Sorry, for some reason I can't access the search function, so I'm sure this has gotten a lot of coverage already. The landscape on aftermarket NAV keeps changing, though, so maybe it's time to bring it up again.

Lots of us wish we had gotten NAV on our Maximas, and are now looking at aftermarket units. In that vein, has anyone had any experience with the Magellan Roadmate 700? How about the Garmin StreetPilots?

The Magellan has my eye right now because it has its own hard drive and doesn't require a wad of memory cards to cover the country. But I'm interested in ease of use, readability of the monitor screen, lots and lots of POI's (gas stations, restaurants, etc.), and good map detail.

Any owner comments on these ... or other ... units?

TIA

Mike

 

www.grubbsparts.com has the NAV system on their website for sale if you want to see if the factory NAV can be retrofitted. I was told by my dealer that you can only get the Nissan NAV if your car had it installed at the factory, so I'm not sure what the particulars on ordering this from Grubbs are yet. If I can't retrofit the stock system, my plan is to go with the new model Eclipse has coming out.

http://www.12volt.com/archives/2003/us121903.html

http://forum.sounddomain.com/forum/u...c;f=8;t=011866

It looks to be a nice little all in one unit that will mount easily and cleanly in our 2din chassis.

 

Yeah, looks pretty good. But the price suggested on the other forum turns me off ... well over 2 grand.

I saw on another forum that Pioneer is coming out with a new unit in the next month or so that has a bigger screen (7", I think), runs off a DVD, plays mp3's and DVD video and has a built-in G-meter. It's going to run close to $2,000 as well, but I really like its features. It is sneak-previewed here:

http://www.avic-n1.com

As for the built-in systems, I'm getting more into the portables, now that they have either a hard drive or run off a DVD. I can move one unit between the 3 cars in our household that way and cut my costs!

Mike

 

i have a portable nav and it works great.. Doesn't look as good though.. Functionality over looks.

 

Whoa! I opened my latest Motor Trend last night and there's a full-page ad for the Garmin Streetpilot 2620 ... which has its own internal hard drive!

Oddly enough, there's nothing on the Garmin website about it! I even googled it and got nothing. WTF?

(It looks good, though!)

Mike

 

i have the 2610

 

The Magellan I prectically hated when I gave it a test. The Garmin was sweet and fast, it recalulates so much faster then Magellan. It comes down to personal taste also. I also didn't like its features as much. Garmins was so much easier to use. Memory chips are not that bad. If you are doing alot of driving all over the states then the harddrive might be a better option.

Joe

 

Joe, I really appreciate your comments. I would have leaned toward the Magellan because of the hard drive, but I've seen several comments about it not having the features of the Garmins.

Now that there's a garmin 2620 coming, with its own hard drive, I think I'll just wait for it. I want to be able to have city-level detail from sea to shining sea, and without either DVD or a hard drive, enough CF cards and unlocks to do that would cost me a small fortune.

Mike

 

Radio Shack has a nice looking unit for $550; have zero knowledge of its capacity, operation, etc. FYI only. SemperFi

 

the pioneer looks hot, i'll see if i can save enough money for that (might go hungry though). anyone know how they would mount the pioneer though, would be nice if they can knock the casette player (doubt anyone uses this) and place that in, but i doubt they could do that. saw the grubbs site and they seem to have all the factory nav parts, lcd, amplifier, antenna, etc. don't know if they can install it though on. the totals on all the factory nav parts in around 1500.

 

Thanks, sarge.

I have now found reference to the 2620 on Garmin's website. Judging by what they (and a couple of others) say, this has to be the most "advanced" unit out there. The official list price is $1599, but I notice at least one place is already taking orders for it at $300 off. The key feature for me is the hard drive ... no map uploads, no CD's or DVD's, no maps on memory cards. Yeee-ha!

(I hate it when I get like this for something ... I keep getting worked up until I get it. And like most people here say, I'm not lost 99% of the time, so why do I need this toy? Sheesh.)

Mike

Oh, btw, I was at an auto accessories place today getting my wife's new sunroof adjusted, and the guy tells me he has NAV systems. When he showed me, though, it was voice-only. No display screen. This robot voice guides you wherever you want to go. "Only" $1499, he tells me. Yeah, right.

 

I've used most every aftermarket nav system out there, including the VOICE-ONLY one. As far as accuracy, it was pretty good but, I thought it was kinda annoying to input destinations. You would have to spell out the street name and confirm it. It would take at least 10 minutes to input a new destination...it was ridiculous. But once you got going, it was pretty good. For "only" $1499, that guy must be crazy. I wouldn't buy it for $499 but, that's just my opinion.

 

Mike- something to find out before you buy a HD unit. I've never dealt with one, so I couldn't tell you, but how does one get map updates for the HD models? Reason I ask is that every GPS I've ever owned was about 2-5 years behind on new roads and road changes. My 04 Max Nav (built 4 weeks ago) is missing a street a few blocks from me that's been there for 5 years. Find out if/how they do updates and how much $$ they'll want. New DVD's are expensive, but I'd imagine that new HD's are more so.

We'll have to get together and compare Maxes someday. Heck, we need to have a North TX Max roundup!

 

Max, they tell me new maps are loaded by way of a DVD (or set of CD's) transferred from your computer to the unit's hard drive via USB cable. Given that update DVD's for the Nissan and Ininiti in-dash units run about $200-250, I'd guess they'd fall somewhere in there.

A nice thing about HD units, though, is that small updates could be done fairly easily, so small glitches, bugs, omissions, etc., could potentially be addressed with a quick upload.

The good thing about Garmin (no, I have no commercial connection to them) is that they are probably the world's GPS and mapping kings , so they probably have the best, most bug-free systems out there.

Mike

 

FWIW, I just ordered one of the new Garmin 2620 NAV units. It should be here by Tuesday. After I've had a chance to play with it, I'll post my impressions. I realize this may be considered OT, but so many people missed out on the OEM NAV that there seems to be lots of interest ...

Mike