Factory, After Market In-Dash GPS versus Personal GPS

The in-dash units will easily run $1000 as an option - compare that to about $300 or less for a portable, readily update-able and customizable unit. My preference is to have a separate unit, and in fact used this approach to NOT BUY an in-dash unit on a new Toyota Highlander. No regrets whatsoever. Good luck!

I'm partial to the separate unit myself. Here are additional reasons:

1 - Cheaper to Repair (if needed).
2 - Easily replaced with newer technologies.
3 - Less theft (as long as you take it out of the car and with you).
4 - Easier to upgrade ROM.

I could go on and on, but you get the picture.

Good Luck!

Steve,

You already have an after market unit in you Nuvi 600 so you have a good idea of what an after market unit can provide.

Factory installed in-dash units offer a degree of integration to use the GPS display screen to report on and control other devices such as the temperature, radio, CD and other devices. But all that integration comes with other costs as well. Included is the inability to make changes while in motion, so you normally can't ask it to find a gas station when you are getting low and driving down the Interstate. You probably won't be able to install custom POI and alerts, the cost of map updates may equal or exceed the cost of a new Garmin or other unit.

So while the salesman will extol the advantages, ask about the maintenance. If your questions can't be answered (or they refuse to try to answer) take a unit out for a test ride and try to do some of the things you can do with your external unit. That should be the convincer, especially if the salesman is in the car and sees the test being done with the same operation being done on both units.

You already have a portable unit. I personally would not buy a new car without a built in gps. Of course it probably depends on the car as some built in units are better than others. I have a 2007 Lexus with a built in gps and it outperforms my garmin by a long shot. It has features that Garmin is just coming out with and some the new garmins still don't have. Have never had to have an update and has worked flawlessly. Normally you also get blue tooth, a backup camera,etc with a built in unit. The Garmin blue-tooth is in my opinion not good at all and the fm transmitter is useless. Again these are all personal opinions. I have a 750 that I use in an older car and when renting on vacation. Go for the built-in and I don't think you will be sorry.

I don't have any experience with an in-dash unit. From the feedback, it looks as if the Garmin Nuvi 650 would work-out just fine, should we buy a new car. Thanks for the feedback.

Hi Steve,
We now have both - a builtin in our Mercedes E350, and a 265WT in an older car.
I see them as complimentary. the external Garmin is customizable, which the Mercedes unit is not.
I wish I could say the FMTraffic was a strong point with the Garmin, but I'm finding is less than useless.

the mercedes display is much larger than any external device, and the scrolling is much better. AAMOF, I can't get the darn Garmin to scroll at all. When I tap/hold, it beeps, I then drag but the map only moves very slightly. Perhaps it's a feature of the recent s/w upgrade.
I'm finding the routing and recalc on the Garmin just about as good as the Mercedes.
If spoken directions was the only comparison I'd say go with builtin due to larger screens. But the POI customization on the externals, I'm finding, makes the external more useful - not to mention a fraction of the price.
BTW, someone mentioned $1000 for a builtin. HAH! try only paying $1k for the Mercedes unit :*(

I'm surprised the community hasn't demanded FMTraffic to function more reliably - or at all.

anyway, this is my 2C.

cheers, Steve

In dash units have much larger displays. I like that a great deal. But, that display is off to the side, which I very much do not like.

I have Kenwood DDX814 with a KNA-G510 (Garmin made)unit.
This unit is able to take the custom POI'S downloaded from this site,Updateing maps is done thru a SD card which you leave in the unit.($100.00).
Unit works well and has lots of customizing options you cannot change the vehicle Icon or customize the voices.
Hope this helps.

I have a Nuvi 350 which I bought several years ago. I use it on two cars & two motorcycles. Can't do that with an in-dash unit.

Second, the availability of updates for in-dash units sorely suffers compared to Garmin or the other manufacturers.

Third, in-dash units can be stolen too & with a great deal more damage to the vehicle.

Fred

I have an aftermarket built in for my 2009 Jetta TDI.

Besides having a much bigger screen, it can be customized to my liking, with 3d buildings, cars, colors, screens, themes for little or no cost.

I did have a Navigon 2100 which I thought was great.

This newer after market puts it to shame.

BTW...The unit also plays dvds, cd's and is bluetooth for a cost of under $500.

Can't beat it

The ONLY advantage to a portable unit is it is portable....Other than that forget it!!!! My 2007 Lexus in dash still has so many more features than my Garmin 750... I am not knocking the Garmins but one shouldn't try to compare them to a built in unit. I love my Garmin for my second car and rentals..

I have an aftermarket built in for my 2009 Jetta TDI

Which brand/unit?

In my car, I have a Kenwood DDX-512 hooked to a KNA-G510 Garmin unit, like was mentioned above. My wife has a portable Garmin nuvi 1250. Both have their pros and cons.

Personally, I like my built in unit. It has a larger screen, and when it is giving me directions, it automatically turns down the radio. I can update POI files very easily on it as well.

With my wife's, it's main advantage is it is portable and we can use it in either my truck or her car.

From my personal experience I have own a Lexus, Mercedes, Lincoln and GM. I have used my friend’s factory unit on her Range Rover, I have used the unit on my sister's infiniti and I have never seen a unit that can do as much as a Garmin.
Here is what I have seen with the factory units: they are updated once per year for a minimum charge of $200.00, most don't have a good algorithm for routing and most are not good at re-routing. Not all have text to speech. What I have seen from most of them is crazy re-routing. They are getting better but I don't think they have the power of a portable as of yet. Portable are less than $500 and built in are $1500 plus.

