Best Radar Detector & GPS Navi?

[97C28O]

I'm looking into getting a GPS Navi and a Radar Detector. My budget is $300 or less for each of those items.

For the GPS Navi I was considering a TomTom One becuase my friend has one and I like how it works.

Radar Detectors, I don't know much. I'm looking into this because I just moved to San Jose, and I commute back occasionally and when the freeways are empty, I tend to go faster than the limit. (55mph and 65mph in some areas). I would like to get one for safety. And no, I don't speed like crazy. I usually go 80-90 when the road is empty, other than that, around the 70s. A friend of my got caught speeding at 90+ on the 280NB but the cop wrote him up for 75mphs. So this made me get one.

So what do you guys recommend me to get?

[kameraguy]

Well,

As far as Radar detectors, no point in saving money here if what you get won't do the job well. Spend an extra hundred to get a Valentine One. It's arguably the best there is for less than a grand. I have one and several of my friends have bought one after seeing mine in action and they are always amazed at how much more information they got from it than other detectors.

Funny thing is, I used to speed a lot without it. But now that i can see how many speed traps and pacing CHP there is...I prefer not to speed anymore. It's changed my driving habits for the better.

[97C28O]

Yea, everyone talks about the V1, but it's pretty costly. Is used ones worth buying?

I know what mean about speeding less with the radar. A friend of mine had a Cobra something... and in SF theres few spots that it always goes off and it makes him even more scared to drive in SF, lol.

[Logic]

i personally like the escort 9500.... it does it all and has this new feature that communicates with satillite and also allow you to set it in a area and hold in memory for frequent areas where those sneaky police hide....i personally have the 8500b (with blue lights) currently but will be selling it to get the new 9500 any one interested in my older one i may be selling it. i paid about 250.00 a year ago might take any reasonable offers

[xvvvz]

Paraphrasing on the old Mercedes saying, "a cheap radar detector will be the most expensive radar detector you can buy if it doesn't work well enough."

[kameraguy]

Originally posted by 97C28O
Yea, everyone talks about the V1, but it's pretty costly. Is used ones worth buying?


Unfortunately used V1s typically get up there in price. Maybe you'll save $50, maybe a bit more.

It's ok I guess if you don't wish to upgrade it later, or buy any accessories from the factory. They're pretty hardcore about not supporting 2nd-owner detectors. If the unit wasn't originally purchased by you, they won't sell you anything.

I'd recommend saving to get a new one from the factory. Less hassle and full warranty/factory support.

[RemoLexi]

I got a cheap $40 walmart radar that came with my car, I gotta say ... during daily driving I dont even hear that thing I mean its useless. then agian Im driving in areas that arent infested with the police, speed traps and other hassles.

altough, when im speeding in the freeway - im 75% dependant on this radar and it owns my balls forsure! on long road trips to the bay and my most recent one to Orange County, after a new tire purchse altering the sizes my cruise control ONLY works at 100MPH or over, so it was set to 130mph for about 2/3's of my 500mile trip and I made it home a happy camper! :)

so, with all said just think if you really need to protect yourself due to a copped' up area you live in, then pay up for a V1 if your just wanting one for the heck of having one, Walmart has the special! ;)

... and as far as Navi goes ... id go for an OEM setup really clean .

[kameraguy]

btw- gotta be careful at any speed. Not just the higher speeds. If you're over any speed limit and the police officer feels like pulling you over, they probably will.

For example, my very first morning when i had the V1, I was commuting to work in my suburbs. Speed limit was 35mph for a particular stretch. When we got to that section, my V1 started to go off with laser, dead ahead. I was going about 37mph so i tapered off to 35 while the other cars next to me kept on going...probably about 40mph.

About 2/3 of a mile down the road, a police officer moves out of the bushes and flags the other cars down, while I kept on going.

Granted this is in San Jose. Not sure how picky the police are elsewhere.

Another time, I was on 237 near Santa Clara and for the longest time I was getting hit from the rear with a single faint blip of radar for like four miles. It was annoying at first, but there was a pattern to it. It sometimes was a faint hit...then would become stronger....then fainter again. I checked my speed and wasn't more than 70mph...but I dropped down to 65mph to be safe.

The V1 was telling me rear all this time...but I couldn't see anyone behind me that looked like a CHP car. At least this was true until a few minutes later.

