From the article:
The $2,000 navigation option winds up adding no more than $600 to the value of the 3-year-old car, he says. Other technology that usually depreciates fast, according to Clark: adaptive cruise control, night vision, cooled seats.

A built-in NAV doesn't lower resale value. The NAV equipped car is worth $600 more than a car without a NAV. The complaint is that the NAV depreciates faster than the rest of the car. This isn't surprising. Look at how fast computers depreciate. We don't buy computers with resale in mind. We buy them for the use we will get out of them. The NAV just needs to be thought of in a similar light. However, with the (IMO) improved look of the MINI's NAV screen over the Mickey Mouse speedometer, and the integration of audio, Bluetooth, and car settings, I wouldn't be surprised if the MINI NAV held its value a little more than other cars.

My friend has a Garmin in a car we often take up to San Jose to buy hardwood. Everytime we park somewhere he has to dismount it, unplug it from the cigarette lighter socket, and hide it. Then set it up again when we leave. Pain in the butt.

He went that route because he had an early NAV in a Mercedes that made a lot of navigation mistakes, and a BMW that had software problems that took two years for BMW to sort out. So, the $2,000 to $600 drop may reflect the value of some of the earlier, less refined, NAVs. I've found the navigation on the MINI's NAV to be as good or Better than the Garmin -- which is about 6 months newer than my MINI.

 

If they made nav a more reasonably priced option (like $500 or so) I would even consider it. But I'll accept the negatives of having a mobile nav like the Garmin, over the $1600 premium to have it built-in.

Now that the top end Garmin Nuvi has voice commands it's only a matter of time before that feature filters down to lower models. That was given as one of the benefits of getting built-in nav.

Does the MINI nav support voice commands?

 

Yes but the relative value of the car is lowered due to having the navigation installed. That Landrover in the article was at 55% after three years without the nav, and 53% with the nav.

But like I said before, I don't think people should buy a car already thinking about the resale value.

 

Yes. It covers navigation, Bluetooth phone communications, audio, and setup.

This thread has a link to a PDF of the voice commands:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=118716

 

Do you realize that that is 55% of what the Landrover cost without the NAV, vs. 53% of what it cost with the NAV? The total value is still probably higher.

Also take into account that they are talking about a 2004 LR2. A MINI 2007 NAV is considerably different than most built-in 2004 NAVs. Based on my friend's experience with BMW and Mercedes, the car companies hadn't quite sorted it out at that time.

Another thing to consider that MINIs are hot commodities now. I don't think the resale value of a 2004 Land Rover NAV can tell us much about resale of R56 MINIs with NAVs. Right now, the resale value of SUVs has plummeted than house values.

 

Hence why I said relative.

As for the BMW vs. Landrover nav system, I'm not sure it matters. The fact is that the technology for these things is still changing relatively quickly, and if you haven't updated your system in a year you are way out of date. That is why the cars with nav systems depreciate faster. It's not that they're worth less, they're just worth less than you would think with such a high cost add-on installed.

 

skip the sports package and put the JCW suspension on. it will be more but worht it

 

I think it's actually the factory nav system itself that is depreciating at a much faster rate than the general overall depreciation of the vehicle.

Which drags down the overall depreciation, relative to purchase price.

Plus, the factory navigation systems are overpriced to begin with.

Overpriced technology product, of course it's going to depreciate fast, just like a home computer.

If I were getting a R56, I think personally I would buy the nav anyway, to get rid of the massive speedometer in the middle.

 

only to replace it with an even more massive one going around the perimeter

having said that, I have nav in my car and have had nav in my past 3 car. i'm at the point of I will not buy a car without build in nav.

My first car with nav was 02 530i. like robin said, it had it's problems. some of it was fixed when i bought an updated nav cd in 07.

the next car was 07 Audi A4. i personally liked the interface on the 530i better but liked the speed of the nav and the bigger control nav.


the current car 08 MCS has the nav. i was a big hesitant to get the nav because the dealer didn't have any car on the lot with nav. however, i bit the bullet and got the nav and i am very glad i did. it's a huge improvement over the audi nav and a gigantic leap from the 02 530i nav. i also love the control **** and it's placement.

I'm a big fan of idrive and i am glad that the nav in the mini minicks idrive in some ways.

my next car will probably be a 3 series diesel and I will be getting the nav in that car.

as for resale value... I never buy thinking about resale value but I tend to hold on to cars for a long time/long miles. 530i had over 150k miles when i sold it and the 330i currently has 160k miles and going strong. only exception is the A4 which is a company lease and the m coupe. bought new in 11/99 with only 46K miles on it now :D

i expect to have the mini for at least 200k miles. with the kinds of miles i put on cars, resale is always in the toilet so I don't worry much about that

 

who cares about depreciation... being able to venture off the beat'n paths to explore all sorts of roads here and there w/o ever getting lost? PRICELESS!

