Sorry if this has been discussed before, but here's a question that's been bugging me for awhile. Let say I get the TSX navi for $2,000. 5 years down the road, I decide to sell my car. Will my car be worth even $1,000 more than a non-navi TSX? Because navigation technology changes so fast, no one is going to pay premium for a navi that's more than a few years old. I know for a 2-3 years old car, it doesn't really matter; the navi should still be up-to-date. But after 4-5 years, I think the resale value of the navi completely gone. Maybe, just maybe, it will even hurt the resale value because the TSX navi is such an integral component of the interior (unlike other cars with navi that slides out). Most people will not want an outdated navigation system so they may not even consider purchasing the car. Of course, the car will be perfect for people that do want an outdated navigation system, but that's a minority. So in a way, my $2,000 navi just turned away potential buyers for my car.

Some may argue that the navigation technology, like all other technologies in the car, will depreciate no matter what. I do agree with that point, but it's the rate of depreciation that scares me. Take for example, CD players. People always going to want a CD player in their car. That technology doesn't change as quickly as navi. Also, I know that you can update your navi DVD-rom for a few hundred bucks, but I think 5 years down the road, the technology will change so much that the navi can't be updated this way (this is an assumption...maybe you can??)

Honestly, if you are looking at used cars and you see a 2001 TL with navi. How much more are you willing pay for that outdated navi? Will you even use it?

 

I think the navi will depreciate with the car, just like everything else. What I don't see happening is somebody saying they don't want to buy my car because it's "outdated" navi system. What will be outdated? The processor may be a bit slower than the newest ones. Will it tell you where you are going with accurate directions? ---bet it does, especially with updated DVD-ROMs that come out every year. As long as there are a number of vehicles out there that have this navi, and somebody willing to fork over $175+inflation, there will be update DVDs available, just like replacement parts.

Who's saying CD players are always going to be in cars? Why not MP3 players with a USB port to upload files to?

It's called technology, I bought the navi to use while I own the car, not for what it will be worth in resale.

 

you just get the updated navigation disk....its not that much of a trouble...i don't think it will hurt u

 

More and more, Navi's will be a standard option and will go down in price(They're now available as an option on Civics! ). Like said above, you can't look at it like extra cash when reselling, but an incentive for someone to choose your car instead of another.

 

if you're penny pinching the navi for it's resale, maybe it isn't an option for you. wait 7-10 years down the road when it's a commodity in every car, just like abs, autodim mirrors, traction control, etc.

this is the price you pay for latest technology...

 

If in 7-10 years every vehicle on the road has a navi system (most likely), trying to sell your non-navi car will be a bitch. It'd be like trying to sell a car now-a-days without abs brakes. Theres no possible way it could hurt your resell value, and Acura or other third party companies will continue to issue upgradable DVDs. So the actual map data itself will never be out of date, maybe the processing/routing speed might be 2 secs slower then the newer version, big deal.

 

IMO, Acura makes the best navi and I would surmise that it will take 5-6 years for some of the other guys' navis to catch up in quality. Of course, the yearly updates will mean your navi never becomes truly obsolete. Finally, I think in 5 years a car without navi will be looked at as a dinosaur.

 

After using the NAV in my 04 TSX since April 2003, I can definately say that all my future cars will have NAV systems in them. The NAV was awesome getting me around Ontario Canada when I went up there for 3 Pearl Jam concerts in 3 cities that I wasn't familiar with. It also came in handy for a trip to Chicago that I went on (never had been to Chicago before) and many other occations. The peace of mind of never being lost is worth the price of that thing. Simply awesome.

 

It will not hurt resale but it (the NAV value itself) will depreciate faster than the car itself. It's not just the NAV but all the functions tied to it that will be outdated in 5 years. It's a good thing Acura pulled some of the functions that could be in the NAV screen (like BT) out into the MID for 06. I assume the 2K markup will soon go down - MB's NAV option is down to $1200.

