kOreAniVeRsOn

IM GETTING MY 8 REAL SOON AND WENT TO MANY LOCAL DEALERS BUT WAS UNABLE TO FIND THE ONE WITH ALL THE OPTIONS THAT I WANTED.
I WANT THE BRILLILIANT BLACK WITH BLACK/RED INTERIOR, 6 SPEED WITH: GRAND TOURING PACKAGE, APPEARANCE PACKAGE, ROTARY ACCENT PACKAGE AND NAVIGATION.
I'VE FOUND ONE WITH ALL OF THE OPTIONS MINUS THE NAVIGATION. SHOULD I JUST SACRIFICE THE NAVIGATION? I MEAN IS NAVIGATION REALLY WORTH IT? IM VERY GOOD WITH DIRECTION SO I ONLY NEED THE NAVIGATION FOR THE LOOKS...

mysql101

Don't get the navi unless you want the navi for directions.

I don't know how true this is, but my dealer said that many of the earlier models came with navi and they didn't sell very quickly, so they drasticly cut down on the number of units that had navi installed. So that makes the navi cars a bit harder to get ahold of in the configuration you desire.

mikeb

totally worth it

Takashi 7

I Keep mine on all of the time. I've found a lot of short cuts and dodged a lot of major traffic with the Nav.
It's great when your visiting different or new places.

red_rx8_red_int

Nav is great when needed. I had a need today. But don't have the nav in the 8, my wife has one in her car. That said, don't buy Mazda's nav, get a Garmin palm type gps nav for 1/4 the cost.

Lufa

I agree save your self the cash PDA navigation is just as good, cheaper, uses the same maps (all come from the same company), and can be upgraded easily (maps and software).

Oh and did I mention you can put it in your other car, or take it hiking, or boating, or overseas (you have to buy more maps).

kOreAniVeRsOn

thanks fellow 8ers! yeha, i've decided not to get the navigation since i couldn't even find the color that i wanted with all of the options that i picked. i probably get some aftermarket product.

mysql101

the navi that comes with the rx-8 is superior to the after market ones because it can continue to track your location even when the gps signal is lost.

but

with that said, i had a $700 color screen after market gps unit that had not only faster page reload times, but more colors, easier interface, and was less than half the price of the rx-8 navi.

it just depends on what appeals to you. built in sure is cool though

Kel Rx8

i got it but never use it
im planning on ordering the a.v.e tuner in winter.

gixxer

Go for it. I use it alot more than I thought I would. It's much better then some of the competitions nav...nissan, etc.

alphapenguin

i had to have it, but now I realize I dont use it. It's gotten me lost a couple times, because it just stops giving me directions, or for some reason the area I am in is too new for it.

I dont know if it is just me, but if anyone here ever used mapquest, were you ever taken to the wrong location? or were the direction completely off? That's how I feel our Nav is sometime, probably because they both use "NavTech"
Alex

boarder

NAV is nice (I have it), but not a necessity by any means. Its not a killer app, so to speak. It can sure come in handy from time to time though. So back to the question ... is it worth it ? .... maybe your money, your situation, its a "your call" kind of deal. Kind of like car color.

boothguy

KIV:

Impossible for one of us to decide for you whether a $2,000 accessory is "worth it". Check it out - as thoroughly as possible if the $2k means anything to you, and then decide for yourself. I've been using NAV for 5+ years now and frankly wouldn't be without it.

The factory units are superior to aftermarket (I own both) because they incorporate a gyro and wheel sensing add-ons, but they also cost more, and are obviously are not portable from car-to-car.

I think the best NAV systems out there right at the moment are the ones Acura puts in their cars, due to voice recognition and touch-screen technology, but they place them well down on the console so you're looking away from the road too much. Volvo's system is a strong second.

They've all got their faults, bad data and glitches. My Infiniti's NAV system has no information at all for a well-populated area in Riverside County. As far as the system's concerned, you've driven off the edge of the world.

The NAV in the 8 is far from perfect, but is better than most and can be programmed while the car is in motion (please let the passenger do it). If you travel outside your local area much and go to places you haven't been to before, it's a real plus.

legokcen

Nav unit = $1800.00
map = $2.99

Courage to ask for directions = priceless!

gusmahler

I've had my car for less than two weeks. I didn't think I would use Navigation at all. But it has come in incredibly handy. Here's how I have used it:

* Was called off to a surprise meeting. I just entered in the address and found the place no problem.

* My usual way to a particular location was full of traffic. I just enter in the destination, and I found an alternate route like that.

* Met some friends in SF. They just told me the name of the restaurant and I found it in a jiffy. The shortest route was stuck in traffic. I found a detour with a couple button presses.

* Had to find a bank. Normally, I would have gone 2 miles out of the way to go to the branch I knew about. Instead, I find the nearest ATM easily and go to it.

* Then I use Nav to take me back home.

Of the above examples, only the first was easily duplicated via Yahoo Maps (my method of choice in my old car). Since I am new to California, I don't know alternate routes, so without Nav, I would have been stuck in traffic jams. Meeting friends in SF is fine if you find out the meeting location beforehand. But if you don't find out the location until you're in the City you'd be stuck getting directions from your friends or from the restaurant.

Now if I was still living in AZ, where I had lived for the previous 8 years, I probably wouldn't have used it as much, because I was familiar with the layout of the cities and knew of the various short cuts. But to a person in a new city, Navigation is great.

As for aftermarket systems, I was actually going to get one. Then I actually saw one installed. It looks like crap just stuck on top of the dash. Admit it, part of the reason you're getting an RX-8 is because of the looks. Why ruin the looks by getting a unit that sticks on top of the dash? Get one built in and have the monitor pop out to impress your passengers.

gusmahler

LOL. But as I pointed out in the previous example, it's not as easy as you make it out. For example, when I met my friends, they only knew the name of the restaurant, not the location. I was already in the City. So the only way to have found the place would have been to call them and ask for directions. But part of getting directions is letting them know where you are. Because I am new to my area and have only been in SF a few times, I wouldn't have been able to do a good job of letting them know where I was.

NAV is incredibly handy. Worth $2000? That's an individual question. But I definitely don't regret getting Nav.

Another benefit that I didn't mention above: By entering in the destination, you know how much longer you have to get there. When you have a child, that information can be invaluable.

boothguy

On the restaurant issue, the 8's NAV system could have found it for you by name only, assuming you knew what city it was in and what kind of restaurant it was. Just search under: Points of Interest/ City/ type of restaurant/ and scroll down through the alphabetical listing 'til you find the name. Works like a champ.

PISCZUM

When you need it it is great, However, in my RX8 when ever I need it it doesnt work !!!
It isnt as reliable as you might thin. I live in fl no high buildings clear view of the sky everywhere but I would loss sat. signal daily

but if you like toys is great

gusmahler

I live in the Silicon Valley area and have been in SF (with lots of hills and tall buildings). I've never lost a signal.

Is it perfect? No. Sometimes the directions it gives is strange. E.g., once in Sunnyvale, it had me make about 10 turns to get to downtown. It turned out that I could have just made a single U-turn than had a straight drive to my destination.

But it is much easier than using a map.