Eventually i see a black CHP car slowly weaving in between cars...gradually catching up to my group. Each time the V1 was getting stronger until finally the squad car passed me and kept on going.

It was cool to see just how long of a warning I had, let alone seeing the arrows change from rear, to sideways when he passed me, to eventually forwards. It was nice to not only have a radar detector, but one which told you which direction you were getting hit.

Another scenario is when I encounter a CHP officer who might be pacing on the opposite side of the freeway. With the V1, I can be prepared to look ahead and be cautious...but once the CHP passes me the V1 indicates sideways and then rear....which helps me check for the opposite dirction or shoulders for a passed speed trap or CHP.

I know this feature is hyped about the V1, but after using it I can honestly say it makes a heap of difference in helping understand where the trap may be. I don't see how this knowledge would be possible with any other detector.

Highly worth the money IMHO.

[97C28O]

kameraguy, are you from San Jose? I recently moved down there for SJSU. Can you tell me about how the cops are down there? Do they pull you over for tints, stuff like that? On Thursday night i drove to Downtown by SJSU to check out the night life there and I see many clubs and people but LOTS of cop VANS that drove around the same area multiple times. I had my windows down cause that night was HOT!!

Also, its legal to have a Radar Detector in CA right? What if a cops see's it in your car?

[RemoLexi]

kameraguy: I never knew the V1 can do that! maybe ill upgrade to one of those in the future, right now im just taking it easy on the pedal.

as far as legal or illegal, well ive gotton pulled over a few times (cruising in prohibited zones) and not one officer said anything about it, although the last one was prick enough to tell me I stopped in the "No stopping zone" I said "WTF your ass pulled me over here"!!! anyway, no citations. guess a Benz slammed on 19"s rolling down the street at 11pm looks like "Cruising" hell no racing I can understand, no cruising ? whats next a tax on breathing ? :rolleyes:

[kameraguy]

I am in the South Bay area so i drive around SJ very often.

I personally don't have much experience with the police with my current car probably because it's pretty plain jane....no tint, not too low, nothing that really draws attention to it.

Only thing that could be a problem on my car (technically should be illegal) is I don't have a front plate. I see tons of people with out them too. But so far no problems.

But back when i was a student at SJSU, I had a front euro plate on my then Audi 4000s and I got pulled over on Santa Clara street. But that was back in the mid-90's. I try to avoid downtown SJ during the evenings, especially when there's a sporting event at the HP Pavillion. Lot's of police around so if your car does look interesting, they might be bored enough to pull you over to get a closer look.

My friend has stock-looking Acura Integra (it's a 1990) but the only thing he has is a somewhat loud exhaust. When we were drivig to dinner, a police officer pulled us over in San jose simply because his exhaust sounded loud. The officer didn't even have a DB meter, but proceeded to search his engine for mods. Crazy. Must have been a SLOW night for the police.

My friend who has a souped up WRX gets pulled over often, but then again his car is obviously modified.

I suppose police in SJ really are intent on cracking down on illegally modified cars :/

But despite this, it seems Palo Alto is worse. My friend got a fix-it ticket for his front euro plate there. They'd probably go ape-wild over anything further than that.


AFAIK, it's legal to have a radar detector in CA. Jammers are illegal though.

I have mine in plain sight on my front windshield and police have been behind me or next to me and haven't had a problem with it.

[kameraguy]

Originally posted by RemoLexi
kameraguy: I never knew the V1 can do that! maybe ill upgrade to one of those in the future, right now im just taking it easy on the pedal.


Yes. It's pretty slick with what it can do, yet it's not a christmas tree either. Just a few simple arrows and few other lights...all in red. Pretty clean and discreet. Works even better with a remote display so you can keep people behind you at night literally in the dark that you have a detector:

http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/5301/crw0034czf0.jpg


http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/5241/crw0030ckv6.jpg

It's the only detector that does this, which is a main reason why it's pretty popular.

[97C28O]

Maybe I should just hold on the radar. I just bought a TomTom One on Amazon for 200$.

I maybe looking into the V1.

kameraguy, do you know if SJSU have an photography classes? I'm pretty interested in taking some. Pretty cool to see few SJSU people on this forum. I hope to see you guys on the road! Watch out for me too! Check my gallery to see how my car looks! :D

Hmmm looking at your pics kameraguy, I saw a silver 202 in valley fair last week. Could that happen to be you?