 

There have been rumors Honda is going to drop the Nav option down to $1500 for 07 and up the % of total units with nav.

Anyway, The nav will depreciate faster. Resale, probably about $500 more than a non-nav in 3-4 years.

Plus, it's all about what the potential buyer needs/wants. Auto or Manual , 4x2 or 4x4, etc.

As more and more cars come standard with nav, wouldn't the car w/o it become less desirable?

 

I vote for a MP3/AAC player that can be updated via wifi while the car is parked in the garage. I guess it could have USB if you don't have a wifi connection that would reach the car. But who needs CDs anymore...

 

the Navi wouldn't depreciate the car because the supply is lower, demand is probably higher, and voila slower depreciation.

 

Interesting you should ask this, I started a thread about one week ago, and in pricing out what my '04 TSX with Navi/auto was worth, the Navi only added $600 to the value over the non-Navi.

 

Lease it and sump it in three while the NAV is still hot.

 

I disagree here....I think demand for non-navi used TSX will be higher. I think alot of you guys are not getting my point that not many people will want a used TSX with navi because they know much better navi exist 5 years down the road. Instead, they rather want a non-navi TSX, and add in their own aftermartet navi if needed. The $2,000 I spent on that navi is basically water down the drain if I decide to sell the car 4-5 years later.

Also, I agree that navi will soon become a standard in many vehicles. However, unlike CD players and ABS which don't change (ABS is ABS....), navi technology will change so much that older navi systems won't be appealing.

As for releasing updated dvds, do they still release updates for 2nd TL navigation systems? I see support for this model's navigation system to discontinue when the new model comes out in 2008/2009.

Note that I LOVE the navi and I will most likely pay the premium for one if I get a TSX. This is just a thought that crossed my mind when test driving the car.

 

So the navi depreciated 70% in 3 years or so...

 

Heh, well I don't think KBB or any other company factors in how hardcore Acura navigations are..... Hands down, we have the best (of the time/industry)

 

Cars.com seems to agree

 

Care to explain what those numbers mean?? ALG Residual %...etc....sorry, I am noob when it comes to leasing.

 

Looking at a 2001 TL (now 5 years old) on Edmunds.com, Navi adds:

Trade-In $710
Private Party $789
Dealer Retail $958

I know another poster saw only a $600 value for hisNavi on the TSX, but here's what I see for a 2004 TSX on Edmunds.com:

Trade-In $1,121
Private Party $1,177
Dealer Retail $1,411


It looks like navi depreciates quickly in the early years, then tapers and depreciates more slowly.

<Edit> had to re-format numbers as the post lost my whitespace

 

I get his point. It would be like buying a car with a PC in it. (Lame example I know...maybe a house?) And the PC is tied into every aspect of the car. Everyone knows computers become outdated very quickly. Knowing this, would you still buy the car with this outdated equipment? Or would you want the car without it, so you could add your own if you wanted to.

 

I don't care, although what if u add some OEM options like a spoiler and fog lights, does that really make ur resale value a lot better?

 

Not a lot, but slightly. It all depends on how rare those options are, or how rare the car is for that matter, and also how high the demand is for that type of vehicle.

But who adds that stuff for the sake of resale value anyways? Get it cause you like it, want it, and/or need it. If you really cared about resale value, you'd get a Civic.

 

the new g35 has a hard drive based navi with something like 30 gigs of space for music. you put a cd in and it rips the music to the hard drive. also has a compact flash drive to play music from. thus begins the phasing out of cd players.

 

only? so you're recouping 25% of the cost of 3 year old technology? sounds pretty good to me.

