gps into a '99 boxster?
 

I was just wondering if the oem navigation systems head units are installable into the older 1999 boxsters. Pickin up my boxster later this week and am really excited. Would love to update the console a bit though. Navi/mp3 playback would be great so if the oem can't be retrofitted, what are my options? How do the Kenwood gps headunits look in the boxster? I don't know why but something about a soft top and expensive 3rd party stereo just sounds like easy theft.

also anyone have opinions on setting up radar detectors?

thanks in advance and can't wait to learn everything about my boxster from the forum :)

ok some guy told me on ebay that my car doesnt have fiber optics? im not sure why that would make it incompatible, but this other guy said it should be okay... does anyone have experience in putting an 03 boxster navi system into an '99? my beautiful white boxster is gonna be picked up tomorrow.. but it just has a cd player.

If you are going to do nav you DO NOT want the factory system. First off, you cant use it since your car is pre- MOST bus (the fiber optic based system) and secondly the factory nav is horrible and ridiculously expensive compared to good aftermarket (which pretty much means Eclipse).

I would pick up either the Eclplise AVN5500 or the new (as in coming out any day now) AVN5510. AVN5500s now are down to almost $1000. The Eclipse software and mapping offers and amazing nav experience and is leaps and bounds ahead of everything else out there.

If you're going to do nav the only thing I'd consider would be an AVN (I have the 5500 and had the 5435 in a previous car)

Patrick

it also depends on how often you will be using it.
i have a magellan that i keep in the car, but not on all the time, just have it stored away, and pull it out if i need to get somewhere.

The Magellean is clutch for a soft top. I always take mine with me when parking long term or when it is cold. I would get one of those b/c why pay all that money for a something that you have to rip the car up to install?
I have used my magellan in 3 cars, one truck, and in a one legged hooker named Mimi.

have a look at the Pioneer AVIC-D3 which will go on sale in March
Looks very "stock", costs $1,000 and is a million times better (offers iPod support too).
No I am not affiliated with Pioneer

I have a Garmin Street Pilot. Fits the Box on the windshield, transfers to my other cars and bike. And I take it along as I travel a lot for work and place it in the rental car. Pre-loaded maps and voice directions. Great device...just not "factory" mounted.

I have this little guy, similar to the Garmin Nuvi:

http://www.staples.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StaplesProductDisplay?storeId=10001&jspStoreDir=St aples&AID=10427430&partNumber=666810&SID=sduidp0t0 &PID=1225267&ddkey=StaplesBeFree

It's not perfect, but you can't beat $200 and the fact that it's portable. Comes with dash and/or window mount also.

i bought a magellan roadmate 700 on ebay froma gentlmen that used it about 50 times, it was all brand new in box with everythign including waranty, i picked it up for 200 shipped

that pioneer one looks amazing. thanks for the info, the oem ones are like $500-600 on ebay but if the fiber optic thing is a problem than i shall not mess with it. i'm hesitant about the suction cup ones though because im not exactly in the nicest neighborhood and popping it on and off bleh...

thanks for all the advice, took me a while to respond because i've been out driving all day since i got the car yesterday! i had just learned manual on a friends prelude the day before so it's a little rough.. but took it on the fwy for the first time, pure bliss. what's the 0-60 on the '99 boxster anyways?

also random question if anyone knows what it means if you rev the car too long or turn the key too far and it gives a strange whirring noise after the car revs up if thats like a huge problem. i get it about 40% of the time when starting the car..

will definitely get more active in this forum once i get over the euphoria of taming my porsche cause honestly it's controlling me at this point :P

Within a week of owning my '98, I had an Eclipse 6600 installed. Dual disc drives (which means I can watch a movie while always having nav going at the same time) and full iPod integration so that it will display all the track info on the screen, and I can control the iPod through the touch screen as well.

I have been so incredibly happy with the system and with how it looks.

Here's a pic before:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/70/15...204e8402f0.jpg

And one after:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/73/17...c4bca5d810.jpg

As you can see, they moved my climate down on slot (took a little work to get it to fit, but they made it happen), and left me a slot to put my phone, etc girlie stuff in.

Total cost, with install was about $1400... but that's because I got the unit at cost, and the labor was next to nothing (I'm friends with the owner of the shop that did it).

Edit: I hardwired a V1 in using one of the dozens of walkthroughs available on the internet... so it doesn't look as crappy as in that last pic anymore, haha! Also, this frees up my lighter so I can test out other radar detectors (I'm in the business) and compare them by side to the V1.

986 Girl,

Sweet set up with the Eclipse 6600 !

Also, your pic looks familiar but not your screen name...

Did you have a different screen name before ?

Just wondering :o

Nick

Nav looks great, but you may want to invest in a new shifter/boot!

Not to thread-jack, but can you tell us how the V-1 compares to the other radar detectors, since you get to do direct comparisons?

thread-jack away :)

i'm interested in the faq to hardwire my escort 8500 :P

Also, your pic looks familiar but not your screen name...

Did you have a different screen name before ?

Nope, I've had the same name since I registered in May. Though, I thought I had posted several times on here just pre- and post- purchasing my car to ask questions. But either you've had a post count wipe, or it was some other Boxster forum that I don't remember, lol.

Not to thread-jack, but can you tell us how the V-1 compares to the other radar detectors, since you get to do direct comparisons?

Sure! Based on first hand experience, I would say that the V1 only slightly outdoes the Escrot 8500 red/blue. It seems to alarm you by a fraction sooner than the 8500, but beyond that they are extremely comparabe. The reason I will always advocate the V1 over the 8500 is because of the directional arrows. If I'm on a divided highway with no area for "turn around," then I'm not slowing down if I detect a cop coming in the opposite direction from in front of me. My tests have always been in a medium sized city/downtown/highway/thurway area.

Other detectors that I recently tried out, such as the Whistler Pro 73 and the Beltronics 995 give you what you pay for. The Beltronics is what I would choose if I went overseas often (it includes the Ku band which is common in Europe), but would never choose it over the V1 or 8500 here in the states. The Whistler is just a bulky, ugly, "I got this great deal at Walmart!" piece of equipment.

i'm interested in the faq to hardwire my escort 8500

I'm sure there are some of them out there. I've never looked, so I can't suggest any good ones. However, I would think it's a fairly similar process as the V1 was. It took me all of maybe 30 minutes.

I was interested in going this route but then just picked up the Bel remote mounted detector with laser jamming capabilities. It seems to be more sensitive than my old escort 8500 X50, and the ability to jam lasers is a very nice thing. Plus, nothing stuck to my windshield anymore. It looks stock - very nice.

Found it :

http://986forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6709

Nick

Yep, eclipse and everything...

Nick, how could you have possibly found that?

Holy crap, well now I feel like an idiot for signing up twice and not even knowing! Ah well, we'll stick with this name because I'm too lazy to log out and back in ;)

Thanks for finding that though!