An interesting take on why buying factory OEM nav units may not be a good idea

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=3874

"It’s only a matter of time before factory-fitted satellite navigation will eventually go the way of the FM radio and CD player; it’ll be a low-cost standard feature."

 

I agree completely. My Nuvi will go from car to car & even work in my pocket. All for just over $300 on sale.

 

Great link, Chows. Thanks. I'm glad I got a TomTom910 for Mother's Day and I'll stop wondering if I should have just gotten factory Nav.

 

Sorta like when I bought my wife a new '99 323I and got the $1600.00 installed phone....Don't get me wrong it's nice but now the handset looks like a big brick compared to the new cell phones....And what can ya get handsfree for now..

 

Great article, thanks. I'm glad I didn't get the nav system. I now have a Nuvi 660 and am completely happy with it (used in 3 cars). Also, the map coverage of the Nuvi is all of North America. You have to buy lots of expensive CDs or DVDs to get the same coverage in the OEM unit. With a good mount, the portable, upgradeable, replacable nav systems make the most sense.

 

I got it on mine - have it in my other car as well - yeah it's way overpriced but I like the integration as well as having a way to watch my iPod in the car (not while driving of course). :0)

 

Until a month ago I used a Compaq iPaq PDA running iGuidance for Navigation duties.

Due to a (minor) accident involving a drive-through Starbucks, I needed a new solution.

I chose a Garmin Nuvi 200 @ $350 or so.

I have been so impressed that I bought another one last night for my wife to use in her BMW

 

The article all makes great sense. Until you use the factory installed one. Whether it's "worth" $2100, of course, is completely a matter of opinion.

 

I made a very similar argument four months back in this post.

"I love my Nuvi. And when something better comes out, I can upgrade....
How happenin' is that in-Dash GPS going to seem in 10 years?

I just think built-in electronics really make cars seem old, fast. Electronics changes faster than I want to change cars. Radios are bad enough."

So can I get whatever that writer got paid for their article?

Plus whatever chows got paid for starting this thread?

 

I'd have to ask whoever it is who owns my car in 10 years.

 

You do that. I'll be waiting for the answer. Puttin' it in my DayTimer now.

 

I have always advocated not buying OEM Nav. It's an expensive obsolete option before you drive out the dealer lot.

On the other hand, a portable can be a pain putting up and down. There are arguments on both sides. The money/trade-in argument made in the article is not, IMO, really relevant. ALL the options you buy in a car are pretty worthless on trade-in in the sense some get nothing (e.g, some unique color/paint), some are "expected" and you lose money without it depending upon the car, and some get a fraction on the dollar.

I think the real point here is that they are now ubiquitious and very rapidly, they will just be standard on all cars.

 

I don't see how it's obsolete before I took it off the lot. It does manage to get me where I want to go. I have heard that term applied to new cars in general. I put options on my car because I want them when I have the car, not to recoup money when I'm tired of it.

 

To clarify, because I made it too broad, if you look at the Nav in gen one cars, except from going to CD to DVD, the rest of the aftermarket Nav world moved on to adding BT, MP3 players, traffic, Sirf receivers, etc. It took the car maker 5 years to move up to getting Traffic. For example, I bought a Magellen about 3 years ago. Want traffic, you do a sw upgrade and add a tiny receiver. Try doing that in a Gen one OEM Nav.

If the basic premise is to get from Point A to Point B, then any GPS will do. They all get (pretty much so I believe) get their maps from Navteq. How often they update them from the car maker vice aftermarket may be a problem. What about backup cameras? Very common aftermarket. I think Edge added one to his MCS but ordered from Europe? Not an easy answer.

Say you got an 02/03 MINI with Nav. Its been five years ... a lifetime in terms of technology. Now sell that car and see how much that Nav was worth

I do not know all the feature of the current MINI Nav other than it has traffic. But I suspect it is not state-of-the-art nor easily upgraded with new features (if ever) or new technology.

That is what I meant. Car makers are not in the electronics business and electronic technology just changes to quickly

Some ppl like the integrated OEM look ... thats fine. Some ppl like the technology. If you want to drop $2K and can get the same thing for $500 ... thats OK, just not the most cheap way to do it. If you integrated Nav does what you want ... that's cool. Its just the cost that is a bit insane (IMO).

