DRACO A5OG

Hey All,

I was really bored and searched for a Radio GPS Combo. Has anyone tried it?

4.3 in @ $299

or it's brother 3.5 in @ $245


Oh Yeah, claims 80 watts per channel

theiceman

that would look sooooooooooooooooooooooo out of place on my 78

i had trouble even finding a radio that didn't have flying dolphins on it ...

rusnak

When I do use my GPS, it's usually after I have gotten lost, and I need to get back to the freeway (haha, it's true). I like the fact that I can take it out of the car and work with it in the shade or inside a building. It seemed expensive at the time, but it's been well worth the cost.

That one looks like it's a bit of a stretch to see while driving. Mine is mounted either in front of the shifter on the dash, or I hold it in my lap. I have a cable that allows me to connect it to the stereo, but I have not connected it yet.

I think the hot setup would be to go with a bluetooth stereo that will work with your bluetooth phone with gps, or dedicated bluetooth gps unit. I'm waiting for the high end Blaupunkts to go with bluetooth, hopefully soon.

DRACO A5OG

Actually, I like the dual dial set up, not so keen on the 1st one with the big nose. The 2nd has that retro look to it. All the modern ones have one big dial on the side, display and numeric pad.

Good points about the visbility and bluetooth.

I just got tired of pulling out the GPS and suction cup holder.

Hell, the JVC brand is $700 for the one like the 2nd one

theiceman

i actually have a blau in my 911 with led front face. In a Targa with the roof out it is damn near impossible to see in the sun , and don't even use that one for the clock as I can't see it . I imagine those things would be even worse to see,

DRACO A5OG

I was thinking the same, my high gloss cover infront of my LED is worthless with the top off. The sacrifice of driving topless ( Boo Hoo ), so painfull to be beautiful, LOL.

Was hoping someone had installed one could chime in.

theiceman

i think seeing anything is the Targa would be tough , mine has the high gloss front too so i don't even bother I have an older key card one with the flip face. Cost WAy to much so i can't change it. I think Blaus are now lo end of the market.

Peter Zimmermann

This whole Nav thing has been a concern to me. My wife travels because of her job, and many trips she drives her personal car so she could really use Nav. The car is leased so we don't want to mess with radios, and she needs Bluetooth because she actually has done conference calls from the car. If she has a Nav unit mounted on a suction cup apparatus she has to remove it every time she parks the car (constant fear of finding a smashed window, a brick lying on the seat, and no Nav device when she returns to her car), so that's a real inconvenience. Any ideas as to which 4.3" unit on the market is the most user friendly, especially the removal and slide into a purse part? The info she would like are gas station and restaurant locations, and, of course, good freeway exit info with miles of lane change warnings.

rusnak

Pete: I have a Magellan and I love it. You will "borrow" the wife's GPS or want one yourself once you use one.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...S&Sp=C&topnav=

Costco.com has some monster prices on stuff. Radio Shack has good prices too.

Marc Gelefsky

Pete,

I have a Garmin Nuvi 660, it's easy to use and blows away the Tom Tom I used to have, My wife knows how to use it so thats a plus

I think the 660 may be discontinued but all the Nuvi's seem to have the same O/S it's just a matter of features. The unit is very light and thin, came with a nice case

rusnak

a quick look in the Costco coupon book yields these prices:

Garmin nuvi 780 4.3" GPS 249.99
*Garmin nuvi 260W Auto GPS 4.3" screen 149.99 after $20.00 off at the register
Magellan 5310 5" widescreen GPS 199.99

The nuvi 780 looks more expensive, and it is, because it has Bluetooth connectivity, an FM transmitter, mp3 player, and MSN Direct.

*the Garmin 260 is $20 off with a coupon, good only from April 13 to May 3, 2009. If anyone would like to use this coupon, PM me and I'll mail it to you.

salukijac

I have the Garmin 760 (about 1.5 years old) and it has the bluetooth, FM transmitter, mp3 player and other not used features. The Garmin website allows you to do side by side comparisons so it's the best way to compare options. If her car has a very quiet cabin she may be able to take advantage of the bluetooth for telecons.

BTW, my wife is not a technical person and she loves using ours. I on the other hand work in a GPS program and it's almost a requirement to have one. :-)

theiceman

I also have the MAgellan but do have the windshield thingy. That stays there and I just unclip from it. It does have blue tooth which is really nice as I can use my blackberry voice dial function through it. It is actually functionally better than my Maxima bluetooth that you are forced to use their small and useless phonebook.

Peter Zimmermann

Thanks, all - great info! Do all of the units come with the mounting brackets and parts needed to put it in the car and make it work? Do they plug into a 12V power point or is hard wiring better?

Edit: Never mind, I just went to Costco's/rusnak's site and saw the mounts. Anybody have a preference - the vent mount looks really easy to use and will keep the unit a little closer to the driver.

Jorge, the cabin is medium-quiet (Audi A4 w/4-cyl Turbo), but she already has Bluetooth (built into the car's stereo including radio mute, etc.), so that's not a necessary feature.

One more thing: Costco says "3 month free subscription." What's that? Can't the unit be purchased and used using installed info without monthly charges?

theiceman

mine came with a stickerso you can stick the pad to the dashboard . I wasn't cool with that. You may have to buy a vent adapter depending on which model you buy..