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I know the cost is alot higher but hands down I love the in-dash GPS systems for several reasons and would never get a car without.
1.) The factory integration and the general size of the screen is awesome (usually 8 inches on most cars)
2.) The audio and climate integration is neat too, nice to be able to see all the title/artist info with XM, etc.
3.) The extra little niceties like navtraffic
Lastly, I cant agree with the comment above about field of vision issues in my current car (BMW M5) its perfectly in my direct line of sight, same with my previous car (Acura MDX)
Also one last thing I wouldn't worry about it not lasting especially if your talking about a honda, a friend of mine has an 02 Acura TL Type S with almost 160K miles and her factory nav still works just the same as day 1.
However, depending on the vehicle (not your BMW, of course) one can get a lot better deal with an in-dash unit one can install oneself. For example, a top of the line Kentwood, Sony, Alpine, and so forth that have a lot more bells and whistles than the factory units, and don't cost as much. However, if you are going to have one installed at a shop, then you will be paying premium. I just do it myself as I have for many years. Unlike the optional units at Crutchfield and other places, the factory ones often don't include USB iPod, iPhone, and others, dash control for these. And yes, one can buy an adapter to make the factory head-unit fully compatible, but some of these adapters are expensive.
With some automobiles it's best to leave the factory unit alone and add a control unit for the iPhone, iPod, Android, and other "smart" phones to avoid creating electrical problems or just damaging the dashboard and other stuff.
Just bought this unit on Amazon myself. My old E-Map is sort of hard to read. Let's see how the Nuvi 205W does.
Thanks Wilson. You've helped me from kitchen cast iron to car directions! (Pots/pans doing better... I'll update that post this week). I'm ordering the Nuvi as we speak... should have it in a week. First, I need to figure out how to get that big beast of a car out of my tiny little parking space... haven't backed up a car this large before... I believe I'll be parking on the far side of car lots for awhile.
I plan on grabbing Google maps directions before leaving the house for awhile, just until I get used to the Nuvi. Now that you've identified yourself as a Nuvi owner, there may be a "Wilson Nuvi Help!" post from me to you in a few weeks.
Oh, also forgot to thank everyone who replied. I do appreciate all the input & it helped me to decide to buy the portable. Also, someone mentioned before that it's useful if walking in a new neighborhood... I didn't think I'd have much use for that, but... seeing that I'm still directionally challenged in my own 'hood after 4-mos of living here... perhaps a portable is just what I need when I relocate, in & out of the car. As my brother would say, "Geesh, little sisters!" Thank you, All!
It may not be particularly useful in helping you get around your own neighborhood, but it can be a tremendous help if you're wandering around some other city as a tourist.
Update: Bought my car last weekend. Basic model. Honda CRV LX. Figured I could live without the bells & whistles, hence no NAV system.
Due to cnet.com's reviews, I'll buy a Gamin nuvi 205W 4.3" widescreen for $84 from Amazon. Under $30 more for suction cup holder, vehicle cables & hard shell case. Seems like it will be basic enough for me to use (I've never seen one before... I know, I'm like an old prairie woman) & the review did say it was one of the less complex models. I don't need lots of fancy features, but since I'm relocating soon to a city I haven't lived in before, it can't hurt to have one.
I also have a brand new Rand McNally in the car... I can swing old school & find out where I am & where I need to be via paper map should all else fail. Having 4 older bros did have some advantages... I was reading maps as a very young girl.
Thank you all again for your input!
Here's one of the cnet articles, should anyone be interested:
It may not be particularly useful in helping you get around your own neighborhood, but it can be a tremendous help if you're wandering around some other city as a tourist.
Haha I don't really get lost... I just walk about like a 4-yr old child, oohing & aahing at the scenery, architecture, ice cream stores (does anyone besides me still call them parlours??), cute babies, cute puppies, cute lads. All I really need is to pay bloody attention!
Plug and play...so simple even an old prairie woman can do it!
Haha I do dress a bit better than an old prairie woman, however. Although, I'm quite sure those women had far better senses of direction & churned better butter!
Although, I do still wash the majority of my clothing by hand & hang it to dry (fragile fabrics)... NO Alpha, I do NOT beat them against rocks at the water's edge!
Received my Garmin today... came in a box with a car adapter, the 3-pc suction cup car mount & that's it. Not sure about other models/makes, but note to other newbies, the unit is uncharged out of the box. You can charge it in the car while driving... but, I'd like to charge it at home & set it up first. Also, I have underground parking... when I went to the car just to plug it in to ensure it works, it can't run through set-up properly, which it does warn about in the directions.
So, today, I had to purchase a wall adapter & also sprung for the USB cable... might as well, since I may need that down the line. They're under $10 together, but... it would have been nice if at least the wall charger came in the box... or it were a suggested accessory on Amazon while I was ordering the unit. I'm new to the GPS market, so learning.
It's a nice, compact, solid 'machine' (as my 80-yr old mum calls everything from a TV to computer to car), so I think I'll use it far more than just in the car... I even saw a cheap bike attachment accessory.
With the unit, I purchased a separate little padded, zippered case for it for $6. It's really worth it. I think it would take a bruising if tossed into a handbag or backpack, so the case really is nicely made & particularly so for that price. It's called hard plastic on Amazon, but it's more sturdy-soft.
And, that's it so far. I still don't know where to go or how to get there unless I have Mapquest directions on paper... but, at least I now have 'the machine'.
Curious:
1. Are people STILL stealing GPSs and radios? I'd hoped they were common enough now to not be risking broken windows for just having one.
2. Are all portable GPSs still powered by plugging into the cigarette lighter?
3. For those of you with android cellphones with large screens 3.5"+, how does the Google turn-by-turn directions working?
1. Yes. As long as an item has any value and is as easy to steal as most people allow their GPS to be, they will continue to be stolen. There's a thread about this in one of the other forums, where a couple left their doors unlocked in their driveways and their GPS's were stolen .
2. Yes but they can all be adapted to be hardwired easily.
3. Can't help ya with this one.
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