Just wonder if anyone has an interesting way to mount a run-of-the-mill 5-in GPS besides the normal way of sticking it to the windshield. Pics would be great.

 

Got this on Amazon and it works great. While it does partially obstruct the vent and the passenger HVAC controls, Ive gotten used to it. The clips are pretty sturdy and they match pretty well with our sturdy vents. No movement with aggressive cornering; minimal movement with vertical movement (railroad tracks) but *much less* movement than a suction mount.

I keep the mount installed all the time and only put the garmin in when needed. Very minimal obstruction w/o the gps mounted. I highly recommend it.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015A6YN6/

 

Thanks. I appreciate it.

 

There are brackets from several companies that will move your GPS to the right of the radio and keep it from blocking the air vents. It's not difficult to pull the radio to install a bracket. Here are the install instructions for one for the 2gen GS from Pro.Fit where I bought brackets for our LS and Camry: http://www.pro-fit-intl.com/Adobe/LX-54-98.pdf

I hid the power wires for our GPS units inside the dash and plugged them into $5 DC extension cords from Target so I could wire them into the accessory circuits without chopping the plugs off the GPS power cords. My Magellan and my wife's Garmin turn on and off automatically with the ignition switch.

There are a variety of adapters for attaching GPS units to brackets -- I bought adapters and extra power cords on eBay.

Here are photos of the GPS units in the LS and Camry. I used additional accessory brackets from Pro.Fit to mount the phone and the GPS in the Camry on the same bracket. Don't laugh at our old phones! The phone cradle is the same one used in the dealer installed Lexus phone system for the 2003 model year -- the phone systems in both cars still work great.