I had a chance to buy an in-dash unit when I purchased a new vehicle several months ago. I passed on the opportunity due to the high cost of updating the in-dash units. My brother has one in his Acura and he stated that the cost to update that unit was several hundred dollars, so he doesn't use the unit anymore. The maps were outdated when the car was new and he just didn't want to take the chance of buying an update that was also outdated. He now uses a portable unit.

Just flip up the tray and go, pops right out if I want to take it. Only wont take traffic without a mod, but living in Tucson thats not a biggie. If I wanted traffic I could just window mount. It flips up just above the radio and is perfect for viewing, without blocking vision. Hope they keep offering this feature.

You asked about TOPO maps. You can get free Topo Maps, for Garmin devices here: http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/

There are instructions for installing the maps (maps are usually state by state). You can install them on you Garmin GPS but they are not route-able by themselves.

I'd rather have personal portable gps unit. The only thing I love about the in-dash one is that there is no need to charge it or fumble with power cables. I wish they had a way to lock in a personal gps, they should make that instead in cars.

I would suggest you try the built in unit on a Lexus..mine is a 2007 and has worked perfectly. No updates for fixes and problems and still has features portable units are just coming out with. Updated my disc for $50 from a Lexus dealer when the new version came out. Has back up camera, bluetooth, text to speech, etc., etc. etc.

I also have a Garmin 750 for my second car but in no way does it compare to the built in unit.

Some in-car GPS systems from the factory have voice control. If you say "Take me home", the GPS will automatically plan the route.

Inspite of this feature I would still pick a portable unit for it's flexibility.

I also prefer the Portability but do agree with the other posts where the features of a bigger screen, turning off the radio, etc are nice. But for me trhe portable is fine because quite honestly I travel familiar paths most of the time and use it just for traffic and occasionally to explore areas around my home. Preference I think is the key.

A few things to consider with the in dash units, larger screen, with the ability to add back up camera, no wires showing in dash area, possibility of playing DVD movies depending on model, ability to find addresses and locations by entering phone numbers.

My Nuvi 885T does practically all of what I desire it to do except; back up camera and not being able to search by phone numbers.
The voice recognition works as well as could be expected unless there is a lot of people speaking in the vehicle while trying to give voive prompts

I think you are being a little conservative on the price for an in dash unit. When we bought my wife's 2003 Vibe new they wanted $1600.00 for an in dash unit.

Another thing I thought about was if something went wrong with the GPS I doubt if there would be any dealer that could repair it, they would most likely have to pull it out of the dash and send it in and hard telling what the turn around time would be. Plus there is always the chance that when the job was done you could end up with a few squeaks and rattles in your dash.

I like having both.....

I have to agree that having both an in-dash and stand alone unit is great. The in-dash units also have a much cleaner look. I just hate the price dealers ask for the in-dash units.... too much mark-up.

You get what you pay for.....sure they cost more but they are far superior in many ways.

You get what you pay for.....sure they cost more but they are far superior in many ways.

Holy double post Batman

I've had a StreetPilot 2820, used my Garmin GPS 60CSx, and now have an in-dash Kenwood 8120.

My preference: the in-dash unit.

The StreetPilot was great, but I really don't like the wires floating around on the dash. For the same reason, I don't like having an external satellite radio. So, I got the Kenwood DNX8120 about a year ago and installed it. I have it setup with XM radio and it has a built-in Garmin GPS. Works great. No wires.

You get some benefits with an integrated unit such when the GPS needs to alert you (traffic ahead, next turn, etc.) it can lower the music volume and let you know. You get a larger screen. It's in the dash and isn't taking up dash/window space.

I think it's -less- likely to be stolen as, to me, it looks likt it'd be more trouble to bust the window to pull it out as compared to a Nuvi sitting up on the dash. Mine, for the most part, looks like a standard/stock HU in the car (the screen-based HUs are becoming popular these days).

I'm not a fan of the factory GPS, though. You get an odd-ball GPS unit that really isn't the manufacturer's primary focus. If you have a problem or want an update you're at their mercy to get it set. With the Kenwood/Garmin combination I can just update my maps like every other Garmin user each year (though, granted, the lifetime numaps aren't available to me).

I do use my 60CSx for rental cars and, yes, I think a nüvi would function better there. I also have a portable XM radio which I use when I'm renting but, as you can imagine, it doesn't take long for the wires to get crazy.

Still, I understand how someone would like the stereo and GPS to be separate units. I still feel that way about my cellphone. I want a phone that works as a phone and does SMS - not one that crashes or I have to reboot.

As to the question of being locked out of using your GPS while driving: with factory units I understand that this is the case. With aftermarket units you can always not connect the parking brake wire (actually, I think you just ground it and you're done - depends on the unit, of course). Anyway, I have full functionality of my in-dash GPS but usually leave it to my daughter to handle so that I'm concentrating on the road. I've heard of the 'safe' GPS factory systems that force you to stop and put it into park before allowing you to do anything. That would drive me mad. If I were locked into that (as in no other option) I'd just get a nüvi. To me, if you're traveling down the interstate between major cities and are looking for the next restaurant I don't see a problem using your GPS to find it. I don't really have a problem with folks using their cellphones in that instance. Get into more populated areas where you have traffic lights and pedestrians and, yeah, you need to be paying more attention to what's going on.

Hope this helped.