GPS Navigation Sytems OEM or Aftermarket?

I see there's some folks that have posed Roadfood POI questions, so apparently there's some discussion of navigation systems here. I'm about to by a new Honda. I've biked around and haggled a good price on a non- NAV equipped vehicle. The additional cost of thier NAV is nearly 1800 and it doesn't seem to be negotiable in terms of the difference between the models with or without it with the dealers that I've been working with. Theirs appears to be old tech with a cd rom based mapping and pretty low res. I see OEM versions that would fit for 4x less uninstalled that offer many more features such as higher res, hard drives, Digital TV and  bluetooth. These have options for the back up camera like the OEM and others. I'd hate to buy something and find that I should have went with the OEM. I don't have any experience here and internet searches seem more confusing then they are worth. Anyone have any experience with the aftermarket units and how well they integrate with the vehicles? Would one of these units plus install work out as a better value?

My Garmin integrates perfectly in my car. I stick it on the window and plug it in. Gets me there! For $1800 you could buy an i Phone, a new laptop, a top of the line GPS, and still have money left. You can get Bluetooth with most of the units. Plays through your radio. In dash GPS looks cool but i would never waste the money.

Wow Dawn, 1800.
Jeepguy is right, but to satisfy yourself look up a good electronics guy in your area and go talk to him. For 1800 he'll get and install a boat load of gadgets for you.
I wouldn't go to a big box store first, a small store with a smart installer.

I would go with a Garmin, and spend the extra $15 or so for the beanbag type mount which provides more flexibility than the windshield suction cup type provided with the unit. Also makes it very easy to use in multiple vehicles.

Some other considerations:
- unless you live in a large urban area don't spend the extra for traffic option - on Garmin it is desginated by T following the model number.
- do not get bluetooth unless you plan to use it.
- some of the newer models have a 5" screen which, while it doesn't sound like much, is much larger a easier to view while driving.
- multi point destination is a nice feature if you need it. Just enter several destinations and Jill figures out your itinerary for you.
- Amazon.com is a good place to buy from.
- After extensive research, we chose the Garmin 1450 and are quite happy with it. I think it was right around $200 from Amazon.

douginvirginia

- unless you live in a large urban area don't spend the extra for traffic option - on Garmin it is desginated by T following the model number.

My vote is for the Garmin as well.  If you want the traffic info, bypass the old FM delivered option.  I find the data (NY Long Island) borderline useless. The service nulink is far better.  The only model that has it now is the 1690T and list is $399.

http://www.garmin.com/gar...oad/nulink/nulink_1690

Thanks so far all. I guess I assumed that most in dash navigation systems were similar based on the other competing vehicles that we looked at. From what I gather, the am/fm/satellite radio, CD player and card reader, GPS, bluetooth, backup camera,and in some cases even digital TV are all rolled into one A/V unit in these vehicles. I no longer spend much of my day in the car like I used to, so I have to admit many of the A/V features and powerful audio system are pretty much overkill after never having anything more elaborate then a stock am/fm/cd player. I probably would use my cell phone more in the vehicle if I had the hands free via blue tooth and the back up camera is a plus. Many of the fanciful features they demo with the GPS look neat, but short of using it to locate a hard to find client that I would probably use google maps anyways ahead of time, it doesn't seem to be a neccessity, but then again by the same logic, neither would be my cell phone. I suppose not realizing what I'm missing is the major part of my uncertainty.

FWIW - I don't like my radio, climate control, and nav. integrated into one unit. Makes it so that when the radio or cd player crap out, you are forced to go to the dealer for repair or replacement. (or hang a pocket radio from your rear view mirror)

I vote for aftermarket (Garmin).  When I am in my own vehicle, 99.99% of the time I am driving to places I already know.  It is when I fly somewhere and rent a car that I could use a GPS.  You can't throw the OEM unit into your suitcase.

I use a Garmin GPS because I do travel extensively in an RV - 58,000+ miles so far in the past 4-1/2 years not in my hometown. I find it very valuable for not only directions but more so for the calculated arrival times, more accurate MPH reading than our speedometer, what lane to be in on freeways, places of interests, statistics, etc.  I find the Traffic feature useless and sometimes just plain intrusive. I no longer commute but I would guess most commuters know and understand their routes without need of traffic information.

I rarely use the GPS at home. What I have found is the GPS is weakest in calculating best routes in metro areas because they can't account for local conditions such as stop lights, traffic and stop signs. They seem to calculate on posted road speeds and distance only. I found the GPS giving me routes in my home metro area that I never take so I checked them against my usual routes to verify what I suspected. If not familiar with a metro area I figure those kind of routings are no harm no foul when going through town. Your only talking a few minutes at most and the GPS does tend to route you on the more major roads.

