I am in the market for an in-dash dvd/nav unit and I am having trouble finding a reputable seller that is not overpriced, and I am having trouble deciding what brand of unit to go with. I am new to this type of mod so try and bare with me. I have searched on here and seems that no matter what brand someone likes there is always a couple of people that have had, or know someone that has had a problem with that type of unit. I am looking for an in-dash dvd/navi unit with a backup cam. I know that the sky is probably the limit with this stuff but I just want something that is going to last and is fairly easy to use and wont break the bank. I would also like to know is where you guys are getting your stuff from, local, online, big retailers? Thats probably alot of questions but I figured I would ask the knowledgable guys on here.

 

Stick with Eclipse, Kenwood, or Pioneer. Alpine has some options as well but from what I've seen they tend to be a bit pricier.

I'm partial to Eclipse myself but I've seen some cool Kenwoods.

 

Anthony:

First, I'd like to echo Dave's comments. Pioneer, Eclipse and Kenwood make GREAT units.. Those guys are great. In order to narrow down the headunt you want, you need to know what you are looking for...

Use crutchfield.com to narrow down your selections. Then check with our sponsors here.... Try KCAutosounds first.. The guy is a stand up guy with hundreds of satisfied customers here on the site. He'll go the extra mile for you.

I bought my complete system from Crutchfield because I had ALOT of merchandise and referral credit through a business account aquaintance of my uncles. But Crutchfield is a bit overpriced on some itms.

 

Crutchfield is sometimes overpriced, but their customer service and support is second to none. If you are doing your own install as an ameuture, like me, that support was a lot of help.

HYPO

 

Travis (KCAutosound.com) has been my only retailer to turn to for years. Every vehicle I own, my neighbors, co-workers, friends and family have product from him. I think I've installed nearly 30+ alarms from him. He's made an installer out of me...lol He'll take care of you.

As for units it's getting really tough. The year has brought some really great units from many manufacturers. I'm a Kenwood man. I sold my Pioneer Z1 last year to my neighbor and replaced it with a Kenwood DDX8019 with the nav add-on and have loved it. Liked it so much that I put a DNX7100 system in my wifes truck after getting tired of her crying "You always get the cool stuff." I don't understand the people's complaints about the kenwood menus are. I don't see anything wrong with it and for the money you get quite a package of features. KC Autosound said in a earlier posting "You learn what you got" just like your cell phone, home DVR, TV, etc.


I'm really liking JVCs all-in-one unit after talking to Travis but he said it will be a bit before it comes out. I really like the idea of the removable face and the proximity sensor for your hand when it gets near for the buttons to pop up.

Clarion's MAX685BT has always had a nice setup with a very simple design. Not a whole lot of "bling" with thier unit but it get the job done and I understand some people just want a solid no frills get-er-done radio. Travis has multiple pictures of it on his site.

Pioneer's new AVIC-F900BT F-Series DVD/NAV radio will be nice too with the built in bluetooth and voice operation.

 

DirtyDogg named some great units there.. Look into those. I would recommend my Kenwood 8120, but it's still up there in price. There is a cheaper version of that without the bluetooth though.. same looks.. Try Kenwood 7120. Here's the direct link to KCAutosound's 7120 selection

 

i have the eclipse avn 5510 in my expedition. very satisfied. bought it from nothinbutaford on this site, and he installed it as well. i was asatisfied with the price as he incorporated my steering wheel controls and kept my rear oem dvd player active. he can be hard to get a hold of sometimes, but overall, he is very helpful. pm me if you would like his telephone. i also have the eclipse avn 2454 in my wife's focus, though that was done elsewhere due to time restraints. similar unit to mine, buttons just placed differently. feel free to ask me any more questions.

 

You might want to try lookng at the AVN2210p, as it has a removable GPS module (tomtom, IIRC), that way, you have some flexibility, and the price last time I checked was fairly reasonable (Around 5 bennies).

Dave