scycle2020

Not ordering the Nav on the new Boxster but getting the Bose and Sat radio saves $2700. I was thinking that I have used the Nav on my current car maybe one time the past year. The Nav on my i-phone is better than one on most cars. So would you save the money and not order it or would you be worry about possible future resale value hit. Thanks again for all the great insight and comments.

911 Crazy

You might not need it but it might make a difference to the next owner as long as you'll be selling someday. GL

Schmidts Cat

Seems to me that spending money on a depreciating asset so the next guy can enjoy it is ludicrous. Like buying new couches for $5,000 and living with plastic covers so the next guy can buy them for 1,000 and enjoy the fabric!

Tapeworm

Don't think of it as spending $2,700 on NAV. Say you own the car 3-4 years, it will be worth maybe 50% of it's value, so in effect you only paid $1,350 for NAV for the time you owned the car. Now after 3-4 years, when you come to sell the car, if you don't have NAV installed, you will reduce the amount of buyers interested in your car, and affect resale, which is likely going to end up costing you much more than the $1,350 you saved....

Andy

zirrah

If you even have to ask the question, you have an answer. And it's no satnav Buy the car for you :-).

ATL Fahrer

Absolutely LOVE the nav on my car with the traffic updates. When we are out of town for the weekend, we really enjoy not worrying about how to get there or get around once there. The nav allows me to focus on driving and seeing what's around.

73S

I never get this order NAV for resale value argument. Let's say you want to sell the car in 5 years. Now think about what NAV looks like on a 5 year old car today--its terrible! The cheapest smartphone you can buy has better NAV than a 5 year old car. If you don't need it, don't buy it.

ATL Fahrer

IF you purchase any car or any option on a car with the idea that you're going to make money on it down the road, I would have to question your financial "prowess". Cars (with the very rare and unpredictable exception) are utils. Buy the car with what you, the individual, want on the car and enjoy the damn thing. If you make a little bit on the back end, good for you.

Cars, even our beloved Porsches, are not investments.

Keadog

I agree a $100 NUVI is probably better than the NAV in the car now. The only reason I ordered it:
I had an '03 F250 that I had mounted on the dash or windshield NAV, satellite radio and Valentine one. When I hit the tree @ 55mph (a whole other story about sudden acceleration while braking hard), there was stuff flying all over the cab. My worst injury was the cut right above my right eye from one of these temporary missiles. I feel lucky I'm using both eyes to type this.
I order everything built in now...

zirrah

Thats how I see it too. When I place my Boxster order (come on promotion...haha) I will be spec'ing the car out the exact way I want it. Could care less what that nets me down the line.

Gripster

People worry about future resale hit, but honestly, I just bought my 997 and it's the first car I've had in years without Nav. And guess what? My cellphone works great with a ProClip mount! In my case, the fact that the car was lightly optioned put it into a price bracket drew me to the car - Autotrader lets you sort by price and that's how I review my searches. Other 6-speed cars with Nav, Sport Chrono, more leather were more than what I had budgeted for a second/weekend car.

Next, remember that options retain only a fraction of their value - you won't get back the $2700 you put in to make the car 'more desirable'. Again, some of the cars I looked out must have stickered for well over $10-15k more than my car, and yet the used price was only ~$5k more than mine.

Since you are buying new, option it the way YOU want it. That's the whole point of ordering the car vs. buying one off the lot. I've had a BMW 330i for 7-years with no plans to sell it. I optioned it exactly the way I wanted to and it makes me smile every time I drive it.

So - if you want nav, then get nav. It will make you happy. If you want $2700 in your pocket so that you can have a few extra nice weekend trips with the car, then do that. Your money your choice. There will always be someone who wants to buy your car, after all it's a Porsche!

Kevin Rohrer

Porsche Nav is mediocre; Garmin is a lot better. The Bose radio is kind of a joke, and I don't use my Sat radio. Don't spend the money if you aren't going to use it.

the_vetman

My smart phone's navigation systems (yes, more than 1) are easier to use and give better directions. I cannot see spending thousands in something that will become obsolete in a few years. When I was searching for my Spyder I specifically did not want PCM and Nav, though weight reduction was certainly a factor as well.

zirrah

Yup. Now especially with my iPhone offering voice guided nav that updates whenever google feels like patching it, well. I don't need no stinking nav in the car otherwise

Macster

Couple of things. Most (all) car NAV units are overpriced and often not as good as what can be had aftermarket. However, the factory NAV units are built in and the installation is cleaner.

But factory NAV units go out of date quickly. And they get no love after the sale.

I remember when shopping for a 996 Turbo I learned that at least the 1st gen NAV units were no longer supported with any map updates. Essentially the NAV would have been useless. I found a good car and added an aftermaket NAV unit (Garmin nuvi) for under $200.

Also, a used car buyer is almost always more focused on condition and price so the presence or absence of a NAV is not likely to sway him. In fact its presence can be a turn off as a built in NAV is viewed by many as an unnecessary luxury option adding only more cost to the vehicle, a sign an owner went crazy with the option sheet.

And last but not least your observations about how little you use NAV in your current car and how much better NAV is on your i-phone I think you have answered your own question.