 

All good points. I don't like navs suction cupped to my windshield, though. Plus, I don't keep my cars forever.

 

I don't either (like the suction cups). There are many options. Panavise sells brackets for all cars. That is how I mounted the Magallen to the MINI. You would never know it was there. There are also floor mounts too. I admit its a pain to put up and down so integrated is good if you use it alot.

If you dont keep your cars long ... I guess it dont matter

BTW, even Gabe says the price is cheaper going aftermarket for the MINI portable solution (not the integrated solution)
http://motoringfile.com/2007/05/23/a...-should-i-get/

Does the MINI unit also give directions in the dash, say by the computer so you dont have to look over at the map? (I know it has to have voice).

 

My OEM (CD based) Nav is 5 years old, but gets me there. Might be obsolete, but how would I know? Don't have anything to compare it to and won't until I get my next car in 10-15 years. The whole car will be obsolete by then. As you might imagine, resale value isn't a big concern to me. I'm guessing the typical handheld won't have a 15-20 year lifespan.

 

Wait a sec - are we all arguing in support of the same thing? LynnEl - you have a R56 - right? If you bought with Nav, it's the nav mounted beside the tach? Then that's a Nuvi. Same thing I have. And NOT what I call an "OEM Nav"... I think chows and I both are referring to big in-dash units... only think OEM about that Nav is who you bought it from. Otherwise it's a best-of-breed add-on GPS - which is A-OK - because if it does ever get old, you can easily upgrade it.

 

I'm guessing the OEM won't either

Remember ... "you don't know what you don't know". If you never experienced anything else, then you don't know what your missing. But if it does what you want ... thats cool

That whole article was about GPS becoming ubiquitous. Drop thousands on OEM now. In a few years, it becomes like a radio ... standard in all cars.

 

True, but the extended warranty will keep it going at least another 4 years, and maybe more if they are willing to extend it again.

 

Not true at all. The OEM unit includes maps for the whole of North America and they are probably the same maps. The Nuvi is a great portable unit and portables probably make the most financial sense. However it is still not as good as the OEM unit (though the gap has been closing).

The OEM unit always knows where the car is and is always ready to give directions even if it can't see the sats. When the sats are visible, it locks on quickly because of the roof mounted antenna. You never have to worry about it ceasing to function in one of those massive highway interchanges because you are driving under another highway.

The other problem with portables is they are one more thing you have to remember to remove/hide when you park the car in a public place so you don't find your car window smashed when you return (stealing portable GPS units is very popular right now).

 

In the R56 and increasingly in the future for all cars, a major appeal for getting factory Nav will be just to get a built-in display screen that is integrated with other car functions. In the R56, the Nav screen is used with good effect by the radio, park distance control, iPod adapter, on-board computer, and maybe other functions I'm not aware of.

If the GPS system is well designed, it would be perfectly adequate even if it lacks all the newest advanced features. I have the 1st gen MINI Nav, and sadly I have to say that the user interface is so awkward that it is barely acceptable. However, I have a cabrio and the OEM rear view camera, and that more than makes up for it. See, it's the display screen thing again.

 

Aftermarket units come in all kinds of sizes. Look at the new Garmin units tha are widescreen.

If you want the built-in look, Check out the Pioneer units and you can get the backup camera too. Aftermarket makers will always be cutting edge (think JCW vice aftermarket). The have to be to sell units. OEM in the car does not. The pioneers also tie into car functions to see all kinds of displays before MINI came up with it. But think carefully if the radio and other functions depend upon the GPS. That screen breaks ... does is stop you from using the functions it controls? (I dont know). Sometimes making things complex is a bad thing. KISS is sometimes better.

 

That's a valid argument for the 1st gen MINI, which can fit an aftermarket head unit and has little integration. In the R56, the question of whether to order Nav already goes beyond GPS. For the future, the entire industry is moving towards complete integration with a display screen, and it is something I welcome. In my MINI, it is frustrating that a large high tech display in a prominent position isn't better utilized.

 

Where is the reference on that? I'd like to read it.