well my dad and i were talking about picking up a system for the g as xmas gift. i never really wanted 1 but with all the traveling i do lately, i can see where it comes in handy. anyways, i wanted to hear what you guys thought.

ive looked in stores at the garmins, tomtom, etc. from what ive heard, garmin is the best company but not sure which unit. these run from $400-1000. now, how much more would i be investing if i went with an in-dash unit. which 1 of those would you guys recommend? im really not looking to spend a lot but if its worth it, i might as well upgrade. thanks!

 

well with an indash unit you would already be looking at a good 300 to 400 for the a/c controller, bracket and finisher. As far as in dash navi goes, they go starting from around a grand?? So... cheapest would be around 1300?? most likely w. out installation... unless you do it yourself... but im sure you can find some good deals

 

yeah you're looking at $300-$450 for the setup alone. The actual units vary greatly in price. Anywhere from $700 to $3000. The top of the line unit (agruably) is the Panasonic Avic Z1. You can pick one up off ebay for around $1500. The retail is around $2700 or so. You can pick up a D2 for around $750 or so.. not too bad. Eclipse seems to be the next more popular.. Depending on the model you're looking in the same ranges as the Panasonic, probably less though

 

The in-dash units are a lot more expensive than the add-on GPS units. The advantage is that they have options that the stand alone GPS units don't have. I think they look better, more finished... some of them have better audio options if you have an external amplifier to take advantage of them with... and they don't fall off of your windshield when the suction cups pop off.

I have an Eclipse AVN5435 and have been very happy with it. The Nav system functions very well and I use it fairly often for trips and FGC events. I don't know if the Eclipse Nav system is any better than some of the stand alone GPS units. Personally, I doubt it would be significantly better. I've heard that there are only a few companies actually compiling the map data.

The advantage of the stand alone GPS units is that is you travel, you can pack the GPS unit and use it in any car, anywhere. For me, most of my travel is for business. If I don't know my way around a city, I just rent a car with GPS.

 

OH! Take a look at the ALPINE Blackbird i believe its called. I think its around $700???

 

W0day, I wish you had mentioned that when you called me Friday!!!!

I JUST installed an Eclipse AVN5500

When are you coming back to the Ville?

Adrian

 

too bad. im not sure, i usually come visit every 3-4 months. i also forgot about the alehouse meets on thursday night.

 

dude definately go with a Double Din unit.....you wont be sorry....I know you are a bit of an audiophile so it will be like a 2 for 1 deal....look into it, the only obstacle is the dash pieces and whatnot....but u might be able to do everything for around 1100-1200 bucks

Dude when are you coming back down to miami?? so we can get all the boys down here meet up (probably z's n g's) and go get a drink or 12 LMAO

 

bah, Thursday night meets suck. that's INTMO. The people who go to those meets are usually kids that act like they are in Middle school - always something to prove when nothing was ever provoked. Dumb & young.

oh yeah, that's MOST of them, not all.

Adrian

 

I have an indash Garmin GPS connected to my Kenwood DD head unit in my coupe and in the sedan a portable Garmin 2620 in the cubby where the factory nav goes. It depends on how much you want to spend and how you plan to use the GPS.

I wanted a DD setup in my coupe and opted for the Kenwood because I can have a DVD/CD in the slot and still navigate, due to the add-on Garmin made Kenwood KNA-G510 unit. Some other DVD based head units make you choose between watching/listening to a DVD/CD or navigating. That isn't a problem with the Kenwood. And updates are via SD card download.

Pros- larger screen, fully integrated into the dash, factory look

Cons - semi-permanent, complexity, and cost (both equipment and install). You need a head unit, navi module (unless you opt for a DVD bases system), and the DD conversion parts. So you are looking at $1600 or so at the cheapest, plus install. But then you may also want to finish upgrading your audio system with an amp(s) and speakers, which will definitely add to the cost.

I initially wanted a portable GPS unit to swap between both cars and to take on trips where I might use a rental car in unfamiliar surroundings. I throw this in my carry-on luggage and plop it on the dash of the rental. I opted for the then new Garmin 2620 because it had a touch screen and didn't require maps to be loaded (my older Garmin GPS V requires you to load maps depending on where you go and only holds 19 MB of maps). As a bonus, it fits nicely in the cubby. The Streetpilot 2820 is the current model and has an MSRP of around $1000. The older models are less expensive. There are lower priced "C" models too. The software on the current models is updated by USB.

Pros- portable, semi-custom look, features (my 2620 can do more things than my DD unit because I can plot a route on the computer and load it in), no installation costs, easy to hide in questionable areas, and waterproof (for motorcycles)

Cons- still not cheap at $1000, but the 2620 can be found on ebay for less than half of that price, smaller touch screen, and not as nice of an install look

Regardless of which system you opt for, once you use GPS, you'll always have one.

Here's a pic of my 2620 in the sedan's cubby.

 

Check out the Garmin Nuvi 360 or the new 660 for a portable GPS.

 

My Eclipse AVN5435 has this problem. It has two slots, one for CD's and one for DVD/Nav. The CD slot won't read DVD's and the DVD slot can have either a DVD or the Nav DVD. If you plan on watching DVD's this is a pain in the neck.

There are now newer Eclipse units than the AVN5435 that I have. I believe both slots can play DVD's so that eliminates this problem. I would like to upgrade, but $1600 is too expensive for that one feature.

 

Correct, the AVN 6600 can read DVD's w/ both slots. Movie on top, Navi on bottom.

Adrian

 

sorry man, i was just in miami a couple weeks ago. i posted up about. jose was nice enough to get me tipsy and we hit up moroso with mike.

ya i figured adrian, same thing everywhere you go.

all the in-dashs sound cool but i think im too poor for that right now. the 2620 looks to be around $400 and has a cool remote. i saw the nuvi 360 at best buy and it looks sleek. looks to be around $600. the 660 is closer to $800 but just as slim.

ps terry way to invade.

 

are there any 6disk DVD/NAV head units? or does the NAV take up too much room to allow for this capability?