The other vexing thing is I like to take the "blue highways" and back roads. More than 80% of my long distance driving is off the Interstate highways. The GPS gets very insistant on trying to get you back on an Interstate if you have your preference set to best time. If you set your preference to shortest distance be prepared for some major surprises in routing. It can be an adventure.

I want to cast one more vote for an aftermarket Garmin!

The factory-option units are horrendously expensive, and you are limited to whatever unit the manufacturer offers.  As others have already mentioned, you don't need it all the time (in areas where you are familiar with the roads), and it's just nice to save all that money!

Get a plug-in Garmin and use it when you need it.

Absolutely, the stand alone GPS will be more accurate, cost less, and be updateable. And you can move it from car to car, or take it with you on a plane, carry it while walking, or put it into a rental car. Keep in mind, though, that yearly updates are about $50.

Standalone GPS is dying. I have a Garmin, and my Droid is a better GPS unit. It is more accurate, has better route choices, has real time traffic and detour information, and has "app integration"; I can look up a restaurant on Google, touch the address and then touch "navigate to".

That being said, it obviously isn't for everyone. Smartphones are expensive on a monthly basis; if you have no need other than a GPS, it won't be a good solution.

There's a Hertz GPS unit in my rental car and I find it very annoying when the dumb broad inside the thing keeps telling me she's recalculating and that I must make a legal U-turn. It proves she doesn't know her butt from a hole in the ground.
 
When I get through suing Roadfood and Buffetbuster I'm going to sue Hertz.

I have a cheap 'Plenio' 7" screen 'sit-on-the-dash GPS ($99) from ebay. I can download updates for 5 years free...but haven't bothered to do that. It works and I can add addresses etc as needed. It has been very handy on our Chicago searchs, but I still prefer to keep my Rand McNally Atlas (Walmart $5) handy for most of our roadtrips.

Janet's car has the Ford Sync gear installed, but we have never used it. I don't know what all is included with that package, but it will be nice to have the package when we trade the car...I think.

Again, thanks for all the concurring input that helped me make a decision. I ended up buying the vehicle without the nav system. I just can't justify the additional amount. I tend to keep and maintain my vehicles over 10-12 years on average unless I end up with repair costs beyond what the car is worth. I wouldn't want something that's going to be obsolete or unsupported in the next few years. This package incorporated all the electronics in one unit, but none of the vehicle functions such as climate control, so some future aftermarket product is still possible.

Only thing that I'd like to look into at the moment is getting an independent bluetooth unit and maybe a back up camera. That feature I have to admit is nice especially now that designs are incorporating heavier support pillars limiting visibility.

There is an article on this very subject in the Consumer Reports Auto Buying Guide on the newstands.

DawnT


Again, thanks for all the concurring input that helped me make a decision. I ended up buying the vehicle without the nav system. I just can't justify the additional amount. I tend to keep and maintain my vehicles over 10-12 years on average unless I end up with repair costs beyond what the car is worth. I wouldn't want something that's going to be obsolete or unsupported in the next few years. This package incorporated all the electronics in one unit, but none of the vehicle functions such as climate control, so some future aftermarket product is still possible.

Only thing that I'd like to look into at the moment is getting an independent bluetooth unit and maybe a back up camera. That feature I have to admit is nice especially now that designs are incorporating heavier support pillars limiting visibility.

I keep vehicles around for a long time too. (waaaaay to long according to the missus) My 94 Dodge has been through two radios. The newest one has bluetooth and can read music from a flash drive. (and of course control an iPod) If I buy a new car now with integrated radio/nav/climate controls, and the thing craps out in 8 years (that's how long the original Infinity/Chrysler system lasted), then I'm pretty much at the mercy of the dealer. If I don't get at least 10 years or 150K miles out of a vehicle, I feel ripped off.

I just started to look at some of the competing units and noticed that some states are getting a bit testy with window and dash mounted units. Some states like VA seem to be ticketing for obstruction of view. NJ is trying to make a case that they are dangerous distractions as well. Now that many of these states are getting strapped for cash, they are trying to generate any revenue they can from license plate frames to air fresheners hanging from the rear view mirror.

Minnesota does not allow GPS units to be mounted to the windshield glass. Last I checked I thought there was only one other state that legislated that.

Garmin provides a tape down round disc for mounting the GPS unit. We have it on our dash face under the radio. Personally I like the location better than way out on the windshield.