Xtremespeed2102

title says it all... which do you prefer n why.

if you have any articles or comparison pages please post em!
sorta new to the whole radar thing and i want to buy the right thing first.
i plan to wire it into the car, i was thinking up by the rearview mirror but that is susposed to pick up less signals and i would think would be too much in my field of view, so i assume i would do it lower down...
thanks again

kurt_bradley

V1.

You'll learn to love the arrows almost as much as you love your car going fast. Hardwire it and mount it just below your mirror. I see people with V1s all the time that try to mount them in a concealed manner. This just takes away form the effectiveness of the V1. Why pay $400 if you aren't going to let it do its job?

Xtremespeed2102

well i thought why mount it high when the majority of your body is lower... in jeresey we had front plates...a good place for them to get good reflection off.... now i just assume they use the body

vp911

V1 - I swear by it - once you get the bogey counter and the arrows you will never go back - people say you can live without the arrows - but you will see how handy it really is. If anything, buy the V1 and try it out - if you don't like it - return it. They have a 30 day return policy from what I remember.
www.acurakid.com there are two pages with V1 installation - you can see what I did. (idk what car you have, but if you have the 3G TL you may like the guages installation)... I have updated it since then - so the picutres are old and arn't as good as now. I will post more this weekend.

Xtremespeed2102

hmmm well i have a ssm TSX ..... hmm im not too fond of the 400 price tag tho....

vp911

its worth the 400. trust me.

Xtremespeed2102

any place cheaper??? lol budget isnt that wide.... ermmm

vp911

no. check on ebay you are going to get an older versionf or 350+
i have at times seen a used on sell for 395 - at that point its worth the extra $5 to buy a new one...obviously. I say save up money if its going to be hard - and buy it when you can... you get what you pay for. now this isnt to say the passport is bad - ive heard all excellent things about it - and i am sure it can be had for $270 on ebay. BUT, i will NEVER buy anything but V1 again.

Xtremespeed2102

hmmm, cuz that would mean id hafta wait until i got my new job... and well i want instant gratification

vp911

resist the urge.

Xtremespeed2102

bah easier said than done... i mean how much different are the differnce b.w V1 and passport... assuming idc about the arrows all that much... cuz the cops really arent THAT bad, they just like to hide ahead of me so i basically know where they are, i just want that extra protection... sorta like the whole vaccine idea or condom idea

vp911

i know easier said than done. but worth it. trust me. i have had a 2.5 mile warning of a cop with the V1... i cant say about the passport because i havnt used that particular model. but my vote goes for V1. do a search, you will find lots of people who support both. if money is a big problem, then the passport is going to be your choice - but i say save for it and get the V1 - it will serve you well for years to come.

Xtremespeed2102

hmmm well i mean the money isnt really an issue, just the fact that its going to be hard to justify the 400 price tag when something comprible is a few hundred cheaper.... i mean i know in a few years im gunna wind up getting something new, depending on how this one goes...

actually are you able to ubgrade the firmware in the V1? im pretty sure the passport can

vp911

there is no few hundred cheaper for the 8500... its cheaper yes, but not a few hundred...its not in the 100 range.

yes you can upgrade the firmware for the v1 - but it costs a lot to upgrade - sell your old one on ebay (high resale value as you can tell) and buy a new one...you end up spending 30-50 for a new one.

Tsx536

Buy the Valentine 1.

Can't beat the arrows, and it will pay for itself over time with the money you will save on insurance, from not getting tickets.

CLpower

I've used both side by side in a 1000 mile road trip. There is a reason I still have the V1

missmyprelude

I thought the same thing back in 97 when I bought mine. 8 years later with no tickets, it seems I made the right choice. I had 4-5 tickets within about a 5 year stretch before I got the V1. The kicker is that I was driving slower. less sporty cars then too.

Did I mention that I've had mine for 8 years already? Yes, the design is smaller now, and there have been increased filtering of so-called "false" alarms, but it works as well as it did 8 years ago. Plus, I like hearing all the radar chatter - I keep it on "All Bogeys" all the time.
Yes, but it's so good already, that there's really no reason to. Did I mention that I still have my 8 year old V1?

vp911

i think missmyprelude made your decision easier

Teh Snaps

took the words right out of my mouth

Tsx536

I'm thinking about mounting mine in the middle of my rear windshield. I have my windows tinted 15% and I'm thinking if I put there, I won't have to worry about hiding it and/or keeping it from the sun.

What do you guys think?
Has anyone done it before?
You guys see any pros or cons?

NiteQwill

V1....

I lived for a year with an Escort... Trust me and everyone else that swears by it, you won't regret the choice.

vp911

huh.... the rear window? Why would you mount it there... just curious?

klepto

i have the v1 and love it

CLpower

why would you need to hide it, and it can stay in the sun. I have mine in the top left corner

NOVAwhiteTypeS

this has been beated to death.

v1. this is coming from a former 8500 owner of 2 years

bigwilliestyle

I always wondered that about radar detectors...

My old K40 I use to keep on the windshield all the time. I swear it cooked in the sun. It still worked, but definitely lost some of its effectiveness over time.

I really have no idea, but they are electronics. Is it ok for them to bake in the sun all the time?

(sorry to go on a slight tangent... since there's so many threads about the v1 vs. passport, I figure no big deal)