im thinking about buying a $300 radar detector (escort) and i was just wondering if any of you radar detector owners regret dishing out all that cash for one. is it really worth it?

 

I have always thought these things are a waste of money. I had a friend who spent 200 bucks on one a few years back. Still got a speeding ticket. Its better to spend the time figuring out where cops sit and avoid speeding in those areas. Such as sudden straight and open stretches and anywhere near an onramp with a lengthy view of the freeway.

 

Or just drive safely. I got caught speeding with a radar, funny thing was it started beeping when I noticed the cop lol.

 

yea... i mean i pretty much know where most cops hide here in the ATL... i was gonna go out to buy one today but i thought i would just wait and see wut my fellow z owners thought thnx for your input bro!

 

I have an Escort Passport 8500 and I love it. They come in handy when you aren't paying attention or a cop is hiding somewhere up the road. However, it's a RADAR detector, not a COP detector so unless they have their radar gun on it does no good! It's better to have one than not because of the above mentioned reasons, but the best way to avoid a ticket is not to speed, don't weave in and out of traffic and always be watching ahead of you and in your mirrors for anything that looks like a cop car.

 

id get one, mine has saved me at least 3 times ( only had it for 2 months)

twice i was in a 25 doin 40 at night, slight hill and it goes off, i slow down, cop comes over hill, tickets avoided

im using a 60 dollar one, as far as 300 bucks, may be worth it

works best for the slow speed zones simply because you have more time to react than if your doin 120 in a 70

 

or just speed really fast and look in your rear view mirror for a cop on the onramp on suspicious areas. If there is on, duck in front of the nearest colored car and slow way down. This may tick that guy off to speed around you and get the ticket I did this on accident once, its really mean and Karma will probably come back to get me tenfold, but it got me out of the ticket.

 

the passport escort it worth every penny.. I have never gotten pulled over when my radar is up.. I have only gotten a ticket when i didnt have my radar... this device is great from staying away from cops and thier tickets. But be aware 50 percent of the time i see a cop and my radar is up, the cops is not on, so your radar wont beep...gl

 

I got a valentine not to long ago, i don't know why I did.
I haven't gotten a ticket in 4 years and usually don't speed. I see a need for it only if you routinely speed and odn't pay attention (bad) or just want that extra bit of protection.
For me, It just gives me an excuse to speed when I shouldn't. So I sold it.

 

V1 and never regretted getting it. it helps on those times when there's no one on the road except you! =)

 

I have the V1 too.

Our cops in California are smarter than to park in the same old place day after day after day. They actually have doppler radar which means that they can be sailing up the freeway at 95 mph and clock you from behind doing 65 in a 55 mph zone.

The locals use a two sets of motorcycles in hunter/killer groups. The guy with the radar will park his bike down the side street - seeing the bike is hard enough on the side street but he'll dismount and stretch the power cable to the radar so that he can park even further down the road.

His partner sits a block or two down the street and picks up the tickets that have been clocked by the first guy. They'll also sit under the overpasses and wait for guys at the last part of their two hour commute home to run the red light at the bottom of the freeway off ramp.

One of my favorite resturants over looks such a trap and we'll see them nail eight or ten guys in the course of dinner writting tickets as fast and they can run the plates and licenses.

It doesn't seem to help as people will run red lights two or three seconds after they've gone green in the opposite direction at high speeds.

 

being a cop, let me give you info than you decide what you want to do.

I drive around with my radar on so yes, i can be detected but during these times i'm going to a call so i'm not looking to pull ppl over. when i do decide to do some traffic enforcement, i hide where they cant see me. I will always see the car before they even know i was there. we only pull the trigger when we see the car so that we don't set off their detector. it takes the radar 1.2 sec. to locked in a speed and the laser .03 secs. This is WAY to fast for anyone to react once their detector goes off.

I'm pretty sure my radar has set off detector devices on other ppls car and they think they got away when in reality i didn't even care. I still to this day constantly pull ppl over with the escort. However, i have never nor heard of other officers pulling anyone over with a v1. are they just safe drivers or the v1 really works? I don't know.

 

People think WOW I have a radar detector so I wont get tickets!!!! um WRONG.

A radar detector will HELP you in your quest for not getting tickets however if you're an asshat you will still manage to get a ticket.

Common driving sense + radar detector makes for a good setup.

If you're driving late at night and there's very few cars on the road and you happen to be doing 70 in a 55 MR officer i hiding in the bushes, gets you in site, then pulls the trigger. If you're not half asleep or blasting the music you MIGHT beable to drop 5mph before he locks in your speed but that's a big might. chances are you'll be screwed. so night time driving + speeding is a big chance thing with or with out detector.

Now when Officers set up big speed traps and are shooting random people you can pick up on the radar way before you get to the area. same goes for officers that drive around with their radar guns going. in Maryland officers do that pretty often. If an officer is going south and I'm heading north on the same road I can pick up the radar a good 10-15 sec before I see the officer. That's about a 1 mile heads up.

That's of course with a GOOD detector. cheaper ones work but the distance will be greatly reduced. My old Cobra detector had almost no rear detection and the front detection was at best, ok. My Passport can pick things up things out the rear 100x better and out the front a good 10 times better.

Bottom line. It's saved me MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY times. However 80% of that is becuase of staying sharp and paying attention the other 20% is becuase of the help from my detector.

Using both has helped out a lot. I feel naked with out my Passport and will never go with out it.

I think radar detectors get a bad name becuase of all the dumbasses that use them. They help let you know there's a radar signal in the area. they DO NOT block it or keep you safe from getting a ticket, they only aid in helping you out.

 

Where I live, rader detectors are illegal. The cops have rader detector detectors and will confiscate your rader detector. If they want to be real ******** about it, they will "by accident" drop the rader on the ground and step on it.

I'm guessing this is not the case where you people live since no one has mention ed it...?

 

you must live in DC or VA.....

 

oh never mind I just looked under your name.... Canada.

in the US you can have one anywhere in the country other then VA and DC.

 

I have the escort 8500. Well worth the money I paid for it. Saved me at least once, so it paid for itself. I'm thinking of trying the v1 though. If I get the v1, I'll sell my escort. Let me know if you want it.

 

heck no don't trade your escort in for a v1... get the new escort x50 its the best out on the market..radars save your *** when u least expect it..but it is true what people are saying,some cases u can get caught.... i say get the top of the line radar and you will find you made a wise decision, and i have found having a radar makes your a smarter driver because your picking up cops, but beware radars are hot make sure u have security.... buy the x50 in the BLUE LED you wont regret it/...

 

Don't get me wrong, the escort was nothing but great to me. I just want to try the v1 as i've heard so much debate over that vs the escort. I want to try both.

 

It wouldn't hurt, and it might save you from a speeding ticket.