Okay, now I tried to search a couple of times, and it seems its toasted for me. I know there was a thread for radar detectors, but I don't remember where. So I'll make it here again. Which do you choose and why? Experiences? I am looking into a radar detector, and want to weigh cost/effectiveness for the V1 and Passport 8500. My friend has a 8500 and seems content. Any Max drivers runnin either here? Especially in VA? Thanks.

 

I've never heard of a dissatisfied Passport owner. IMHO, the Valentine is a nicer unit, but you have to understand what you want. I personally don't think the arrows, etc are useful. I play it safe. If the radar is going off, I slow down. Who really cares where it's coming from.

 

i never seen the V1 lose to the passport in all car mag tests.. if i to choose...V1 all the way...

 

I am very happy with my 8500. I considered the V1, but for as close as they test out, the Passport was my choice for economic reasons.

 

none of the above.

There are many ways to still get a ticket even with the best detector out there. Detectors are illegal in VA anyways, and driving smarter is free.

 

I have the 8500 and its awesome ! Either way, you cant go wrong....I just dont like the boxy look of the V1 .

 

I have the V1 and I recently got a ticket on my way to Texas this thanksgiving break. I had no chance whatsoever.

Anyways Id have to agree with Steve, the best counter measure against a ticket is driving smart. Personally after this last ticket I think i'm callin it quits on speeding altogether. It's just not worth the headaches, money fines, insurance hikes. Cops are getting much smarter and no matter what detector you have you're bound to get caught; such is the nature of playing with fire.

I did notice though that whenever there was an accident, the cops would leave their radar guns turned on so as to warn those speeding (most likely to have a detector) to slow down.

edit>> I took the 10E so it's fairly straight with subtle hills. The V1 detected Ka radar aprox. 6 miles away. This was when the radar was left on as described above. Also the cop cars were in the opposite side of the highway pointing towards me.

I'm sure the miles radius would have been a lot less if the cop cars were pointing foward. As was the case in which I got caught.

 

its a pretty simple decision, if you're looking for a radar detector, you already have the money for the cheaper of your two choices.
the question is, do you have $400 to p*ss away or are you watching your spending?
if you have the money, get the V1. if you doubt its quality, then why do all the high end sports cars have them? i have the passport 8500 because i needed the extra $100 or so for other things. honestly, the range is so good that i find myself wondering where the radar is coming from, and for that one reason i kick myself for not waiting longer and getting the V1.
both are incredible detectors, i think the passport is slightly easier to use in certain modes because it tells you how many of each band are being picked up..i dunno, its up to you, i just wish the passport had arrows.
another thing, my passport doesnt false very often (very unlike my old BEL 880) and i love the fast power-up, it just beeps twice and thats all.
either way, great choice, but remember (like others have said) no detector will save you from instant on, so be smart

 

Since I have owned both the Passport 8500 and the V1 I personally believe I have a right to choose which one is better.

The Passport was a great radar for the price. If your not willing to budget the $399 pricetag for a V1, get the Passport. You will be happy.

The negatives with the Passport is too many false signals, not enough time for a warning most of the time, and having the arrows are very helpful.

The V1 gives more than enough warning to slow down, the arrows tell you where its coming from so if its behind you, no reason to slow down. It rarely goes off unless needed. I am glad I got the v1.....It was well worth the money.

 

passport IMO... check out link for back up

http://www.radartest.com/article.asp?articleid=9070

 

ive got the passport 7500 and im happy with it.

 

I dont get many false alarms with my Passport. My friend even told me he's never seen a Radar Detect. that is so quiet. We took a trip to Las Vegas doing a steady 110 through the desert at night and picked up every HP on the road with enough time to slow down. In the city , I rarely get false alarms....unless you drive into a strip mall.....I do wish I had the arrows....

 

I've been running a V1 for about 6 years now in NYC, and never got a ticket for speeding. I f***in speed a lot! Have always have enough time to slow down. Heading into Long Island, I take it easy on the LIE, Nassau cops spray you with LIDAR and instant on-Ka, so even if you detect it, they already have your reading.

 

To avoid false alarms in big cities, disable X band. In Cali most HP use Ka , so assume when you see KA its 99% real ! .....works for me.