 

ABS has changed over the years on got smarter. CD players play MP3s now or DVD Audio discs.

navi technology is a computerized map, the only things will change is added features, like real time traffic, and other integrations with the vehicle. there are already many nice integrated features that add value over a non navi model without even using the mapping function of it. a disc of maps and POIs is not difficult for honda to produce and is applicable to all of their 2006 vehicles with navi's. that includes the mdx, the civic, the accord, the tsx, the tl. i think the RL might be a different disc, but might be the same. the new RDX has navi. anyways, you get the point, plenty of market for honda to sell $200 discs at like 1,000% profit.

 

so you basically take a $1,400 hit in 24 months on the navi, then it tapes off to low depreciation. so if i bought an aftermarket navi that was good i'd be spending around $750, because i've used the cheaper ones and the suck. so i lose around $800 by purchasing the integrated navi (not including the benefits of integration and the 9 inch screen that even my friend with navi in his mdx is jealous of.)

 

you can still add to a car with navi, and utilize the existing integration of the navi already installed..

 

I'd rather have an older Navi that's built in than a newer one with a little screen and a mess of cords.

 

HOW?

 

Actually, the reason I chose not go get a navi was due to resale value down the road. Look online at pics of cars with navis that are in the early 2000...they look like atari 2600 vs ps3.

I truly believe that you are better off not getting navi and then putting in one of the aftermarket ones two years before selling it. Functions that the navi does not have, people will want and be able to obtain soon, for example syncing your palm to your calendar on the navi things like that. I am sure alot of people will disagree, and I agree about everything will have navi, but just take a look at cars a couple years older and look at the differences in the appearance of the navis.

 

TSX's navi is one of the bests, no navi can let you do

"play CD 5"

and it'll play CD 5 for you...

I wish i got navi =(

 

I think you'r looking at it a bit wrong. I don't ever see the navi causing it to lose value vs a non navi. Remove the navigation use of it, and it still is a great user interface for the functions of the car.

think of it this way, if you bought an external navi now, would it hold its value any better? no, so why think of an integrated navi any differently? You wouldn't buy an external navi to add value to your car, you do it b/c you want it. In the same way, you shouldn't decide for or against the integrated navi on how well it will hold its value, but on whether you want it or not.

by your logic no one should buy a computer ever because in 6 months its resale value will be almost 50% of its purchase price. oh no!

 

that will be the case with any technology in used cars though. it all changes. people who are shopping for used cars don't care about the latest technology generally. the navi won't hurt the resale value. by the time you're selling it for it to be archaic, you've gotten you're money out of the car anyways.

 

11 months later, I still don't get this argument. I didn't buy my car for the next guy, I bought it for me! And I know that I wanted a navi (and a very nice one at that!) in a car that I'm likely to keep for years.

To hell with the next guy and what the thinks my car is worth! If you are factoring in your accessory choice based on residual value, I hate to think how you pick your women.

 

I really don't think that people shopping for 5 year old used cars do that much scrutiny of individual options on a car.

As has been discussed, the Navi's depreciation will probably occur at a different (and maybe faster) rate then the rest of the car. That doesn't mean that in 2011, someone looking at a 5 year old TSX/Navi won't buy it at fair market value, because new cars have a better Navi system.

What I mean by fair market value is a higher price for an identical car w/o Navi. Will it be $2000 more? Of course not.

If you're afraid that what your investment for a Navi system will be in 5 years doesn't offset the value of being able to use it for those 5 years, then by all means, don't get it.

Frankly, I've never even considered what might attact a prospective buyer of my car 5 years from now.

 

i agree with this guy.

 

Uhoh, someone better tell all the aftermarket GPS manufacturers that their time is running out...

 

This is why you don't buy a car with navi, a fridge with wifi, a tv with a DVD player built in, etc. - if you are keeping the item for a long time and don't want to muck about with trying to custom upgrade them.

Never had navi, never wanted it, never needed it and was somewhat concerned about how cheesy and archaic it'd look 10 years after buying my '04 TSX.

 

a lot more than the Navi will look archaic 10 years after buying your '04 TSX. doesn't mean it negatively affects the resale value