Why do people still buy factoryfit Satnav?

[MillerLight]

Why do people still buy “optional” Satnav?

Why pay loads for optional Satnav in new cars, when you can pick-up a basic mobile Satnav like the Tomtom1 for £100?

I’ve just overheard a conversation that someone has just spent £800 on a factory fit Satnav. I can’t see any advantage in buying an factory system (apart from it looks neater and can’t be nicked) than a tomtom. At least you take a mobile unit and use it in any car, on walks a pushbike etc.

Even the resale values of having it imo, is rubbish as it will be way out of date as most don’t update them.

Anyway thoughs?

 

[Rich..]

my thoughts at least a year ago, probably longer.

 

[ViolentJ]

My dad's got sat nav in his car and it's shite. he gets sent an updated map cd on a yearly basis and it doesn't even allow him to search via postcodes!

 

[Timmay]

Why do people still buy “optional” Satnav?

Why pay loads for optional Satnav in new cars, when you can pick-up a basic mobile Satnav like the Tomtom1 for £100?

I’ve just overheard a conversation that someone has just spent £800 on a factory fit Satnav. I can’t see any advantage in buying an factory system (apart from it looks neater and can’t be nicked) than a tomtom. At least you take a mobile unit and use it in any car, on walks a pushbike etc.

Even the resale values of having it imo, is rubbish as it will be way out of date as most don’t update them.

Anyway thoughs?

gotta agree they are a waste of time - TomTom ftw!

 

[ForceIndia]

Used to be essential for resale on top end motors, but not any more. Think tomtom etc have killed the market off. One of the big boys will wise up and have integrated mounts in the car ready for tomtom, then they can sell a tomtom with every car and make more cash.

 

[McBunny]

i agree but its also my view of headunit satnav systems as well

 

[richard1]

Can't understand it on run of the mill cars either.

Can still make or break a good re-sale/quick sale on prestige marques though.

 

[Ian_182]

Lots of cars are company cars and can be speced to within budget,hence the factory sat-nav

 

[ForceIndia]

Lots of cars are company cars and can be speced to within budget,hence the factory sat-nav

Good point.

 

[richard1]

Lots of cars are company cars and can be speced to within budget,hence the factory sat-nav

Good point.

Yeah but won't £1000 - £1800 on top of the list price push up yout co.car tax?

 

[McBunny]

the accord exec comes with it as standard as does teh civic does it not ?

 

[Ian_182]

Good point.

Yeah but won't £1000 - £1800 on top of the list price push up yout co.car tax?

If you have a budget of say 22k for a car and pick a 1 series BMW 118d.The spec you choose wont effect your emissions tax and you would get a pretty loaded one for that money for example

 

[sh33n]

If money's not a problem then I'd always get it fitted.

So much nicer, plus most these days also included lots of other things, like built in hard drive mp3 players, etc, etc.

 

[MillerLight]

^
think id rather spend the cash on better alloys or a nicer trim, but i get your point, if your got the money why not spend it!

 

[Mells]

Used to be essential for resale on top end motors, but not any more. Think tomtom etc have killed the market off. One of the big boys will wise up and have integrated mounts in the car ready for tomtom, then they can sell a tomtom with every car and make more cash.

IIRC you can get a Clio TomTom. Some r****d on here has one and mounted the tt just below the rear view mirror.

 

[DrR]

Used to be essential for resale on top end motors, but not any more. Think tomtom etc have killed the market off. One of the big boys will wise up and have integrated mounts in the car ready for tomtom, then they can sell a tomtom with every car and make more cash.

IIRC you can get a Clio TomTom. Some r****d on here has one and mounted the tt just below the rear view mirror.

I rememeber that, lol at having a clio TomTom special addition, so my cars a Gammin Clio 182. Must be worth an extra £500 now.

 

[Craig]

Ive got a limited edition 182 tom tom very rare i tell thee

 

[Josh@Renparts]

only other reason is theft, least you don't have to take off/hide and rub off the sucker mark from a factory fit sat nav and worry about it been in the glove box.

 

[Bash]

Its so u dont have to look like a t**t in the night driving around with ur tom tom in ur window, either learn where ur going or afford to buy the factory sat nav when u get the car.

 

[Rasclart]

PMSL at looking a t**t with tom tom. I am not sure I follow. An expensive pointless option IMO as well.

 

[cat171]

My dad's got sat nav in his car and it's s**te. he gets sent an updated map cd on a yearly basis and it doesn't even allow him to search via postcodes!

