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Look into the alpine unit. You would have to change your radio since the screen slides out of the radio and pops up but it's a neat install. :smile: :smile:
You should really check out the new Garmin Street Pilot III. It's a great unit DVD Based and it's portable. You can move it from car to car. It's a great unit and a friend of mine just bought one on the internet for $799.00 (free Shipping & no tax) usually retails for around $1200.00. This unit has voice instructions just like the mini navigator system. Check it out on the internet go to Google and type in Garmin Street Pilot. Check it out it's a great unit.
>>You should really check out the new Garmin Street Pilot III. It's a great unit DVD Based and it's portable. You can move it from car to car. It's a great unit and a friend of mine just bought one on the internet for $799.00 (free Shipping & no tax) usually retails for around $1200.00. This unit has voice instructions just like the mini navigator system. Check it out on the internet go to Google and type in Garmin Street Pilot. Check it out it's a great unit.
DVD based? The Garmin SPIII is a stand-alone unit that comes with a memory cartridge. The software is loaded on your PC (or better yet, your laptop) and you download detail maps to the unit. AFAIK, the software that comes with it is still on CD, not DVD -- but there is definately no drive of any sort on the unit itself.
As a GPS unit, it is pretty neat, especially with the voice navigation. BUT the unit is big and chunky, and it requires the power adapter (which has a built-in speaker) for the voice nav. Finding a place for it in a MINI may be tricky -- I'm having a hard time with my Garmin GPS-V, and it's considerably smaller and can be mounted vertically or horizontally. My biggest gripe about the SPIII is that the screen is still dinky. Well, that's just one of my gripes -- others include the same gripes I have with the V -- it doesn't turn on and off with the car, it doesn't hold your setting when it's turned back on (you have to re-start your navigation), the lights aren't automatic and there's no "standby" mode. If I had the SPIII, it would definately have to be hardwired for power, sound (to the radio) and antenna.
Another alternative is the Becker TrafficPro which is being sold over here in the States as a Harmon Kardon TrafficPro. Very limited availability, and horribly expensive -- right now the only place I can find it is the HK website and Crutchfield. It's being sold for MSRP of $1500. For that price, I'll get the standard Becker Mexico CD player and keep using my Garmin.
Even if I lost my mind and spent $1500 on the TrafficPro, I'd be very concerned with an alarming trend I see with other GPS units (and this doesn't apply only to in-dash units) -- a short life cycle. Seems that after a unit has been out for about a year, the manufacturer stops making it, stops supporting it, then the software is no longer updated (even if it's third-party software).
I have used my Garmin Street Pilot III on many cars because I travel and rent. It fits GREAT on my MCS with the large bean bag mount. The verticalness(sp?) of the Mini windscreen helps a lot! I would NOT buy a GPS fixed to a car! The Garmin is a little quirky to set up, but fine when you figure out how to load maps into the chip! I like Betty (female voice). I pretend it is my MCS talking to me!! Ha, ha!
