TL_Peter

getting a tl soon dont know wither to get the naigation or not, i hear mosts cars navigations arent worth crap. just would like to get your opinion

r10apple

I kept the 2 g's and bought a road Atlas for $12.95 that stays in the car and before trips to a drawn out spot, use Mapquest for free. Beyond that, with upgraded software, the navi works very well...

SlyTLS

I love mine...can't imagine not having it. Yeah sometimes it's not the best route or it acts weird but it's come in handy so many times.

Bxscig

I saved the 2k myself and used my laptop as a GPS when I go on road trips usually + a $10 map. I rather spend that money on the body kit

GoldieAlek

I didn’t think i would use mine.....but i do at least one a week.
1) LOOKS PHAT!!!!!
2) use all time!!!!!
3)if you don’t get that might as well get older accord....(IMO)
4) you car will also worth more that one without it!!!!
5) I didn’t want people to come up to me and go" does it have navi?.... nah....oh that sucks....

so I say get it....and don’t listen to NO says ....listen to people who has is....cause everyone else are jealous that they don’t have it.

mentl

Seriously, this is a VFAQ. In fact, it may be the single most often asked question.

Do a search. You will learn:

A) People who have it love it. They would not want to be without it and frequently say they will never buy another car without it.

B) People who don't have it say "it's a waste of money."

I am in the "A" category.

PANTHER

I use mine everyday. All the time, for little **** like finding a post office or an office depot or a mail boxes etc..avoiding 411 cell phone charges by looking up restaraunt's number....when i go down to charlotte or other bigger cities it's indispensable...The dash looks 100x better with the navigation screen...yer already paying a ****load for the car, why not 2k more? The new Alpine DVD update is gonna have a ton more streets on it too. And if you look through this board, you can find the black box mod to put convert video signals to it.....again the dash looks plain silly without it....

-carlos

2002 SSM TL-S w/Navi

fasTLane

When the software is upgraded (soon? ) it will be fantastic for those who have navi and too bad for those who do not...
Right now, I want the latest up-to-date coverage to confirm my appreciation for this technology.

NYDesi80

I would never buy another car without it. And plus, do you really wanna take the car home and keep saying to yourself, dam I should've bought the Navi?? Why not just buy it and if you really dont like it then atleast you know for your next car. But I can almost guarantee it, once you have navi, you will never buy another car without it. It has saved my ass so many times!! In traffic, re-routing you, makes sure you get to your destination on time or .. less late. IMO defenitely worth it!!

NYDesi80

Oh one more thing, the Navi also adds the final touch to the luxary feel of the car. Makes the car look like its worth more, thas just my opinon though.

fasTLane

Absolutely!

Mr Zipps

I'm kicking myself in the ass for not getting the Navi..... If I were to do it again I would of gotten..

Just get it...

drcookie

I have the navi and love it. I sometime use it during the commute just to see if I could take different route when I got stuck in a traffic. Besides, it also brings the luxury of the car up a level higher.

Just my $0.02

doopstr

If you are getting a used TL, look for one with a NAVI. The markup on used TLs with NAVI is very small. Like $500, if that.

The navi in the second gen TL was the best on the market when it came out. It's only out classed by the next gen Acura Navi. Other companies like Lexus/Nissan have nicer graphics but he Acura one is still the easiest to use and is pretty damn reliable.

garylee55

I had a navi in my TL-S...never needed it as 99% of my driving was to either work or places I normally go to run errands. $2k is a lot to pay for using it that odd 2 or 3 times a year when I actually drive somewhere I am not familiar with.

So, this is waht I learned from using the Navi in my TL-S and in other cars I have rented when I've flown to cities I was NOT familiar with:

I would plug in my destinations and go, but I found that once the Navi led me there, it had to lead me there every time because I relied on looking at the Navi screen and not native landmarks, so I never saw my surroundings as I made my way to my destination, and thus never learned the way.

Next, many times I would be driving 65-75 miles an hour on Interstates that wind through a city. The GPS could not keep up with me and the voice would say 'turn right at the exit' and I would be driving by it. This happened repeadedly. On a couple of occasions the re-routing screwed up because surrounding smaller roads were not in the system.

Finally, as one poster said, you really do not get your money back for the Navi, so I agree that getting a map is the next best thing. At least I can still 'learn' my way after having figured it out on the map and driving it one time, and then I didn't need the map anymore.

