additude

I have been following eBay auctions for the last 3 weeks or so on Valentine 1 radar dectors and just want to scream "IDIOTS" at the bidders. I have seen many, if not every auction, some fool bidding $300 + for a downlevel radar detector that will cost them $179, $229, $279 to upgrade.

I mean a new unit costs $399 and if it's going to cost $229 to upgrade then the unit is only worth $399 - $229 = $170 max for a pristine unit in the box with all accessories, etc. Plus most of these dectors are long out of warranty.

I see the saying, "It's not hard to separate a fool and his money".

There is one auction, of many auctions on eBay right now for a used unit, 4 months old and the bid is at $390. Just $9 more will get your a brand spanking new unit with a full one years warranty and a 30 day money back guarantee.

What is the sense in this????? And that's just one example of many. STUPID STUPID STUPID

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

I hear ya. I watched V1s for about a month to get one for my LS400 and gave up for the same reason.

I ended up getting a new one from Valentine, THEN within a month it got stolen at the Charlotte Airport (broke window and ripped off in short term parking). Bought a second one, that makes four (1 for GS, 1 for NSX, 2 for LS) - you'd think I'd get a group discount or something.

fireballs gs400

you own a nsx as well...jeez..very sweet

additude

It's crazy. I wish I knew of a way to get a bunch of them and sell them on eBay to to all these fools.

Sorry to hear about your car.

So, how did you set it up in your LS? I mean did you visor mount it, suction cup, hardwire, etc?

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

Fireball - the NSX is my girlfriend's (click on my sig for some pix of the car).

Right now I have the V1 in the LS hooked up with suction cups and going to the lighter, but I'll probably get it hardwired similar to what I have in my GS. I might end up using the visor mount instead of suction because I've had problems with it sticking for some reason on the LS because I take it up and down all the time (rather than leave it steady) since it got broken into.

additude

Cool.

Well I just ordered one from valentine1.com.

I have this plan:

I guess now, looking back on it, I would have saved a lot of time instead of just waiting for a fair price....but hey, I can tell you where I am gonna sell mine when I need to upgrade it! I can sell it on eBay then take that $$ to buy a brand new one, probably saving myself a hundred bucks or so on an upgrade by letting someone else pay it for me.

Sound like a good idea?

BuyERTS

If you look closely at all of the eBay auctions listing "Valentine 1" in their title, you'll see an auction where someone is selling NOT an actual V1 unit, but information on how much it might really cost you to buy a V1 unit from an eBay seller. It basically says what additude said in the first post in this thread.

I think that's pretty cool of that guy/gal. The information is already posted as part of the auction and they're only asking $0.99 from anyone who finds the information useful.

BuyERTS

I checked out the pics of your girlfriend's NSX. Nice lookin' ride!

I liked the braided hose installation guide. If you haven't figured out where the extra (#13) hose goes, perhaps it attaches to the bottom of the coolant overflow reservoir?

RMMGS4

iTrader: (5)

Not only that, but a lot of people are charging $15-20 for shipping, when Valentine charges around $6.


I think a lot of people assume everything on Ebay is a lot cheaper then retail and just Blindly place a bid not even knowing what the retail value is.


As far as buying down rev versions, I have read that the rev that is one down from the current is very close in effectiveness to the new model, so if you don't upgrade, you can save some money.

I personally wouldn't take the risk of buying a $400 value item from a stranger just to save $15-20.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

yeah getting V1 from ebay is plain retarded, the price is ridiculous. i didn't even think twice and just got my V1 from them directly, new, no hassle, and only 7 bucks shipping! of course i love it

a bit OT, but anyone (dave?) knows how hard it is to do the hardwire of teh V1 on gs4? now i am using cigarette lighter and the wiring is plain stupid. i want to hardwire it. i will even need to do the same on the is3 too