I've been playing around with the mini cooper builder, and the $400 non-built-in GPS unit got my attention. $400 seems a bit steep for a GPS unit these days. Can anyone explain why that might be the case?

 

Boat payment money.

Literally.

 

Profit margin.

 

It says mini on it instead of Garmin or Tomtom or whatever.

Of course Tomtoms and I think Garmins can be modified rather easily by hooking up to your computer and directly replacing files

 

I think it's an "outdated" Garmin that can be purchased at stores for less than $100.00. If you buy a Garmin, it can have a start-up picture that says "Mini Cooper" if desired.

If one buys a Garmin, etc., the GPS can be "hard wired" very easily such that it will go on when one pushes in the key fob and presses the start button and go off when one ejects the fob. It will also automatically go to the map on its own. The nice thing about the Garmin is that one can get a free program from Garmin (MapSource) that is downloaded to one's computer that uses the same map that is in the GPS unit. This makes it very easy to determine a route one wants to take and then uploaded it to one'sGPS. The Garmin unit pictured is a Garmin Nuvi 1450 and is available for around $150.00. Incidentally, MapSource isn't needed for route planning - the unit can do it itself - but for long routes with many stops, it's handy!

 

$400 is a "bargain" compared to the $1750 charge for Navigation on my husband's 2011 Corvette. I like my Garmin I bought for $170.

 

As you can see by the answers you have recieved, it is a MINI ripoff.