Any suggestions on Navigation systems and install?

[iloveboost]

I'm installing an aftermarket navigation system on our IS300.

I'm debating between a few different units at the moment and it seems the TomTom offers the best product for the money. Handfree calling using Bluetooth technology, voice directions with turn by turn, touch screen, and a factory 2 year warranty.

Anyone have any experiences with different navigation/GPS manufacturers that can give a good review on different systems and such? How audible are the phone calls and directions thru the navigation unit?

If anyone works in the install field, how much would installation be for something like a windshield unit? Hardwired into it's power supply vs using the DC adapter for power supply?

Any help is always appreciated.

[Vuongy_Dong]

pm'd

[BanginJimmy]

I hear some good about the Eclipse AVN-7000. Its a single din unit with no brain box.

heres a link to it.

http://www.eclipse-web.com/7000index.html

[RiceBoy]

Get this..Its CLARION NICE..I have it and gotten spoiled by it. It is touch screen, and 8 inch screen...Voice, and etc...

http://www.cardomain.com/item/CLANICE

They sell it at Fry's and they even have the smaller version for like 300 .

[souldigger]

I hear some good about the Eclipse AVN-7000. Its a single din unit with no brain box.

heres a link to it.

http://www.eclipse-web.com/7000index.html

A friend of mine just got this in his Navigator. It a very nice and easy to use system.

[sonic30101]

if you are going with the portable units tomtom or garmin, i work at circuit city. and i loke them the most. install would be around $30-$40. if you get one from best buy/circuit city/hifi buys i would look at the protection plan cause the one from circuit city gives you a gift card for the amount that you spent on it if it breaks so you can buy a new one. no sending it off for service the day you have a problem is the day you get it fixed. those things can be delicate because of the touch screen and no one wants a $500 paper weight. personally i like the single or double din pioneer nav units myself

[.....]

avn 7000 or the or pioneer z1

[Ails85]

Tomtom....ugh!

I Work at best buy in the install bay, Go with Garmin hands down. I cannot count how many people come back with tomtom and go with a Garmin.

Install just depends on how you wanted mounted....install is $34.99. Cig lighter hardwire adapter is $10. If you wanted mounted on a bracket they range from $15-32.

As far as indash units, the Kenwood 512 has Garmin navigation and is a very nice unit.

my

[Blitanicle99]

I drive everywhere and I probably could not survive without a GPS unit for some of the places I go. However, I have had both the TomTom and the Garmin. Thus my Review.


Anyways, I had the TomTom and it was a good unit, no doubt. However the suction mount is a POS. It fell off my winshield like 10 times a day. The navigation system was nice, very simple and easy to use. A few little things I got annoyed with like the volume had to be reset every time you turned it on and such.


Sooo, I swapped to the 150.00 dollar Walmart Garmin Nuvi. Overall the navigation is the same, easy to use, touch screen. However I find that the Points of interest's are better set up. For instance when you look for restarunts, Garmin catagorizes them into different food times IE Chinese food, BBQ, Ice cream and so on. TomTom does not do that. The mount for the winshield is MUCH better. Has a latch to make it tighter which I am very happy with. Also the way it navigates you when you are en route I feel is better. It tells you road names rather then turn in 2 miles blah blah

In a nutshell. I believe the Garmin to be a better designed unit. I feel that the TomTom is just a name and isnt as good as they make it out to be. And thus having both Units, I like the Garmin personally better.

[Ails85]

haha, so I just realized that this thread was posted over a year ago...why would anyone dig this back up. I feel like an idiot for even posting on it