Trogdor796

So, my grandpa is looking at buying a 2003 GS430 on Craigslist. We checked it out Firday, and it looks really nice. However, we asked about the Navigation system. The owner said that they hadn't gotten a chance to test it fully because the disc was stuck or wouldn't work or something along those lines.

Now, I don't have a Navigation system in my 99 GS300, so I've been doing some research. According to this link:
https://secure.drivers.lexus.com/lex...igationmaps.do
The 2003 GS430 has a Generation 3 DVD system, which is good since after reading some posts on here the Hard Drive based Navigation found in earlier GS's was not that great and you can't update it(not easily at least).

So, this leads to my question. I have contacted the owner of the GS we looked at, asking for more details about why the Navigation system doesn't work or hasn't been tested. I've heard that the disc's themselves can fail, the disc drive can fail etc. Assuming it's just the disc, you could order a new one for $170, according to the above link. This will include the latest update as well. However if it's the unit itself not reading the disc, is it worth fixing it? Or would it be better just to buy a dedicated GPS?

Also, even if it's just the disc that needs to be replaced, would you guys spend the $170, or just buy a dedicated GPS? How often do updates come out? Seems costly to pay $170 every few years...

Finally, and this is probably a stupid question, does the disc need to stay in the unit all the time, or just when you update it? And looking at the unit, where does the disc go, in the glove box disc changer or is there another slot? Can't tell from pictures...

I know that the screen works on the unit because that was displaying the radio info and stuff, just not sure what the exact problem with the navigation is.

Edit - have just talked with the owner of the car. He says that the navigation disc appears to be stuck in the trunk mounted system and he cannot eject it. He says it is trying to eject but is not ejecting. Is this a known problem?