mayandoom

I would never buy another car without Nav after being spoiled with this one. Weekend cars excluded.

LXOGOOD

Yep, the stereo shop tried to get me to put in the Kenwood Navi to go with my system for $2500. Screw that, I went to Pepboys and bought a $20 Thomas Guide.

Drive4Fun

I won't buy another car without navigation. It usually leads me to out-of-the-way places that would be really tough to find. Then, it will lead me directly home. I also echo Bit's comment.

OK Willard, I've teed it up. Take a swing.

I'm not sure I'll buy another Lexus because of their indifference toward owners who need a data base that's less than 3 years old.

GS4ADRLexo

alexus, if you are looking to add an aftermarket navigation system, you definately want to go wtih the Alpine system. The Alpine is far superior to Kenwood and all of the OEM nav systems. Try it out at your local dealer...it is extremely intuitive and has more options than you can imagine. It's DVD based too, so it covers the whole US plus parts of Canada.

Manaray

I changed the poll for you...

I have Nav in my GS430 and I absolutely LOVE it. Would not buy another new car w/o it (unless it's Mercedes' HORRIBLE rendition of Nav...the COMMAND system...I could DEFINITELY go aftermarket with Mercedes).

I wish I had Nav in my SC...I might end up putting one in...personally, I like the Pioneer system...

Harmon-Kardon/Becker and Blaupunkt offer single-DIN simple nav system...Pioneer (ANH-P9R) also offers one but only in Europe...I might go this route due to the ease of installation but you don't get the advantages of having a real map on the screen...it just shows you simple graphics and tells you how to get to where you're going (voice)....good enough for my uses...may work for you...check it out...

www.hktrafficpro.com
http://www.blaupunktusa.com/travelpi...lot_index.html
http://www.pioneer.co.uk/uk/product_...nomy_id=25-112

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

I got an ES300 loaner the other day without nav and felt mild anxiety driving around like I wouldn't be able to find anything.

I luv my nav... I will always have one from now on. Is it perfect? No. But is it HUGELY valuable? Yes.

BLW

My GS is the second car I have had with factory nav. It is an item that once you have, you do not want to do without.

LexFather

At first I thought Nav was a gimmick but my next Lex WILL have it.

Ex996

I'm pretty familiar with the NAV systems for BMW and MB, and they are not NEARLY as good. I love it and use it daily, although it sometimes takes me on wierd routes. Being able to dial in a restaurant's name and have it take you there is killer!

dipstick

I haven't really learned how to get full use of it yet, but just driving through a strange city, not missing exits, finding restaurants, etc. is excellent. As to opinions, it's kind of like so many other things, power windows, ABS, CDs, computers, etc., a large part of the population says they don't see a need for something new until they actually get it or get to use their friend's. Actually, seeing how handy it was during my one ride with Bitkahuna convinced me it was worth having. And you can't really appreciate how easy it is to program and find things until you do it yourself. MY advice -- take the plunge.

retrodrive

Nav gets you ladies and makes the car look pimp. Oh you can even use it to get to your destination

Seriously though, I would rather have a car with navigation then without.

SCamp

Is the price justified by the effort and expense of the technology? Yes, these are definitely not cheap to create. However, you are also paying a tremendous premium for cutting edge technology.

Is the price justified for the actual use that you will get from it in in the next several years? Unlikely, unless you spend 5 days a week in unfamiliar territory. Upwards of $US2k to avoid the occasional traffic jam?!? Well, you know what your billing rate is, but I won't honestly "save" >20 work hours using this in the next couple of years.

Most likely, the next several years will see both exponential improvements and cost reductions, and nav systems will be completely standard equipment in mid-range cars. And then will come the inevitable accidents and lawsuits, but that's another story. In the meantime, Thomas Guides and gas stations are much more cost-effective.

I wouldn't spend the cash to add it to another car, but I do have it in my Lexus, and I do make use of it when travelling, though relatively infrequently; I don't use it daily because I always figure out my routes before I get behind the wheel.

lexguynj

I am in sales too and find the Navigation System most helpful almost a necessity.

Without it and even Mapquesting your route, I know I would have been lost many times already.

You just can't buy another car without NAV. By the way my other car's BMW NAV pales in comparision to the Lexus Touch screen NAV.

The only problem with the NAV is that it doesn't discriminate against bad neighborhoods, but still gets you to your destination!

fireballs gs400

i don't have navi in my 99 gs. I wish it would have come with it but you can buy aftermarket setups which are better in most regards. Kenwood's navi is too complicated to me imo, too troublesome. The alpine navi is nice and fairly easy to use, but i think pioneer is one of the nicest nav's on the market, alot more options than most, and i believe its voice based as well, cell phone directory, point of intrest. alot of nice features on pioneer's. But i think its a option that is useful.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Well I couldn't disagree more. Even on completely familiar routes home for example I'll ask it to guide me there (I usually turn off the voice guidance in this case) just so I can see how far I have to go. Even in familiar territory I might not know ALL the restaurants and I'll turn them on the map and pick a few and see if one I don't know sounds interesting.

You say the 'occasional' traffic jam - well I live in Atlanta which is pretty bad as far as traffic. It's so nice to be able to scroll around the map when I'm 'stuck' to see if there might be a side street or some other route I don't know which can get me around it. I've done it dozens of times.

I like to put only certain brands of gas in my car. Sometimes if I'm low, even in a familiar area, I might not be sure where a gas station I'd like to go to is. I turn 'em on the map, touch a few, find one I want and go there.

I guarantee the nav has saved me 20+ work hours in the 3 years I've had it.

Why do you figure out routes before you get in the car? That's the thing I love about it. Someone invites me to their house in some suburban area I don't know, I just say give me your address and I hop in the car, plug it in and go not having a clue where I'm going. It's liberating!