oh and same goes for navi

my car didn't had navi, can it be installed? and if it is, is it better to install factory one? or is it better to get new/custom one?

somethin tellin me that lexus dealership won't do anything to the car other then warranty/service rapairs (if require)

 

Until someone like BOSE starts building these I would advise anyone to buy one of the more upscale portables.

The Lexus Nav may well be the best of the (in car mounted) lot but its firmware flaws make it untrustworthy and therefore a useless driver distraction.

I can USE my cell phone without taking my eyes off the road.

 

Check out this site. www.kenwood.com They have a Touch screen navigation system that rivals lexus's Touch screen Denso system. The kenwood has about 3 million more Points of interests in its database and you can even watch DVD movies through it..... But the great thing about it is it's price. If you go to your local dealer for the factory nav system, It would cost you about 10 G's to get everything installed.( i know this becuase i actually considered this option) Remember, radio and climate control are integrated in the Denso factory system. So you would have to purchase a factory Climate control system. All in all the Kenwood is #1 in the market right now for ease of use and practicality. It would set you back about $3K installed.

 

The only reason I want a NAV SYSTEM in my car is because
A.) It's rare seeing them
B.) It makes you look pimp =]

 

I originally wanted a nav system in my Acura 3.2TL because I'd used Hertz Neverlost on business trips and admired its "techno-cool factor," but after actually having it for a while, my wife and I found it invaluable. Admittedly, we find ourselves in unfamiliar cities pretty often (weekend trips to Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, over to Tennessee, Louisiana, etc.).

In fact, when I decided to trade my TL against something a little sportier, I eliminated BMW, MB, and Audi from consideration based on their crappy nav systems alone. That's a significant part of how I ended up with my GS430.

Some would think I'm an idiot for putting so much emphasis on a device I use only occassionally, but when all other things were close to equal (power, handling (taking into account L-Tuned parts), etc.), the nav system (and Lexus' reputation for quality and reliability) won out...

 

I think this poll is very skewed in presenting what you want to see, that the Nav is useless. I cannot vote in it because you do not have the option E) I have the Nav, and I use it all the time.

I work in sales, and my territory consists of all of NJ, NY and CT. That is a huge territory and the NAV helps me out constantly. Perhaps if I lived in CO or someplace else midwest where all the roads are simple I wouldn't need it. But when I drive my other car without the NAV on the job, I almost always regret it.

 

a1exus, I don't get your poll. Initially I thought the first answer was to allow a person to acknowledge they have nav, but now I think with the question mark it's as if you're asking people to confirm they're not even aware they have nav.

If so, where's the option to say:

I have nav and it's the greatest option I've ever had on a car.

Because that's the poll option I'd select.

wwest - you think BOSE could do it right, huh? BOSE is a marketing company that hasn't created anything any good. We know that the nav isn't useful to you in the boonies in WA state, but here in Hotlanta it's HOT *****.

 

I would have gotten NAV (for it's occasional value to me) on my '01, but Lexus integrated controls for HVAC and ML stereo into the touch screen, meaning I would be poking the screen frequently. I had a vision of the touch screen looking really *****ty in a couple of years from wear. Since I really don't need the Nav function frequently, decision was pretty simple.

 

I was concerned about having to access the screens all the time for the Radio and HVAC controls as well first, but 90% of the controls you'd need for those functions are as buttons around the screen, so I rarely need to use the touch screen for those things.

 

first option in poll is your option

i didn't add "and I use it everyday/this is the best option"

but you can still vote that you have it

 

unfortinayl i can not change poll

basically whoever uses NAV and happy to have that option select first option

i just want to get a field how people really uses it and how do they like it, i see some people are enjoying it (i know i would) and some people find it useless apparantly on no-need-basis

i don't really need nav myself, i usually stay in my area but i would still want to get it 'cause every now and then i do go to some places where i'm not familiar with and navi would definatly be a great help for me

so i'm really really want to get navi into my car, i was suggested to use one of those small GPS but i wish if there is something that i could do to take out my front panel where navi should be and put real navi instead of what i have right now

if someone could suggest/comment something here that'd be great

i really hope i won't have to get by changing my lexus

thanks in advance

 

I have seen this same question come up on this board, and many more times on the Acura TL board. They sell many more TL's the GS's because of price, so they had more input into it. Nearly everyone who had the navi loved it and said they would never drive another car without it. The only people who thought it was stupid were the people who didn't have it. Take it for what it's worth...

 

so is there a way for me to get navi? even though i didn't had it before?

 

The cost to add the Lexus navigation system to a Lexus that doesn't already have it will be HUGE. However, you could have an aftermarket one added, Alpine, for example.

About the nav's usefulness, even in my 'own area'... this morning I was driving back from the airport when on the radio they mentioned a huge backup on the highway ahead. I actually knew it was bad because I saw when I was going the other way TO the airport earlier. Anyway, as the traffic started to get bad I simply told my nav to find the way to the office where I work WITHOUT using the highway. No problem at all... I hadn't a clue where I was when I got off the highway, but in 10 minutes I knew where I was and stopped the nav from further directions. It's this kind of use that makes it worth EVERY PENNY.

 

so what's the range for other navi?

and i assume they won't take out my radio and put navi screen there.. where would they put screen for navi?