VTEChump

I wish I would have got the NAVI

scottt

Love my Navi + Onstar

The Acclude

I just bought my 02 TLS w/ navi. I made a few posts getting the same responses. Basically, I Love it and would definately recommend buying one as I test drove one w/o it, and with is SO much nicer. On the drive back from houston, my mom & aunt missed a turn while I was guided the whole way home w/o the lame use of maps or any other "cheap" ideas given. Also mentioned that the update will provide even MORE coverage, and I have received NOTHING BUT compliments on it as well for a slight ego boost I also can't wait to get the NAVI->DVD/TV conversion in the near future

example, never been to a friends new house. I say " whats your address" he gives it to me, and 20 min later I'm @ the party this past saturday.


So from someone who was in your shoes 2 weeks ago, DEFINATELY, DEFINATELY, get navigation.

fasTLane

Just had picked up our new 02 Acura in a neighboring state. Went by the coast to spend the night before returning home next day. Area we were in happened to be in the coverage area but completely new to us. Pulled into a parking lot after we decided we were hungry for Mexican. Punched up Mexican restaurants sorted by distance to travel and were led to the nearest one about 3 blocks over. It was like wham, bam...food was good.

LatinSmoke 01CL

I have Navi in my new TL-S and had it in my CL. I simply love it.

songoku

PANTHER

I think the Alpine DVD update is finally out. It's taken a while and is a $150 disc, but well worth it. I've been calling the Alpine/Acura line every few months to keep track of it...the number is deep in the myacura part of the acura.com site....the lastest-up2date technology is out and covered...

r10apple

Sort of. You can find this in the KBB, NADA, etc. that shows you the ratio of the new car price vs. used car value with the $2k option simply isn't there. Additionally, the ALG residual was higher on non-navi TL models...So, the return for spending the extra $2k doesn't make sense, but yes, a TL-S with navi is $480 more used than without it...

And I hate to say this, but, um, I agree with garylee...

Lame use of maps? Did we get shunned as a Cubscout and not get a merit badge? Sometimes, technology makes us say stupid things. You know, and there are umpteen examples of this, if the navi software is entirely up to date--especially in new construction areas, it could be wrong and then what? You'll either have to read a map, or, at the true heart of the issue "ego", you'll have to tone down that testosterone and actually ask the person at the gas station where you should be going since our map skills or poor. As lame as that would be, mom and aunt woulda either read that map or asked sooner and beat you to Houston!

nuclear Fishin

I know there are many of you techies that feel NAVI is a must have. But do some of you hear yourselves...."it's not a luxery car without it", or "you might as well buy an accord." That's like saying you want to buy a house because it has a basketball hoop in the driveway. Yes it's a neat gadget, but the TL is a great car with or without it. As far as resale value for the car goes, you might get an extra $500 bucks someday, but certainly not the $2,000 you paid for it, so you will actually lose about $1,500 more in depreciation than others without it. And finally, how long do most of you keep your cars? I keep mine at least the 5 years until they're paid off. Imagine how outdated your NAVI will be 5 years from now. You'll be lucky if it brings you an extra $500 bucks.

On the flip side of the coin though, I do have a mapping GPS for my boat and I understand why you all like it. But it's not an option that makes or breaks your car or its value. It's a neat toy but I rarely need it to find my fishing spots anymore....

Cheers!

fasTLane

Phat radio? Tape? CD?
Think of the money you could save by just singing to yourself as you drive.

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

Didn't get it on my car, but my dad got it on his '04 XL Denali.

The cool factor is awesome. I love it, but I honestly don't see the need for it on an everyday basis, especially for the 2 grand he spent on it.

I got Mapquest.com and it's more than enough.

BlackShadow

The navi is constantly being updated every year or two.:p

BTW, I also have the navi and I LOVE IT!!!:worship:

Deity42

I feel more manly breaking out my $4 Rand McNalley maps in the dark and finding my way home that way.

Personally, I'm happy because I saved a few bucks and I think the dash looks better without it. Got knobs for the A/C and stuff, which is more important to me I suppose. A navigation system would just be one more thing for my friends to toy around with.

Just my opinion, my $0.02.

bigman

mapquest will not help you find an alternate route if you are lost and reading a map when you just want to get home or wherever is a bitc h. The navi is a button push away from always helping you. It's like this though, the guys that have it will praise it and the guys that dont will hate.

BlackShadow

You are the first and probably the only one that think so.:wow:

IMO, the dash looks 1000000000000000000000000x better with the navi!:worship:

It just looks toooooo plain without the navi.