In the past I went so far as having a MB W210's Euro NAV installed in my W202 in the late 90's. Built-in NAVs rule, and the newest ones are fantastic. This tech will age just fine for a decade & more...

I can't wait to see if the traffic-avoidance built into them really work. (was even built into my NAV from the 90s but that only worked in Europe)

 

Well put it that way your $600 portable nav systems depreciate the same way its probably only worth $100 on ebay right now. The car systems can be software updated just like the portable units not just the maps. Plus you have the greater chance of having it stolen or broken taking it in and out. So buy 2 $600 units and you are close to the one in the car. Plus In the next 5 years all cars will have a unit built in as part of the radio and then people will expect it and prefer it in the used car. If most of you were worried about resale then you would have bought it used and not lost the thousands the moment you drove it off the lot.

 

This thread isn't really about navigation or depreciation... yeah, they play into the subject, but it seems like the thread has been hijacked these last couple of pages.

Can we move on to other features for a bit?

 

I wish I got the USB and the Sirius sat radio with lifetime subscription. Also wish I got a JCW lol, maybe if my dad likes my mini he might just get a JCW. My mom is all ready planning on getting a regular mini right now.

 

Welcome to a car forum.

 

Awesome! You don't have to worry about resale too much, since you're using your cars to the fullest and getting all the value out of them that way.

I had a 1987 535is that I sold with close to 200K miles on it. It's still being driven today.

 

List of options to pass on the next time around:
1. Punch Leather (already worn after 3 weeks)
2. HI-FI Stereo (Not worth $$)
3. HD Radio (Not worth $$)
4. Sirius Satellite (Poor reception-cuts out)

Options I wish I got:
1. Nav
2. JCW Suspension w\springs

 

Haven't even taken delivery yet and I'm now wishing I got the Anthracite Headliner. Oh well.

 

I was the same way about the Anthracite headliner. But I got to sit in a car with it and it did not feel as open inside. Just depends on if you like a darker look inside the car. Oh and my car does have the black interior. I ended up really liking the gray headliner a lot more than I thought I would. It actually goes well with the interior trim.

 

I wouldn't sweat it. I've had an M3 with anthracite headliner for a while now, and it's really not something I notice I have. It's cool for a few days and then you forget about it.

 

Can someone post pictures of the iPod adapter in use? Also the Bluetooth setup with a standard radio. For some reason the guides online only show the setup with the NAV system and I want to know what navigating my bluetooth stuff/iPod is like on a standard radio.

If you had an iPhone this would be even better, as it is what I use.

(Hopefully a future MINI owner here)

 

Yikes! I just changed my order to Punch leather two days ago! What do you mean it is already worn? Is it the quality of the leather?

 

Seats are nice, but I'd pass on the leather. It's definitely a quality issue, I don't abuse my car. I actually have two rules, no eating in the car and if you have a drink it must be a screw cap bottle.

I would cancel the leather order and get cloth then look into aftermarket quality leather.

 

So far I like my leatherette. I decided against the cloth as it is harder to clean these seats. I do eat in my car and have pets. I think the leatherette will hold up best. We will see.

 

I don't regret getting anything I have, but I regret not getting the white turn signals. That's it.

I wish I could have had either cloth or lounge leather on my standard seats, but alas those are only for sport seats which I didn't want. Not a regret, I love my standard seats I'm just not happy with either of the covering options for them. Ended up getting leatherette + Wet Okole covers.

 

for those of individuals interested in the iPod adapter....

Positives:
1. allows use of steering wheel controls
2. song titles are displayed
3. recharges iPod and keeps it hidden in dash compartment

Negatives:
1. steering wheel controls are pretty much limited to volume and moving through current track list. In order to switch playlists, you have to muddle through the not-so-intuitive stereo controls on the dash.
2. Unless you have the NAV, song titles on the tiny screen actually seem very distracting when you drive
3. cable tangle in hidden compartment

In conclusion, is it worth ~$500 (parts plus install)??? My biggest issue is the ease of accessing the playlists, but the novelty of using the steering wheel makes up for it.... right? In retrospect, I'd say stick with the aux jack (its free!) and use the money on a set of 16" rota slipstreams