I'm looking to get a new radar detector. I've narrowed it down to these two because of their high ratings in numerous tests (radartest.com & Speedzone.com). It's hard getting a Passport 8500 on ebay..the auctions really shoot up in the final seconds. Haven't found the 8500 for sale online anywhere for less than $299. The cheapest online retail I've seen on the Bel 980 is $229. Any advice? Thanks guys.

 

How's about $260 shipped?

http://www.soundgood.com/store/page23.html

Got mine last summer. Fast and easy.

 

how about a valentine one?

suppose to be the best in the industry.

 

i was just getting one of those 50 dollar radar detectors......is there anything wrong with those??? I just wanna know if there are cops around withithe n maybe a mile or twothe and i guess?

 

I've had an 8500 for a while now and I have no complaints. It has a lot better ergo's than most others, and it has awesome range. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

 

escort 8500 took out the V1 model

 

stop before you hurt yourself... read this:
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....threadid=91753

 

i have the bel 890 and love it... i dont know what the 980 is different about, but i would recomend it. great buy for the $.. hasnt let me down yet.

Hall

 

Don't get either....don't speed! Hehe

 

 

the bel is better........it looks pretty kool too =0

 

go with the 8500. maximadave sells them for around $264. tests say the 8500 is more reliable than the bel.

 

MAX2000JP has had two 8500's break on him.....get the V1 it's the best out there.

 

I would go with the new V1. I have the 8500 and as Brian said it has broken 2 times. The mute button on the smart cord is a peice of junk. It takes literally a month of use before it breaks and you cant mute the dectector for the cord. Otherwise it is a good detector. I am gonna take back my 8500 and buy a V1 soon.

 

do yourself a favor and goto www.radartest.com ........the bel got better rating

 

No it didn't...

 

V1 is the best now....per the latest test put out by Car and driver I believe?

They tested the v1.7 V1 in those tests, not the v1.8 which is ALOT better than the Passport 8500 I had.

 

I've had all kinds of BEL detectors, currenly I have Bel 980, which is the best I had so far out of all Bel ones. No complaints, all my buddies have one as well, the only thing is after having it for about a yr now, when its hot outside, sometimes it starts showing some funny signs untill it cool down...

 

I've had mine for a long time, and unless you bought yours used or something, I don't have the same problems. My 8500 has been working flawlessly since I bought it straight from Escort. What people need to look at is the whole picture, not just wether A beat B by a few feet on the detection. People need to read and understand the different types of radar used and what their ranges are. Not to get nerdy and technical but some radar detectors have very weak components and make them more likely to either break or give you away in those states where's illegal to have them. Just like a car, for me it broke down to features, not just price, and for me the 8500 was the choice. The V1 is a great detector, but previous models have always been great on a couple of bands, as far as detection range, and then all the other features fell short of the mark. The "new" V1 everyone is talking about will probably have some improvements so I will reserve my judgement until I've read more results. Bottom line, Do the research and compare apples to apples. And in the end, if you're happy with your choice then that's all you should be after anyway.