i'm new to audio and electronics stuff. i may be in the market for a navigation system.

what are some of the best setups? i have a 4th gen, so that allows for a single din nav unit and maybe a double din screen? or maybe a double din nav unit that can play dvd's and cd's and fm as well? any ideas would be great, thanks.

 

that just depends on what your budget is, what features you want the unit to do besides nav and dvd playback. I would say the eclipse avn5500 or 6600 like I have. Or for single din I would say the avn7000. Now if you want a double din with a lot of audio control I would say the piece that Kenwood makes don't know the model number. but you need a seperate unit for the nav. Or get you a carputer. Contact maxchef he can get you square with one of those.

 

I have a 4th gen maxima with an Alpine IVA-W200 (double DIN DVD head unit) and I plan on adding the trunk mount navigation later. It's pretty expensive though. $1000 for the head unit and $1700 for the navigation. If you want a head unit with built in Nav, go for an Eclipse or Pioneer. It's mostly a matter of balancing features with cost, as with all electronics. Many folks here are big fans of Eclipse, but I really love the IVA-W200 because of the expandability and user interface. I have an Ipod, XM and a sound processor hooked up so far and I plan to add navigation (with xm nav traffic), rear view camera, 2 headrest monitors, bluetooth (for cell phone) and possibly a DVD or CD changer.

 

hmm, carputer never thought about that. i don't know much about it. what are the benefits of a carputer setup as opposed to what you have? i'm going to guess a carputer can do what a basic computer can do plus navigation. what are costs? and other things involved?

thanks.

 

I'm happy with the Pioneer AVIC-D1 navigation.
I like it better then my friends Eclipse navigation. (Just the navi part)

 

Well the puter will allow you to have online access. no need to plug in ipod since you can store your music on it. The nav you don't need disc. You can make it as complex or as simple as you want it. It is a computer so use your imagination. Cost that will vary as to how fancy you make it. I would say it would start at about 800 or so and then go up from there. Hey just send Maxchef and pm he has one in his max and he builds them so he has a lot more insight then myself.

 

so a carputer w/ nav could potentially be less expensive than a navigation system alone?

 

i used to use a Dell PDA (with windshield mount) with iGuidance soft and a gps antenna. no complaints at all.

 

I second the pioneer opinion above (AVIC-D1). I have the stock navigation, and my friend has the pioneer, and I think his is way better.

 

Eclipse AVN...

That is all.