daveyv

I found a CPO2005 545i with 20K miles, Silver/Auburn, Logic 7, Sport, Cold Weather and Rear Shade. Asking price is $42K. This is almost the exact car I've been looking for, but I would prefer to have NAV.

I have been using a portable Magellan GPS for a while and I think it works fine, but I'm not crazy about having things stuck to the windshield or dash. I don't use GPS very often, however.

Do those of you without NAV wish that you had it? Should I wait for a car that has everything I'm looking for?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Regards to all,
Davey V.

kscarrol

I've had my 545 since Feb 2004, no NAV and don't miss it. Really a judgement call on the type of driving you do. For me, 99.9% local and have never felt a need for it. My wife and I share a Garmin Nuvi for the RARE time we want/need something. Having said that, out of a sense of fair disclouser, I have ordered a new 550 w/ NAV. Really not a sense that I need it but I'm splurging and frankly can afford a few more of the bells and whistles that I passed on with the last E60. If the car has everything else you want and is in good shape I say take it.

Ray Hull

I think you answered your own question: If you have a portable and don't use it very much, then why go for the added expense?

I have BMW Nav III on my K1200GT motorcycle, but that's because I LIKE to get lost on back roads. I don't do that kind of aimless travel in the car, and am not in the real estate or delivery business, so I have never even plugged it into the car (it has a clever beanbag base and speaker etc. for transfer to the car).

If otherwise, the car has what you want, go for it.
Ray

daveyv

I left out an important bit of info: I am very much a 12 Volt electronics buff. I upgrade the audio in most of my cars and years ago I even did a summer internship with Robert Bosch in their Paris Blaupunkt division. We did a test run of their original GPS system which stored data on a cassette tape!

Rudy

Don't forget that on the E60, Nav cars have a completely different computer system running iDrive and other things.

Without Nav, depending on the car's manufacture date you may not be able to have other features like voice command, mp3 playback, etc. (I can't think of all the differences now...someone else may be able to correct me or clarify...)

westcoast550

It was not a must have for me . In fact I can't remember a time I ever wished I had it. Now most/all of my driving is a local issue .... it really depends on your needs. I'm not a gadget guy so it doesnt have the same allure as a quad system or some other things that the other guys might not find important.
I say make sure the basic car is solid, if so , pull the trigger .IMHO

Good Luck

Rudy

To confuse the issue more, I'll just say that I've had nav in cars dating back to around 2000 and for me, it's a must have option. That's not to say you must have it but I figured you should do as much homework on the subject as you can to make a good decision.

When I hear someone say "I don't travel that much" or "all of my driving is local" it doesn't change a thing. I use my nav very often -- especially locally. It helps you find places easier -- even if you have some idea as to where it is. It helps you figure out the best way home from wherever you are -- even if you know a couple different ways to get there.

Also, you may be in an area and need to find the nearest gas station, nearest cash machine, nearest restaurant, etc. You may even want to call them using your bluetooth phone but don't know the number. Nav will take care of all that for you -- even in your home town. Take a look at this thread for more about the usefulness of the nav system:
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?s=&sho...st&p=121332

Also, take a look at this thread -- it's pretty much the same question answered by many:
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=18783

Good luck!

westcoast550

[quote name='Rudy' date='Oct 22 2007, 09:46 PM' post='484832']
To confuse the issue more, I'll just say that I've had nav in cars dating back to around 2000 and for me, it's a must have option. That's not to say you must have it but I figured you should do as much homework on the subject as you can to make a good decision.

When I hear someone say "I don't travel that much" or "all of my driving is local" it doesn't change a thing. I use my nav very often -- especially locally. It helps you find places easier -- even if you have some idea as to where it is. It helps you figure out the best way home from wherever you are -- even if you know a couple different ways to get there.

Also, you may be in an area and need to find the nearest gas station, nearest cash machine, nearest restaurant, etc. You may even want to call them using your bluetooth phone but don't know the number. Nav will take care of all that for you -- even in your home town. Take a look at this thread for more about the usefulness of the nav system:
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?s=&sho...st&p=121332

Also, take a look at this thread -- it's pretty much the same question answered by many:
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=18783

Good luck!
[/quote

]



Two guys one right one left ..... brain that is !!

Rudy

Yeah, except that damn lady keeps spinning clockwise for me and I'm not sure why...

BrianTx5

I bought my CPO 545i earlier this year. It did not have two options that I would have liked but it was in great shape and too good to pass up. The two options I wanted that it did not have were NAV and the rear folding seat. (The folding seat makes it easier to load my bicycle in the car.) I have a Garmin nuvi GPS which I use mostly in rental cars when I travel and also on occasion in town. The Garmin works great but it is a slight hassle hooking it up when I want to use it and the cords and windshield mount can look a bit messy. They are a high theft item so I always take it off when I park the car. So the NAV would have been quicker to use and cleaner looking. So, yes, I wish I had the NAV but in reality I probably don't need it very much.
If you really want the NAV you might consider expanding your search area to include other dealers. I bought both of my CPO cars from out-of-town dealers, one of which was over 2,000 miles away.