[kameraguy]

Yup, SJSU has a photo department. I actually got my photojournalism degree at SJSU, which the program ws right up there with Western Kentucky and Brooks.

I also took fine art photography classes there as well. One of my teachers (now retired) did an ad campaign for Mercedes Benz and had his images on display in the HQ in Germany. He was my favorite teacher. But that was 10 years ago when things were film-based.

Upon speaking to some people who go there now....it's even better with the digital classes now available :)


I wasn't at valley fair last week. But you'll know it's my car if it has an HWA decal on the rear trunk-lid :)

[VIP_MBZ]

I guess I take it for granted that since Los Angeles is the birthplace of the "tuner" crowd (referring specifically to exterior modification trends), you almost never get a cop pulling you over for being modified. In the city at least, you can't go even one block without seeing illegal tint, illegal exhaust, illegal HID retrofit, no front plate, as well as people speeding, cutting each other off, unsafe lane changes, running red lights, etc. LAPD really has much better things to do than pull people over for the usual LA automotive shenanigans. Parking enforcement, on the other hand don't mess around. They will not hesitate to tow your Rolls Royce Phantom for parking in the wrong place.

-Ray

[benzo23]

ok forget about the cobra idea, they just suck..i have an escort solo s2...completely wireless, and have it hooked up to my sun visor behind my tint strip, now before i hear any comments about it being behind the strip let me add that it is non metalized film, so its no different than being out in front of normal glass...and with gps, i;d suggest either a garmin, or magellin...tom tom is good i guess, but i have never personally used 1...

[Logic]

as far as radars go would you be looking for something that has a shifter in it for laser? if so escort makes a good one . the model number is the PASSPORT SRX. it has all bands of protection plus laser shifting, voice alerts. it does require professional install and can be about 1500.00 :confused: since i work for a place that sells them i can get one one for about 425.00 (for my self...one purchase a year via accommandation)....the benefits of working here hehehehe but most cops here on bikes use that laser so i find that to be beneficial in alot of cases.

[97C28O]

A friend of mine over Labor Day weekend got a 50$ Radar from Target to check it out. He said it would detect cops and most of the time it wasn't false readings. Then on Labor Day he was on the 101 heading South from SF and the radar goes off beeping crazy so he slows down and right when he let go of the gas, a cop was on his ass pulling him over. It was a motorcycle cop. My friend got mad at the damn machine because it was too slow. My friend got written doing 78 in a 65 zone. My friend swore he was only doing 70-75 but he didn't ask the cop for the clocked reading on how fast he was going. Does it make a difference when the cop says He SAW you going xx much and He CLOCKED you going xx much?

[Logic]

radar detectors help but wont guarentee you not a speeding ticket...if your going say 85 down the high way and your radar detector is going off , its already too late since the cop is about maybe 2 to 3 hundred feet from you. as far as the cop saying he saw you going , they should have so kind of proof .any time a cop says you were doing a certain speed he should be able to back it up with the gun they used . if he didn't have any proof i would have had the cop sign something saying he estimated the call or something becasue that wouldn't hold up in court.

[lamf]

I got the escort solo too. have it above my rearview mirror. love how its cordless i hate having wires making the interior look cheap like my old cobra that only detected a CVS.
i got a garmin GPS. Easy to use and has saved my ass countless times but around town the satellite reception can be unrealiable but i know the town over. I also love the search features

[VIP_MBZ]

Originally posted by 97C28O
A friend of mine over Labor Day weekend got a 50$ Radar from Target to check it out. He said it would detect cops and most of the time it wasn't false readings. Then on Labor Day he was on the 101 heading South from SF and the radar goes off beeping crazy so he slows down and right when he let go of the gas, a cop was on his ass pulling him over. It was a motorcycle cop. My friend got mad at the damn machine because it was too slow. My friend got written doing 78 in a 65 zone. My friend swore he was only doing 70-75 but he didn't ask the cop for the clocked reading on how fast he was going. Does it make a difference when the cop says He SAW you going xx much and He CLOCKED you going xx much?

I've always had the suspicion that since cops can detect whether you have a radar detector, that even though they are legal for use in California, they are biased to pulling you over.

I have a feeling that on the 101 by SF you wouldn't normally get pulled over for doing 78 in a 65.

-Ray

[97C28O]

A friend of mine gave me a Whistler XTR 550. I looked this up online and I haven't found anything on it. My friend got it from Costco and he said it sells for 90$.