 

Thanks for the reply guys. I have always wanted the V1, but money is also a big issue. I'll probably be getting the Passport, unless by some random luck of God I win some extra $400, then I'll buy the v1. thanks for your input. I know its illegal in VA, so you just "gotta drive smart"

 

I have the V1 and am very satisfied with it, I can not say it is better than the 8500 because I do not own or know anyone that owns the 8500. I can say that the V1 works very well and has saved me countless amounts of tickets.

 

Valentine is the bomb, my cousin has 3 of them, in all three of his cars, that lucky B@sterd got lucky and got each of them for $300 from a guy who works

 

When I bought my 2002 SE, the guy had a V1 hardwired to the rear-view mirror and a relay display mounted on the steering wheel column. This was included in the purchase and I love the V1. The arrows are very helpful, especially to note when the law is driving behind you. Because of the arrows, I was able to exit the street before the cop could find me (I believe more luck was involved in that one than anything else, but those arrows let me know he was behind me). Since radar is illegal in VA, I would emphasize the stealth of the remote display: The radar is mounted by the rea-view mirror and it does not ight-up whatsoever. With the remote display mounted on the steering wheel column, only those inside the car can see it. Just my 2-cents.

 

had a passport 8500 and I felt like I could drive faster with it and it would save my butt. After a couple weeks I came back to reality and sold it. They are useless if you use your head when driving.

 

The problem I have with Escort is that they make radar guns. (they play for both sides) and Valentine does not. Also have you seen how well they hold up there value? The V1 1.8 is out now and the V1 1.7 goes for $350-400 on eBay. Sell the old one on eBay and buy a new one instead of paying for the upgrade ($185, I think). Most of the large car clibs around here only use V1.

 

I have an 8500 and love it. Find a friend who works at best buy and you can get them for ~$200. Saving 200 bucks over the V1 is definately better than having arrows imo.

 

SSSH!!!! Don't let everyone know that!

Rookie.

 

It depends on your total cost for a ticket. Factor in driving school fees or ticket fee, potential increas in insurance, etc. Nothing is better than a V1. I'm not aware of any major car mag rating the 8500 > V1 and keep in mind that almost every month of every mag has a major ad for th 8500 while the V1 is conspicuously absent. Still, the V1 comes out on top.

http://www.caranddriver.com/article....&page_number=3

Do you want to lose points on radar/lidar sensitivity or on things like ergonomics? IMHO, if you buy anything other than a V1, you're wasting your money. 4 years and more saves than I can count.

 

poll should have a 3rd option - neither.

 

I've gotten hit by x-band from speed traps on I-94, east of Chicago. Yes, X-BAND!! I'm so lucky I didn't have x-band turned off. It's really annoying, but it sure saved my a$$. I was going FAST in a spot that I LOVE to go fast. You know how that is...

 

I live in a high tech city....we dont mess with redneck X band...

Im just screwing with Ya LCF !

 

For all you guys that may be against arrows.
trust me when i say this. you cant say that arrows are useless. try using the valentine, and then see if you can go back with no arrows.
as they say. once you go with arrows, you wont ever understand how you went without them.

 

oh, and another thing, the v1 doesn't sound as annoying as the 8500.

 

I at the guys who drive withOUT a detector and think they are just as likely to not get a ticket. I don't care HOW you drive unless you NEVER speed, your eyes and rabbit techniques aren't going to save you 50% as much as driving BLIND with a top quality detector like the 8500 or V1. Two tickets(one = driving school) is all it takes to cost you more then $300-$400 in fines and especially insurance rates.

I used to think my "eagle eyes" and using a rabbit out in front when possible was good enough. However, one day, I let down my guard(1-eye sleepy driving) and got nailed with my first speeding ticket EVER in 7yrs. of driving. I purchased the V1 the next day and it's been almost 3yrs., no speeding ticket.

Most people drive BLIND, ie don't pay attention to what's coming up ahead, behind, or how traffic is behaving. Those are the people who would benefit MOST from a detector. If you don't like the stress and whiplash of always checking your mirrors and squinting to see as far ahead as possible, get a detector. As long as you don't "adjust" your driving habits, you'll reduce your odds of getting a ticket dramatically.

