dealer cost is $1400. I got mine at cost (1400), I was in the car audio business for 12 years so I begged my old boss to get me one. If you HAVE to have now Id image $1800 would be good deal on one, I have heard people paying as much as $2500 however. Right now you will be hard pressed to find any dealer willing to part with one for less than retail. If you can wait till summer you should be able to snag one on Ebay for $1600 or so. Since most of the hi end video pieces (ie Kenwood/Alpine)sell for about $200 over cost.
JFYI, the AVN is a sweet piece since EVERYTHING is built in where most other video/nav pieces require hidden boxes which are a PAIN in the but to find a home for in small car like the G.
I recommend the Rosen TV tuner since it's small and fits nicely under the center console.

Lawrence

 

I work for a store that was Eclipse Dealer of the Year 2 years in a row. We are allocated more AVNs than any other store. I also am 1 of only 20 people on the Eclipse Product Advisory Board. You can also catch me next month on the front cover of Dealerscope magazine.

I am not telling you all of this to boast, but just to lend credibility to what I am going say!!!!!

Lorinsorbenz is right in the fact that it is a great unit! He is incorrect on waiting for the demand to subside. Eclipse was originally going to sell this unit for $3k, but at the last minute decided to insure demand by dropping the price to $2300. They paniced because they were concerned that with the unit being double din, it could only be installed in about half the cars out there.

Also, Eclipse has an internal policy that they will buy all of the AVNs that hit ebay or any other website. With the power of Fujitsu, who does over 2 billion dollars a week, behind them they will stick to their word.

Also, if you really want one and can't find it, let me know.

Hopes this helps. Any other questions?

www.s-waves.com

 

Just like the Kenwood 910 and 911 were when they 2454's demand exceeds supply....but as time goes on the you will be able to get one easily and with that the price will come down.
soundwaves is correct that Fujitsu-Ten polices Ebay as does most of the audio manufacturers except for Sony or Pioneer and some of the cheaper brands as the only thing they care about are numbers. Dealers also sign agreements stating they will not sell online, if caught they lose the right to sell the product. However as with anything, if you look hard enough there is always a shady dealer transshipping aka selling grey market goods. Eclipse is very well controlled so you will be hard pressed to find many pieces being moved sideways. If soundwaves has one in stock then you should grab it while you can. Like I said earlier no dealer will give it away right now since supply is short, but I am sure he will give you a great deal. To me even at full retail the radio is one heck of a buy.
now if if Eclipse would just release the Sirius tuner it would be perfect!!

 

eBay sales seem like they'll be very difficult to police. Somebody can put up a Buy It Now auction which could be completed before anyone at Eclipse sees it. Trying to enforce a high dealer markup could backfire and push a certain percentage of their would-be customers to purchase other comparable head units out there. It's a good thing they didn't try to sell it for $3000 because they would have priced themselves out of the competition with units like the Avic-N1, ddx-7015, or iva-d301.

 

Ebay is easy to police, all you have to do set up automatic emails for the items you are looking for and when they are listed you will know they are for sale.

 

As I explained before, I am one of 20(actually currently 15) on Eclipse Dealer Council(advisory board). At our last 3 day meeting in San Diego, all of these things were discussed. It is there that we also decided the AVN would be black instead of silver as in Japan. These units have been built and sold in Japan successfully and if Eclipse wanted them this year for the US market, they would have to take them in their Japanese fashion, but we were able to get the chassis mold color changed.

Couple of things:

1)Lorisnerbenz is correct that there are a few bad eggs out there who transship Eclipse products. It is very few and Eclipse employs full time staffers to police the web and especially ebay. If they find a product on the web, they will pay top dollar for it(this is where Fujitsu’s money comes in) and then pull up the electronic serial number and cutoff & sue the offending dealer. Eclipse wants the reputation of this being an awesome product to stay this way so that incorrectly installed products do not exist in the marketplace. They reward the buyer who purchases and installs the unit through an authorized dealer with a 3 YEAR WARRANTY! This is unheard of for a video head unit and costs about $295 extra if you buy an extended warranty from a third party.

2)Lorinserbenz is also correct that the units price will start to fall a little later, but as most people know, it always hard to find Eclipse products below retail because they are one of the few manufacturers who set their retail at a realistic street price – meaning, there is usually not another product that can touch its performance & warranty for the price. Also, the unit is selling 3 times more than expected. They took there current double din sales (7301) and multiplied it by 10 thinking they were okay. They were not. Based on the allocation list that I am privy to, most dealers will not have regular stock until early November 04.

3)JohnBoy is incorrect. You cannot compare the AVN to those listed units. It is in a category of its own that no one else can match. They cannot match the warranty, NAV speed, double din fit, all in one chassis, and DVD & CD slot. The only one that would be close would be the Kenwood as it is a double din. Once you add the Navigation module to it, you are more than the Eclipse’s current price and with the higher install price, more than the Eclipse if it was $3k. Some dealers in our area are selling the AVN for over $3500 and it is worth it.

www.s-waves.com

 

I really like how Eclipes AVN looks in G35 (thanks to lorinserbenz pictures). I work in public accounting, which requires me to travel from client to client. Many times I wish I have bought the navigation - but since I didn't want a premium package, I didn't feel it was worth $5K. As such, I'm excited that this product is available and hope that I can buy it with installation and double din conversion for around $2,200. If anyone knows of good audio shops in L.A. area that have done double dins on G35 - please let me know.

Thanks,
Stan