To get NAVI or not? Is it worth it or just a hassle?
07-09-11, 08:03 PM
#16
If I were to purchase an IS again, I would buy one with NAV this time. I don't have a NAV on mine since I couldn't afford an IS with one at the time, plus I found an '07 IS350 with 49,xxx miles for $20k so I couldn't pass up that deal. I'm deciding whether to buy a FlyAudio unit or a factory NAV off a wrecked IS or something in the future. I know I can save $1k plus to buy a Garmin or TomTom but I seriously hate how my interior looks compared to those with a NAV. If anything, I'm not interested in a GPS that can do everything, just one that provides a map and basic directions to a place I've never been. I'd recommend you to get one with NAV if you want a better looking interior and a simple GPS.
Downsides I can think of is how like climate controls are on the screen. My friend was working on his car and blow a 7.5 AMP fuse. His dash lights wouldn't come and neither would his screen. So he had to drive 10 miles to my house in 95 degree weather without air conditioner or NAV to get a fuse from me since I bought a set when I blew the same fuse. However, my A/C worked since I had a actual switch for it. And if the screen stops working like how members on here have dealt with, repairs are expensive!
Downsides I can think of is how like climate controls are on the screen. My friend was working on his car and blow a 7.5 AMP fuse. His dash lights wouldn't come and neither would his screen. So he had to drive 10 miles to my house in 95 degree weather without air conditioner or NAV to get a fuse from me since I bought a set when I blew the same fuse. However, my A/C worked since I had a actual switch for it. And if the screen stops working like how members on here have dealt with, repairs are expensive!
07-09-11, 08:26 PM
#18
Despite that, I'm still going to add a NAV to mine in the future. I'd be pretty mad if the screen quits on me, the thing will be $1500-3000 used and repairs is the same cost. At least, I'll have my old one to plug in and use A/C or heat.
07-09-11, 10:48 PM
#21
I'm a fan of the NAV, for the shear integration and overall feel of luxury the car tries to represent.
Funny thing happened yesterday, following a train of 2 Audi's and a Beemer to a local eatery (3 more behind me too). All trying to use a iPhone app.
2 miles and several loops around the block, they were pulling over scratching their heads while staring at their phones.
I had to hop out and tell them they were on the wrong side of the freeway and about a mile off target (right street name, wrong direction). So much for smart people and iPhone apps....
Needless to say, they all followed my Lex to some great brews and BBQ....
V
Funny thing happened yesterday, following a train of 2 Audi's and a Beemer to a local eatery (3 more behind me too). All trying to use a iPhone app.
2 miles and several loops around the block, they were pulling over scratching their heads while staring at their phones.
I had to hop out and tell them they were on the wrong side of the freeway and about a mile off target (right street name, wrong direction). So much for smart people and iPhone apps....
Needless to say, they all followed my Lex to some great brews and BBQ....
V
07-10-11, 05:43 PM
#24
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/...ale-usat_N.htm
07-10-11, 06:02 PM
#25
Some need/want/like our NAV. Others loathe it. Bottom line, it boils down to personal preference. Screw resale value, "my touch screen won't work", "my $100 portable Garmin is better"; if you want it and you can afford it, then good for you. If you dislike it and you don't have it in your IS, good for you. No one should tell you what options does/doesn't make sense on your purchase. It's YOUR vehicle.
07-10-11, 06:26 PM
#27
I weighed this a year ago when I bought my IS. Not much had changed from when I debated including nav in my prior car purchase in 2002.
1. Built-in nav adds too much to sale price for what it does and depreciates like hell with regard to initial cost vs. resale.
2. Cheap Garmin units are better in terms of feature/functionality.
3. Map updates, which are fairly critical to making the thing useful in the first place, cost a fortune on built-in nav systems. I've got lifetime map updates on my Garmin I paid a one time fee of $60 for (look for Christmas discounts) and to download updates I just plug it into USB and go.
4. If you don't drive to unfamiliar cities more than a couple of times a month, you'd be surprised how little you really need a GPS. I pull the Garmin out of the glove box only when I go out of town, which is not every week or every two weeks.
5. Not being able to change things while the car is moving is a big hassle with a built-in unit.
6. Don't go built-in Nav unless you're leasing, and be very afraid if you are going to keep the car past warranty period. If the nav goes on the blink it will likely cost thousands, maybe more than the car is worth when it goes bad. This is true on all cars with built in Nav and not just Lexus.
Basically in 2002 I came to the conclusion that the markup on built-in nav systems was rediculous, and that was back when a decent Garmin auto nav still cost $1000 and was like mounting a small PC on your dash due to the size/bulk of the unit back then. New Garmin units are dirt cheap, recalc their routes fast, offer very cheap lifetime maps, and are about the size of a phone and feature-wise take a crap all over every built in unit out there.
I do have an iPhone4, but I would only use it for navigation if the Garmin didn't work (but of course the Garmin always does).
1. Built-in nav adds too much to sale price for what it does and depreciates like hell with regard to initial cost vs. resale.
2. Cheap Garmin units are better in terms of feature/functionality.
3. Map updates, which are fairly critical to making the thing useful in the first place, cost a fortune on built-in nav systems. I've got lifetime map updates on my Garmin I paid a one time fee of $60 for (look for Christmas discounts) and to download updates I just plug it into USB and go.
4. If you don't drive to unfamiliar cities more than a couple of times a month, you'd be surprised how little you really need a GPS. I pull the Garmin out of the glove box only when I go out of town, which is not every week or every two weeks.
5. Not being able to change things while the car is moving is a big hassle with a built-in unit.
6. Don't go built-in Nav unless you're leasing, and be very afraid if you are going to keep the car past warranty period. If the nav goes on the blink it will likely cost thousands, maybe more than the car is worth when it goes bad. This is true on all cars with built in Nav and not just Lexus.
Basically in 2002 I came to the conclusion that the markup on built-in nav systems was rediculous, and that was back when a decent Garmin auto nav still cost $1000 and was like mounting a small PC on your dash due to the size/bulk of the unit back then. New Garmin units are dirt cheap, recalc their routes fast, offer very cheap lifetime maps, and are about the size of a phone and feature-wise take a crap all over every built in unit out there.
I do have an iPhone4, but I would only use it for navigation if the Garmin didn't work (but of course the Garmin always does).
07-10-11, 06:29 PM
#28
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I've had a couple of bad experiences with mine but it has also helped me a lot with the long trips I've done with my car. I blame myself too because since I got it in '08 I never got the updates so maybe that's what gets me lost sometimes. But overall, I love it - the features, touchscreen, blue tooth and the back up camera. Oh and I get 
when people ride in my car for the first time especially when they see the neat feature of the back up camera.
But overall, I love it - the features, touchscreen, blue tooth and the back up camera. Oh and I get when people ride in my car for the first time especially when they see the neat feature of the back up camera.
07-10-11, 08:13 PM
#30
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If you simply want the function of a navigation system and not the build-in look, I would say get an aftermarket portable one with 7" screen. First, the portable ones are much cheaper and if it goes out of order, just buy another one. Repairing costs a lot of money. But to each their own, that's simply my opinion.