rbaron

There will soon be after holiday sales, I've got some Best Buy gift cards and bonus certificates, and I'm thinking....

Even when the PCM in my 2004 CS gets fixed (see earlier thread: My PCM Blew Up Today) (it goes in for repair 12/26, the first date I could do it) it is still an old one that won't (as I understand it) ever get updated. I've got the latest NAVTEQ disks, but 'latest' is like a politician's promise.....

I'm basically pretty happy with the car, it has real low miles and I'm likely to keep it for another year or two.

So what is the current thinking (group or individual) on a good 3rd party GPS to stick on the dash.....I'd like one that shows roads built since 2004....

Happy Holidays,

--Bob

vyper340

Pioneer

rbaron

Which model?

And note I said On the dash, not In the dash....

Thx,

--Bob

charlieXS

he means like magellan, tomtom, garmin, etc...

I hear the NUVI line are exceptional. Maybe a nice widescreen NUVI650/760 for about $500...

mudman2

tomtom 720 by a mile

benjy3

Garmin 670, especially if you travel abroad. Switch it on in many countries and it "just works". Not cheap, but the best one all round in my experience.

rbaron

To show my current ignorance: for the TomTom or the Garmin or similar, do you have to string up a special antenna or do they have an antenna built in to their bodies?

Thanks for your help.

HD2pct

Antenna is built in, in either case.

I put my vote is for Garmin. They absolutely rule in this area. Garmin makes great products for applications such as aviation, which is just a bit more demanding in general. I am sure there are some good upstarts and they will keep coming, but Garmin is the king right now.

Everybody with PCM should keep a Garmin or similar in the vehicle just in case they need nav capabilities. I have an '04 as well, so I definitely understand the concept.

ABC

garmin nuvi 650. costco has great deals now for $300.

charlieXS

that's an AMAZING deal, it's $539 at best buy... I'm gonna' pick one up in the morning.

rbaron

Thanks for the tips. You all give good guidance.

One last question: where do you put, attach or mount these third party nav units?

Remember, I've got the PCM with the nav screen installed so I need some other place or device to set a Garmin, TomTom or whatever I decide upon. I'd prefer not to drill any holes or make any permanent defacements if I can avoid them.

I've been doing my due diligence on the internet and see a lot of options, but I'd like some opinions as to what works well in the real world.

--Bob

mudman2

I use the supplied mount and put it to the left of the main bulge in the dash, low.

sigs

Ditto here. I have only played with them in my Cayenne, as it has the factory Nav, but that's the best location for me, as well. It helps to get it as far forward as possible, to minimize the interference from the roof and maximize satellite reception.

I've used a number of the various brands fairly extensively, and Garmin gets my vote. Currently use a Nuvi 350 for rental cars, etc. That sounds like a great Costco price on the Nuvi 650. The only complaint I have about the various Nuvis I've used is that the speaker is pretty weak. If you don't need the flat profile for transportability, the speakers are better in the older "humpback" Garmins, and you can find some great deals - though maybe not better than the one already mentioned here. A common complaint with some of these "portable" GPS devices is that they lag just a bit behind your current position, so, if you are highly addicted to the "Turn Left Now" type of announcements, they often come later than with the built-in systems, but you just have to get used to it.

vyper340

pioneer avic-z1 or D2

sigs

MadFox, where's that RTFT icon? Will there be an especially large one for R-THIS-FT?

Those are both in-dash systems, and older models, at that. While the Pioneer (and Kenwood) in-dash systems are great, that's not what he's asking for.