Lol, factory fit clio (vdo gear) satnav doesn't either.

My dads got it on his 172, he got the car secondhand though. He didn't pay any extra than the car that was there without it, as when they put the details on the computer they forgot to list it as an option

It does look a lot lot better than an after market one tbh.

 

[Bash]

Yes looking like a t**t. Driving through london the short cut way from north west to south east all u see is lines of cars being directed in the same way (i.e the a roads). If you dont know ur way around learn. I have used a Tom twice in the last few years one was the ring and the seccond was disney land.

I know may way around, Im not trying to brag but u look like a f**king tourist with a tom tom!

 

[ukaskew]

I genuinely don't get the point of them full stop, and more often than not I notice people who I have followed who have been driving really odd have a sat-nav mounted on their dash.

I imagine delivery drivers have a genuine reason for one, but anyone else? I've done loads of long trips this year, it hasn't been rocket science. Quick look on multimap, jot the major road numbers on a post-it and away I go (i've got 6 or 7 in my glovebox now, building up a nice little collection!)

I've encountered some appalling road signage as far as towns/villages are concerned, but with a road number you can almost never go wrong.

 

[GazCB]

My dad's got sat nav in his car and it's s**te. he gets sent an updated map cd on a yearly basis and it doesn't even allow him to search via postcodes!

Lol, factory fit clio (vdo gear) satnav doesn't either.

Not true if you have an up-to-date disk. I had Factory fit satnav in my clio and when I got an updated disk it enabled postcode search aswell as the TMC function. Personally I much, much prefer factory fitted satnav. I currently have a TomTom and it does function well but it's just extra hassle and clutter. With FF satnav you don't have to keep getting it out and putting it away, it looks tidy, no charger leads routed all over the dashboard. With TomTom you have to plug in that extra aerial which goes around your windscreen like christmas lights and is a bit distracting IMO. My only gripe about factory fit satnav is purely the price, it's so fooking expensive! It was a £1500 option on my clio as I had the full colour one (I bought the car 2nd hand before you all go mad at me!). I'd have loved to get my Z4 with SatNav, but to find one with all the options I wanted and have on the car I eventually bought, I'd have been looking at an extra £1000 on a second hand car for one with the satnav too. I really wanted satnav, but can't justify £1000 for it.

I hope as time goes by and the popularity of aftermarket satnav units soars that manufacturers will be forced to offer the factory fit options at more reasonable prices. I know I'll again be trying to find one when I next come to buying a car.

 

[dk]

Yes looking like a t**t. Driving through london the short cut way from north west to south east all u see is lines of cars being directed in the same way (i.e the a roads). If you dont know ur way around learn. I have used a Tom twice in the last few years one was the ring and the seccond was disney land.

I know may way around, Im not trying to brag but u look like a f**king tourist with a tom tom!

what a ridiculous statement, i have a very good sense of direction and rarely get lost but i have a tomtom and use it regularly, it takes the stress out of missing an exit etc, it just re-routes you.

It enables people to drive through london and big cities safely without worrying about road signs along with speed cameras to enable you to concentrate on the driving!

My tomtom does loads of stuff too, its a hands free bluetooth kit, it plays mp3's, does slide shows, at the touch of a button ring the emergency services and tells you exactly where you are so you can accurately inform them etc. It even has a first aid guide on it!

They are getting a lot more clever too, it looks at the time of day and location and sends you the best route to avoid traffic, taking you local routes even if its longer but will get you there quicker and automatically directs you around traffic jams.

How can all of that make you look like a t**t, IMO i'd laugh at the people these days that don't have them, its the best invention for cars in the last few years, i never used to carry a map with me even but tomtom brings so much more to the table than just directing you!

 

[DrR]

^^^ what he said, when i'm driving a city i'd be completely lost without one.

 

[realnumber 1]

Also have to agree with dk on this one. But I prefer to use it on my PDA phone compared to a standalone unit. Much smaller than a Tomtom when you take it out of the car.
I would say your less likely to leave it in the car in the first place with it being your phone as well.

 

[Bash]

Tourists... ha!

 

[Brasseye]

My tom toms out do the built in nav for everyday use in so many ways

we dont buy any built in for our drivers now and spply tom,s and pda,s

 

[Bash]

Tom Tom's are cheep disposable products which can be update and renewed every 18 months as the same with ur mobile phones. Its easily updateable as it can communicate with Personal computers with no dongle or adapter (apart from USB cable) required.

