is the v1 worth it? and how much does it cost?

 

I followed the board here for a long time, and then looked at other boards. The V1 (with remote display) was my choice (and cost was no object).

Cost -- about $400 for the unit and around $70 for the remote. (I'm having the unit 'hard wired" tomorrow with the remote located on the steering column.)

There may be a unit with one or more specs that are better, but when I see so many features that are top notch -- I have no regrets buying one of the most expensive units.

It is worth it to me!

 

2001 Chevy Corvette Z06: $50,000
V1 w/ remote: $470
insurance w/ zero pts: $2000/year
Smiling at unmarked Z28 chase car on side of I-85 ???? :p :p :p

Love mine!

 

Absolutely NOT the V1 sucks!!--PUhhleeze read the last 10,000 posts regarding this topic as it has been beaten to death (twice in last 3 days if I'm not mistaken)

 

I would say it depends on what kind of driving you do. The V1 really shines on the highway, where you'll find a cop with plenty of time. Unfortunately, I think it's too sensitive for use in the city, which is primarily where I do my driving. Every 10 seconds or so I'd drive past a store with an automatic door opener and it'd go off as an x-band or k-band falsie. I live near a college campus with three different hospitals, sometimes driving around that shit there would be 9 bogeys on the counter even in full-logic mode (which I *always* kept it in). I thought about just turning off X-band radar, but a lot of the falsies seemed to be in K-band too. I would end up ignoring it (How am I supposed to know if it's a cop or a door? the signal is just as strong...) or turning it off, so what's the point.

I also got a ticket (laser) within a couple days of buying it. The V1 detected when I got hit, but that's about all you can do with laser.

The other problem I ran into was that all of the construction signs have a fake radar emitter on them (atleast here in Ohio they do) to trick you into thinking there is a cop in the area. So, in areas filled with construction (like 71 between Cleveland and Columbus) it would be going off all the time too. This is where the bogey counter was handy - I knew where all the signs were, if there was a cop in the area the counter would be 2 and I'd know to slow down.

So, essentially, it was useful on highways with little construction. A lot of cops these days use laser or instant-on radar, which makes it difficult to detect in time. I would ask around and see what is in use in your area. I ended up returning it during the first 30 days and got my money back no questions asked. I was toying with the idea of getting one for months, I'm glad I got one and tried it out myself for a while so I could put that question to rest. -D

[ 07-10-2001: Message edited by: exxxciteCL ]

 

V1 = $399
Concealed Display = $39
Overnight Shipping = $16

 

I'm very happy with mine. It does go off around automatic doors, but all of the good ones do. Once you know where to expect it to go off, and you know how many fixed "bogeys" are located in those areas, you'll have no problem figuring out which alarms are those doors and which alarms are real threats.

Of course, it depends on the type of driving you do. If all you do is drive through downtown, a radar detector isn't going to help much. If you do a lot of open road, uncongested area, or expressway driving, it can be your best friend.