My factory amp has died, & I'm looking to replace it. I've pretty much settled on the Alpine PDX 4.100, but am second guessing myself now and thinking about changing the whole system from the stock Infinity to add a built in GPS. Has anyone done this, & what do you recommend? Trouble is I don't want to spend a bucket of money.
Thanks
Ottawa John

 

Well, I don't have a built-in one, but I love my Nuvi 350 even though it is four years old. The suction mount works well on the windshield.

 

I like my Lowrance iFinder, but they are more for hiking, hunting, that sort of thing.

The Tom-Tom series of GPS is favored by many for in-car use. I've used one at work at times, must say, I was impressed!

I like the factory Nav... mostly just for the British ladies' voice. That thing is a toy, really. The outdated maps make it a novelty, for the most part.

 

I have a Droid from Verizon. Suction windshield mount. Best GPS I've ever used. No need to update manually.

 

GMAP for my iPhone

 

Thanks everyone for the responses. I guess I wasn't clear in my inquiry. I have a Garmin with suction mount already, and use it for work all of the time - it's great. But in the XF I ws thinking of changing out the stereo system, so was considering adding something built in, like the factory has.
So I was fishing for products like that to see what would work well.
Thanks Again -
Ottawa John

 

Hey O.J., is it Ottawa as in Canada? Or as in Ottawa County, Michigan, Kansas, Ohio or Oklahoma?.

 

Or Ottawa, IL?

 

It's the main and most imnportant Ottawa - Canada.

 

On a trip through Cornwall, Ontario last month. I decided to unlimber the radar detector I had been hiding since I had gone into Quebec. I thought QC was a no-no for detectors, but was hoping Ontario was OK with them. WRONG! To make a long story short:
A nice Ontario trooper pulled me over and the first thing he said was "Give me your radar detector". After that, he was kind enough to write me a ticket for $170.00 bucks, payable via Email, of course, along with a $2.50 handling fee.
CONCERNING YOUR GPS: Nextar supplies most of the GPS mnftr's their maps and for that reason, I chose NEXTAR. I now have one of their 3-1/2" versions and two of their 4.3" versions and have just purchased their new Snap-5, 5" version. They are simple to operate and do everything I expect them to do.
FYI, my father was born in QC of Loyalist stock, and I have been thinking of building a house on some land we still own up there. Cheers.

 

I hope you did not pay the $170, and you should have dropped the radar detector real hard or smashed it.
I am all for law and order but we are becoming a police state and I don't like it one bit.
Enforce road safety and catch criminals, yes, but we are having our rights eroded bit by bit and that just isn't right.

 

couldn't have said it better myself 180.

 

Hey JimmyJet -
These radar detector laws are unreasonable - no arguements from me.
And the OPP Officer didn't have to ticket you, either. He must have been having a bad day. Are they legal in Michigan? I don't know the repercussions for not paying, but being from the US I'd think that you may get away with it.
Kalamazoo - been there! I grew up in Sarnia, and traveled most parts of Michigan at one time or another.
Thanks for your post!

 

To my new Canadian friends. In the 10-short days I was in Canada, (primarily in Quebec), I too came to the conclusion that just perhaps the government was just a bit too much involved in the every day lives of Canadians. But that's just me and what do I know?
I'm in the process of trying to have some of my late fathers land transferred into my name and I assume I'll be driving through both Ontario and Quebec in the future, so yes, I did pay the ticket, like a good, law abiding Yankee.
To answer your question about the legality of radar detectors in the states; hell yes they're legal. At least in 48-states they are. And concealed carry is legal in at least 40 of the states. Buying a firearm is not a 3-6 month process either. A gallon of gas (3.79 litres) is currently selling for $2.50 for regular in my home town. And when I buy something from my local hardware store, or sporting goods or restaurant, (ad infinitum), I pay just 6% in tax, not the 13% I was paying in Quebec. I also can get a bottle of Vodka in a grocery store and not have to visit a state (province) liquor store.
Those are just some of the things that grind me about Canada, which I wish were different.
But whenever I think about moving up to my fathers home land, and see the red and white maple leaf flag, I find that there are tears in my eyes. As I do now. Because I feel that I belong there. Maybe I'm just a bit too emotional.

 

Back to the subject. When it comes to GPS...

Get a grip.

Get a Garmin.

I recommend the Garminfone.

This way, you can talk, use your Android apps, not get lost and support our dead friend's anti-immigration politics.

The reason our friend died is that he found out the Republican anti-immigrant at Garmin was "Min"!

 

The best GPS, IMHO, is a standalone unit that you stick to your windshield.

I've never really liked built-in GPS systems as the user interface forces you to reconcile using either the GPS, or the radio, or the CD player, but you can't really use both at the same time - at least not easily.

 

I am in the GPS business, sorta, dont really sell the consumer grade units (garmin, etc...) but we do advise our clients if they were going to purchase any unit like that, to make it a garmin because they have a plan where if you pay i believe 100 bucks more, you get lifetime updates, even after you replace your unit

 

Thanks Chambs -
I guess I'll stay with what I've got! It's Garmin - with the updates.

 

Living with the language laws, etc. in the province of Quebec will soon cure you of that :-)

 

I suspect that there is great wisdom in your comment and I assume it arises from your personal experience.

I did notice that in Ontario, most ofthe traffic signs were in both languages, but in Quebec, it was French only. (At least I know what "Arret" means now).