Allout

We've got a 99 w/o Nav and an '03 TL-S w/ Nav. For us, it's a "Nice to Have" option. There are a lot of more practical ways to spend your money (like buying a Garmin portable that you can take in any car you're in). I have had some delays in the Nav instructions but it seems to happen more in large cities. ( I sometimes wonder if the GPS is less accurate in some areas for Military or Defense purposes.)

If you've got the money, can afford it, and want it - get it.

The biggest benefit for me is driving in new areas is less stressful for me. I don't have to plan my trips out as well and I can be more spontaneous. Mapquest does not allow me the flexability that the Nav does. If I decide to explore, Nav can get me back on track.

On another note, three days after we picked up the '03, we had to drive 500 miles all night to get to my wife's dying father. Having the Nav unit got us there without having to deal with the additional stress of maps and directions. All we had to do is throw a bag in the car and go. We just focused on the driving and the Nav got us there in time. For us, it's already paid off.

garylee55

Navi on a trade-in on an '02 TLS doesn't even bring an extra $400...updated or not.

fasTLane

Wah

nuclear Fishin

There are many things that can cause the GPS to be poor in some areas. I can assure you the military/governement does NOT alter the signal. If you are getting a poor signal in the city, it is most likely due to the terrain/buildings around you causing trouble. That can play a significant role in degrading your systems accuracy. Also, does anybody know if the Acura NAVI makes use of the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS)? That can also be a large factor in accuracy.

There are many factors affecting your system, but something as easy as a couple buildings and a few trees can throw your system WAY off. Remeber the signal you're getting from your GPS is about equivalent to a 10 watt light bulb at 20,000 km away. Solar activity can really throw your system off, however the most likely cause is buildings/terrain. As the signal bounces off the buildings, it degrades your accuracy. As an example, for every few billionths of a second your signal is off, it translates to a couple feet of error. If one of your 4 signals bounces all over the place before hitting your receiver, your position could be off as much as a few hundred feet, and on a highway at 65mph, you could have already missed your exit.

Also, you will always get your best accuracy when you have three satellites spread out evenly just above the horizon, and one directly overhead. If you are receiving all your signals from a group bunched up together in the sky, that will degrade accuracy.

Take a look next time your having trouble and see if any of the above might explain why your getting a poor signal.

Cheers!

BTW, I used to do lots of GPS work/predictions for the government.

`ill*tl

I got Navi and damn glad I got it. Couldn't be more satisfied with it...except for a couple of times where I was going on freeway (straight) and told me I was off-course just because the freeway curved a little from left to right. hehehe....once the update for our Navi's come out...I'll be completely satisfied

dj5

I have to agree that I like the dash better without the navi. To me the dash looks funny with the monitor in the middle.

I agree the Navi would be a nice to have feature but to me it was not worth the extra $2000.

If I want a Navi, I will buy the Garmin IV which can be moved from car to car and it is mine to keep when the car gets traded.

nuclear Fishin

I gotta agree, I think the dash looks better without it. No offense but with the NAVI I think the dash looks a lot like my Ford Taurus.

Deity42

I just like a simplified look to things. With the nav the dash looks crowded and there are too many buttons to get a good glance while trying to watch the road.

Honestly, what I really want is a compass. I see a ton of new (lesser) vehicles with a compass. All the aftermarket ones are completely weird or bulky.

Mr Hyde

If you can afford it, get it. I will never get a car without it now.

I've used it on long interstate trips with company, and when alone. Instead of me stopping, or someone else looking at a map the whole time, I/they could realx and just enjoy the drive.

More than once, I was in a different state, and an exit I needed was closed. No problem for me, Id just keep driving, and let it recalculate.

On drives in areas Im familiar with, I still use it alot. taking a trip into the city (NYC) to some new restaurant, store, club, whatever, that I dont know the exact location of, all I need to do is punch in the phone number, and it pops up.

Stuck in a major traffic jam on a highway, Last week the BQE was a deadstop. I just took the nearest exit and hit detour, and it took me through side roads to the Belt. Id never try that without the Navi, and it no doubt saved me hours for my trip home at 1AM.

I love this thing, and it was worth every penny. Honestly, I dont see how some who have never tried/used it can say its not worth it. How can you judge the value of something you have never used. I use mine all the time, and its proved itself on multiple occasions.

cofidis2

Living in L.A. and all our bad traffic. The Navi has been great when taking those short cuts in unfamiliar territiry. I thought i would never use it when i bought the car. now i use it all the time. Worth the extra $$$.