 

[dk]

Tom Tom's are cheep disposable products which can be update and renewed every 18 months as the same with ur mobile phones. Its easily updateable as it can communicate with Personal computers with no dongle or adapter (apart from USB cable) required.

and your point?

wouldn't say my 930T was cheap at £360!

why would i need to dispose of it and get a new one in 18 months? I just update the maps.

 

[cat171]

Lol, factory fit clio (vdo gear) satnav doesn't either.

Not true if you have an up-to-date disk. I had Factory fit satnav in my clio and when I got an updated disk it enabled postcode search aswell as the TMC function.

The disk is a 2007/08 one, it's the newest one out.

 

[Rasclart]

Well said dk, I can reead a map I choose tom tom though as it makes life a lot easier. If I know a quicker route I will use it. However from intricate details it saves a lot of time

 

[oz_clio]

small cars fine but big expensive luxury cars with a tomtom on the dash looks a bit jakey.

although the more you spend i suppose youll have one as standard fit.

 

[cat171]

Well said dk, I can reead a map I choose tom tom though as it makes life a lot easier. If I know a quicker route I will use it. However from intricate details it saves a lot of time

+1

I can read a map, but my sense of direction is rubbish, if i'm alone in the car who on earth is going to read the map to me ?? No one ! Therefore sat nav comes in. I recently got a tomtom 1, I used it to death over the weekend covering a good few hundred miles, did it go wrong ?? No, it didn't.

The only thing that lets it down is the cable, but as I don't do long distances that often i'll put up with that.

 

[Chili Red]

small cars fine but big expensive luxury cars with a tomtom on the dash looks a bit jakey.

I think you nailed it there. Rich bloke with posh expensive car doesn't want to look like a commoner with a sat nav stuck on the windscreen.

I always use mine if I don't know where I'm going. I used maps/directions/phone calls when lost for years and much prefer sat nav.

Thing is it's almost too good because you don't really read road signs or anything and have no concept at all where you're going. The other day I got lost because although the Tomtom took me right to the place, I drove straight past without noticing

 

[dk]

small cars fine but big expensive luxury cars with a tomtom on the dash looks a bit jakey.

I think you nailed it there. Rich bloke with posh expensive car doesn't want to look like a commoner with a sat nav stuck on the windscreen.

I always use mine if I don't know where I'm going. I used maps/directions/phone calls when lost for years and much prefer sat nav.

Thing is it's almost too good because you don't really read road signs or anything and have no concept at all where you're going. The other day I got lost because although the Tomtom took me right to the place, I drove straight past without noticing

lol, i used to use tomtom on my phone and i was in the centre of london last week having got to the address with tomtom and then i needed to get out and my phone wouldn't lock on to the satellites, I pulled over and sat there thinking, what the hell do i do now, i haven't got a clue how to get out as i didn't know where i was and didn't recognise any road names after a quick drive around.

Luckily I rebooted it and it was fine, i was relying on it though!

 

[dk]

Well said dk, I can reead a map I choose tom tom though as it makes life a lot easier. If I know a quicker route I will use it. However from intricate details it saves a lot of time

+1

I can read a map, but my sense of direction is rubbish, if i'm alone in the car who on earth is going to read the map to me ?? No one ! Therefore sat nav comes in. I recently got a tomtom 1, I used it to death over the weekend covering a good few hundred miles, did it go wrong ?? No, it didn't.

The only thing that lets it down is the cable, but as I don't do long distances that often i'll put up with that.

i was driving to a premier inn the other night after a long day and flight and had put the postcode in, was nearly there and it was telling me to turn left at a roundabout, i was only a few hundred metres away supposedly but over the right i could see a premier inn sign so i disobeyed it, drove towards the sign and parked the car in the hotel carpark, took all my luggage out, walked up to the hotel (it was late and i had to park a fair walk away) and as i walked in, the woman behind the desk asked me if i was checking in, as she had checked in all her rooms already,i said yes, she then said, i bet you are supposed to be at the other one down the road!

the hotels were less that a mile apart lol, and i had dispobeyed my tomtom and gone all maverick, and it bit me in the ass, so thats the last time I disobey jane LOL!

Lesson learnt.

 

[cat171]

^ pmsl, owned ! Trust the sat nav

 

[gazbenger]

On a more exclusive car I'd have it for definite, on a clio for example theres no point.