IMO, sticking a portable nav to the windshield or on top of the dash is a lousy idea. I have a hard time reaching it and it is impossible for my wife to reach it from the passenger seat.

And I wanted to preserve the OEM aspect of my LS including its Nakamichi system. When I finally bought a portable nav (I avoided OEM nav when I bought this LS), I bought a $40 Pro.Fit Legend swivel bracket and mounted the nav next to the radio. I tapped into the wires to the accessory outlet in the center console with a cheap DC extension cord from Target, plugged in the nav's DC cable to it, and hid the wires under the center console wood, and behind the phone console and the transmission tunnel carpet.

It's not in-dash nav but it certainly is convenient and looks decent. My wife can use it while I am driving and I can reach it without stretching. And it doesn't get in the way when I put the sunshade in the windshield. When I go on a trip, I pop the nav off out of the cradle and take it with me to use in the rental car on its windshield mount.

Unlike most in-dash nav units, I can pop the nav out of its cradle, attach it to my PC and update its software and download custom POI files to it.

I would have done something completely different and much more expensive if I wanted an iPod interface or play DVD movies. But since all I wanted was a navigation device, this sub-$300 solution (including the nav, bracket, wiring, etc.) worked out great for me.

 

Saw this and figured id share my experience..I have a lx470 ,i spent 2500 installing a Pioneer avic Z1 ,bluetooth, and backup camera. After 8 months the unit has been sent back to pioneer twice. It originally lasted about 5 months then all hell broke loose, it freezes on start up and they arent able to fix it. Im still not sure if heats the reason or they just suck. Im goin carputer route ,it seems like a better alternative with way more capabilities and options for the same 2k.

 

Don't forget if you go for the Lexus NAV system you will have to stop the vehicle to enter a destination or change POI's. . . . unless you can find an override for the 6.1 software.

 

We have two Garmins and now have factory systems in our 2001 RX and 2007 GS.

I travel a lot so I have the Garmin Nuvi and it is great to take on trips. We also use it when we are even walking in a city to locate neary by restraunts.

IMHO if you are adding on, I would go with the Garmin if your needs in your car are limited, in other words you only need it for trips, etc.

One other point that most people miss are the updates to the Nav system. To keep a system fresh you need to update the maps every 2 or 3 years. On our RX that means a new hard drive at around $300. For Garmins, its an $80 expense.

Good luck!