Is a detector going to be 100% effective at saving your azz if you drive like I do, ie an idiot/maniac? No, of course not. However, you can REDUCE the odds/chances of getting nailed enough to NOT worry about it. Maybe, you'll have to perform driving school once in awhile, but if you get 2 or more speeding tickets in 3yrs. with a V1, you've got my bad driving beat with reckless driving. I have a DOZEN or so saves from my V1 with 2-3 probably avoiding jail time, since I *DID* adjust my driving habits for the worse/risky.

No way in hell...could you pry my V1 from my death grip. I can't stand driving without it and feel NAKED without them lovely arrows and bogey counter telling me what's lurking in the bushes.

 

Ohhh, yes it does. When im in traffic and the X-band is blasting from the local supermarket and im in a bad mood, sometimes I just wanna throw it out the window.

 

quick question....
with the passport, u can just take it out and plug in another car right?? Doesnt the V1 have liek detectors that go in the front/back and etc...? I want a detector that i can pull out of my max just incase if i drive another car...

 

BOTH are plug-n-play.

Simply attach to your windshield or visor via clip and plug the cord into the cig lighter.

 

Is the V1 the only one with rear protection? The Passport only offers front protection?

 

haha. My parents wont letme get a Radar Detector until im 18. So I still cant decide over a V1 or the 8500..... Is the arrows useful? Yes, however u no when it goes off no matter what direction it is in that you need to stop. However, it would be cool to see where he is shooting radar. Also, cops do get smarter. All my uncles are cops and my dad's a police chief. One tells me Radar detectors are worthless bc they have a semi-pause button that they push and it zaps the cars, then he pauses it again. I guess trying to be sneaky. However, I believe using good judgment and a Radar detector can greatly benefit you.

 

the 'pause' function will give him away if he tracks any vehicles within your range.. else you are dead on the spot. around here they hide under the overpasses or whatever other crack they can find then toast you with a laser straight from the rear (so much for that 400$ radar). but then sometimes they pull up with a tahoe in the highway divider and sit visible for miles. go figure

i've seen plenty cars with the 8500 getting burned, most recent one a suburban. he had it mounted right in the middle of the windshield and 2 miles later he was surrounded by 3 cruisers on the side of the road. felt bad since i know he was over 100.

haven't ever played with the V1 so that might be better. if they want you, they will have you.

thing with arrows is, do you really have time to use them? I certainly understand just driving along legally and looking at them point but when you know you need to slow down now, do you waste the time to look at where is it coming from? seriously does it matter? by the time you even get a general idea it might be too late.

 

Any radar can't save you 100%, but they drastically decrease your odds of getting nailed. You MUST speed smart.

Arrows give you flexibility. With non-arrow detectors I just slow down for a period of time until I feel "safe" and then speed up again. However, if I didn't make visual confirmation with the bogey, he could be following me or worse it's just a bogus signal and I slowed for nothing. Either way, I'm paranoid. With the arrows, it's MUCH easier to identify the signal and determine if it's a threat and know once the threat is out of range. I've found I speed up when I identify the threat, because I know where IT is and how far away. Then as I approach the signal, I slow until I identify it, and then either resume my previous speed or set my cruise until he's out of range.

Arrows are a convienence, but once you get used to them, they are a godsend. IMO for a 1-time purchase, $100 for the arrows is DEFINITELY worth it. If I was replacing my detectors once a year, then I'd probably say no.

 

There was a Trooper hiding on an incline of a ditch that seperates the highway. His cruiser was parallel to the road and he was facing forward. He was shooting cars as they passed him thus the radar beam was shooting forward and away, not towards oncoming traffic.

Anyways, the V1 didn't pick up any ka radar bursts. Maybe his gun was shielded in the back. I dunno. Cops are pretty sneaky.

Needless to say I was speeding at night and by the time I saw the trunk reflectors on his car it was too late for me to slow down. As soon as i passed him my Ka lit up.

So now i have a $790 ticket to go along with my $400 radar.

 

I have a 8500 new in the box for sale if anyone is interested.

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=268636

 

why can't you get it until you are 18? just wondering
my dad actually told me i should get one last year when i was 16, guess i lucked out on parents

 

http://www.speedzones.com/