I am looking for a GPS for my new tC. Don't need the "best", unless the best is also the best value

Any recommandations?

 

Pioneer Avic D1 - you can get on ebay for just under 1000.

 

wow, a bit on the pricy end

I often see GPS units on sale in bestbuy or whatever, are those ok units?

 

I have a NavMan i510 that does everything I ask/need. You can find them at tigerdirect.com for $280 or so on sale. You can store more than half of the U.S. on a 512mb SD card.

 

oh you want an external GPS unit sitting in your car. The D1 is a touch screen unit to replace the stock radio.

 

oh I see

yeah, looking for an external unit. don't want to have to take out the steoro

 

for stand alone units... the garmin',s and the tomtoms... for sure..

they are the two best units out right now... IMO... my shops sells tons of them... and have yet to hear a complaint.... i personally dont like the magellen too much.. and even the pioneer d1's and n2's kinda suck... as well as the curremt alpine navi... the nve-n872a ... they arent all they are cracked up to be... they dont allow you to search for home addresses... which is very stupid and i have had returns because of that...

 

it really depends how much you have to spend, do you park your car in a garage?

 

you gotta be kidding me. difference of oppinion here.
the head units give your car a better look/feel than an external unit that just sits on the dash or stick to the window. I don't get what you mean by search for home addresses, but you can save your home address or it has a list of destination that you've input. it is d@mn accurate when installed correctly with speed sensor wire. Lets think of the possible future mods that can be added, like when you're on a road trip and kids can be watching dvd in the back or playing a console.

with that said.. different mouth, different taste. go with whatever you feel like fits your needs, your budget.

 

I haven't researched much into gps prices yet so not quite sure how much I want to spend. probably something from couple hundred to 500 ~ 700, if that's what it takes to get a decent one.

Yeah, my car is parked in gated garage in my appartment complex.

The thing about external unit vs in dash unit, I don't want to take out my stereo for it so I probably have to settle with an external one.

 

Have you looked into a Pocket PC? Thats what I have linked by bluetooth to a GPS receiver for navigation. I dont have to mount it to anything and I can carry and place it to any car I drive and use it. I bought a dell pocket pc and belkin bluetooth navi receiver, total cost a lil under 500, plus I can use the Pocket PC to go online wireless and plays mp3's. If you want more detail information on things u might need, let me know.

 

ok... maybe i should have clarified...

the avic's... by are far are bad@ss radio,cd and dvd players...

as far as navi... kinda suck... sure they are on the mark when you your driving... but you can not look up addresses of say... a friends house... or a person your going to...

example...

a 2005 chevy colorado comes into my shop... wants this N2 put in... no prob i say.. its all good.. guy is a cable tv installer.. and decides to buy it because he figures he can put in a customers address... and find the house no prob without having to get out the atlas or get out and ask for directions.. wrong... i end up returning the avic, nav traffic, and ipod adapt. sucks for me... he also... to add insult to injury.. brings in his wifes 06 honda civic with fact navi... to show me how much better his honda navigation is then the one i was selling him...

my personal opinion... the bestter route to go in the navi area... by far a stand alone unit..

but when the D2, N3 and Z1 avics come out.. watch out.. i might just change my opinion... the Z1 for sure... a double din... with a built in DVD player... HD radio ready.. that is going to be a HUGE seller in the double din market...

 

TOMTOM is kool... $200+ i think...

 

wait that doesnt make sense.

According to tweetertc, I cannot input my friends address and have the navigation direct me from my current location to my friends house using the AVIC-D1? Or to any address for that matter?

 

well...

you can look up buisness addresses... just personal addresses you cannot... which is kinda dumb... IMO ....

so yeah... go for the standalone... if you get the tomtom... its bluetooth enabled and you can use your cell phone to find locations and resturants and all kinds of crap...

 

I have the AVIC-D1 and you can enter any address and it will direct you to the destination. It doesn’t matter if it’s a business or residential area. In dash navigation units also have a greater storage of map information and points of interests than the portable units. Most portable navi units use memory cards to hold data while most in dash are DVD based. I was in the market of buying a portable navi unit before I bought the D1. But if you wanted to go with a good portable navi unit the best one out there right now is probably the LOWRANCE IWAY 500C.

http://www.lowrance.com/automotive/P...s/iWAY500C.asp

 

I have the stand alone Magellion RoadMate 700. It works great and I can use it in any car. Plus when I go on vacations I take the unit on the plane with me and use it in my Rental. All POI are stored in the HD and you do not need any memory cards. They have updated since I bought it so you should be able to find it around 700. I got it last year.

 

you can input residential address and it'll guide you there.. I have my home address and friend's address on the unit. using voice navigation.. just say "return home" it'll direct route from wherever you are back to your home.. or whatever address you want to go to..

 

Alpine Blackbird looks pretty sweet...saw it in the new crutchfield mag. $700, but I just flat out like alpine....

 

just curious...do all navigation systems automatically recalculate routes if ure off tracK? does the avic-d1? i was thinking bout purchasing the eclipse avn5435....know if they're ne good?