Admiral8

How many Canadian Rx-8 owners have the Nav System?

How do you feel about it? Was it worth the price?

mechi

hmm didn't get it.. heard it was slow..

CrackerJax

The NAV is really a $4000 option (if you didn't originally opt for moon roof)... but in hindsight, I'm kicking myself for not getting it, since everyone else has got one. I only use my car to drive to and from work... but every new car any of my friends have bought since I got my car, has got an onboard navs... I feel so ghetto. And it's not like it's something you can change your mind and add after either... or can YOU??. The truth is... even if i had it, I probably wouldn't get much use out of it... but it's the novelty of it all.

devoid

Does it say 'aye' after every direction? :D JK!

TY_888

It really depends if you are always on the road to meet customer, then it will be great. If you only drive the car 365 days from point a to b then it is a waste. For extra 4 grand, I will probably invest for mazdaspeed kit. I have 3 cars at home, if I really need one (for my wife), I would get the portable one which is as good for 1/3 of the price.

MyRxBad

iTrader: (1)

$3000 for a non portable navigation system isn't worth it to me...
I spent $100 on a ubs GPS sensor for my laptop and use Mappoint.

Worked great on my trip to Nfld, and my recent trip to California.
Heck if you have a decent PDA, then get a CF GPS for it. It's way cheaper.

rotten42

I'm with you on that one.....I couldn't justify the inflated cost for the in dash GPS....If I need one, I'll go get a portable one that I can take between both my vehicles.

hobbes

Like most of said, go portable. At least you can take it with you on vacation when you rent a car or something. $4000...think of what you could do with that. If you want to put something there, check out the Mazda Japan site, there are so many goodies there, it ain't funny.
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FORD CONTOUR

Smoker

The only problem is, once you've driven in one with the NAV and get to play around with it for a few minutes, you WILL want to have one !!!

phrozenhandlez

really worth it... got mine and has helped a lot. Also, getting Aftermarket it never clean for NAV, im glad i got NAV when i first got the car. I've had it for about 3-4 months ago, and i still play around with it.

CrackerJax

I was wondering why I didn't get the nav in the first place... but a couple of the alternatives for portable auto GPS's that I've seen are the PalmOne Tungsten T series, or Compaq iPaq handheld. At least it's practical when it's not being used in the car. Anybody have one of either the Tungsten or iPaq with a GPS kit?

bean438

Definately not worth it for me. Maps are very cheap. Actually they are free from most autoclubs (C.A.A. etc).
My friends has nav in his car and I find it annoying, and possibly distracting like cell phones.
You really should know where you are going before you start driving.
The only value might be braggin rights "look what I got".
But I could think of better ways to spend my money.

TY_888

May I suggest any one in GTA / Vancouver can organize a group buy for protable GPS. I believe there are more sources in GTA or Vancouver.

The new Garmin Quest is $699 can. advertised, looks pretty good...

hobbes

Sounds like a good idea, but there are so many options, plus people like myself have a iPaq would want the attachment instead. Perhaps posting a thread and see what people think.

An other reason not to get NAV for the 8, it's not tounch screen, joystick and mouse...not impressive...funniest thing, it didn't even have my street on the map, all the other streets in my 4+ year old neigbourhood, but not mine. That was the end of that salespitch, I felt sorry for the salesguy, but them the brakes.
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Vmx1200

ZoomZoom

Quote:

Originally Posted by mechi

hmm didn't get it.. heard it was slow..

The NAV is defiantly not slow. It calculates and recalculates routes very quickly, especially compared to other built-in and portable units that I have used and seen.


The comment about once you try it out you will love it is absolutely true, there are may comments on this site about people kicking themselves because they did not get it after they tried it. I strongly suggest you try to find someone who already has it and try it for yourself.


You will have to judge for yourself as to whether it is worth to you, I just cannot imagine not having mine.

TY_888

YOU ARE DRIVING TOO SLOW - and the nav beats you (hehe) ...

I am sure the original Nav is a very good system. For most of us did not order one because it is costly. The key is it worth the money? Is like GS cloth vs GT leather + extra?

As you see, every one looking for good discount on the 8. If anyone can effort extra 4K why bitching they could not even get 1k off the MSRP. But if the car in dealer lot equipped with the NAV and that is only one available, could end up having one.

I used Hertz rental Neverlost system for a year while working in TO. I used the unit probably only 3 to 4 times for the >52 weeks because highway (DVP/401) closed for construction after 10 pm. I have to take other streets from downtown to my hotel. It is very helpful. I swear I do not need the GPS every time get in the car.

ZoomZoom

Quote:

Originally Posted by TY_888

YOU ARE DRIVING TOO SLOW - and the nav beats you (hehe) ...

I am not quite sure what you mean here. I don't use my CD, radio, heater, air conditioner and sunroof every time I get the car but that does not mean that I would want to go without these accessories.

DG1

First post- just found this site- lots of great info! I have a silver 04 with Nav. Love the car but would not recommend the Nav. The software is really weak for Canada at this time. No Atlantic provinces ( and one reason that I wanted it was for a tour out to Cape Bretton)!Worse yet, we were driving from Toronto to Ottawa- turned north at Napanee to Renfrew to Ottawa (great road) and, again, no Navi data once we were half way up this road! Apparently Navtec is updating this software and the revision will be available for a fee but who knows when or how complete the revision will be. Slik unit but if I knew then what I know now I would not have purchased it.

TODreamer

If you can get a portable one thats just as effective for under a grand... the cost of built in NAV should not be this high at all.

wake up guys... you're paying a huge premium for a novelty... nothing else. thats prolly where the dearler makes a crap load of cash off you. Auto-NAV prices will drop significantly in the near future after the initial hype wears off... watch

Battousai

Can't comment on the RX8's nav sys since I haven't got one yet, however I do have the HP iPaq navigation software and GPS unit for my iPaq, it is helpfull sometimes, like my trip to Ottawa was made a lot easier with it, but if you're going to cottage country or do a lot of travelling in the backroads it really doesn't have a lot of info on some of those roads.

Like driving arround in the Muskoka area in Ontario it has the major highways but not a lot of the smaller roads, and the ones it did have were not acurate it showed me off the road by like 500 m in some cases

In the city I know my way arround anyway so hardly have to use it.

So unless the RX8 nav system covers more backroads and out of the way places, other than for the coolness factor I can't see myself needing it since I already have my iPaq nav system.