hey guys, got my eye on the Pioneer Z2 or Z1, they on the expensive side, but I love the speed and features they offer. I've played around with a couple cheaper units at Best Buy and Circuit City, but they all lack the hard drive storage and seemed like most required you to have the NAV disc in the system for you to use the nav system..

I'd personally rather spend only $500 or so on a after market stereo with touchscreen/nav, but it appears I'll have to go over budget for what I want.

one thing I am picky about is my stuff looking as factory as possible.. I don't want to have a stereo that sticks out a inch, has a inch of plastic trim all around it from the dash kit, and bulging *****/buttons..

Other thing is, would it be easy enough for me to install a stereo unit in my Z myself? I'd rather not have to pay BB or CC the $99 + materials they charge to install a touchscreen unit if I can do it myself anyways and get the stereo cheaper somewhere else.

thanks

 

^^ You ask some good questions that would take hours and many responses to provide the answers. Fortunately these are here already (on my350z.com).

You should spend some time searching. Searching will show threads with pictures of installations and provide different opinions on the devices you are asking about.

--Spike

 

thaks Spike.. I've actually looked on cardomain.com to see what others have done as well as far as stereo systems.. some look rather tacky..

 

The d3 and kenwood 7100 seem to be the popular choies amon z owners. Both are real good units.

 

We just got the AVIC-Z3 in at my shop, and it is pretty cool. I still prefer the Kenwood DDX-8120, but if you are set on the big hard drive then the Pioneer is the way to go. The Z-1 and Z-2 are old models now, so I would consider something else.

 

Ask your self why you really want the hard drive?

I have the D-3 and I've never ONCE said "man, I wish I didn't have this Navi disk in here".

I have an ipod hooked up...thats all my music. I don't ever put CD's in.

Plus, if you put the nav menu up, set your course, and take the disk out to put a DVD or a music cd in, it stores the route and you can work from that. Only if you go far enough off route will you have to put the disk back in.

To me, it wasn't worth the extra money for it, I just never need that

 

When comparing GPS devices (whether or not the GPS is inside a DD device or a separate module), you should consider the physical configurations (DVD-based, HDD-based, or ROM-based) as well as the application software.

DVD-based devices
When flash-memory compartments were common in handheld devices, but had a very small memory compartment (just a couple of years ago); it was apparent that a DVD-based device was a better solution for a fixed-in-place GPS solution (such as a device mounted in a car) because a DVD-based player provided a greater space for data and application software. There was a rush from programmers to provide a GPS solution using a DVD player.

The manufacturer also saw a benefit: They could sell updates by simply providing DVD disks to buyers (sort of like selling a music CD).

The problem was performance (mitigated somewhat by clever programming that stored application software and partial maps in a RAM chip). Another fault with DVD-based devices was “dirty disks” that could halt operation due to a read failure.

HDD-based devices
This was a natural progression from slow DVD-based devices to a faster HDD-based device. Programmers saw the benefit (a larger compartment with better performance). The only problem was reliability. A car interior is a difficult environment where temperatures can go from subzero to very high, and that places significant stress upon any device using movable components. And, that is not mentioning the shock these devices potentially receive during “normal” driving.

ROM-based devices
This is the current “gold standard.” The advantages: No moving parts so you have much greater reliability, very fast performance (much better than DVD-based and HDD-based devices, even when doing a RAM load), and easy and instant downloads for updating maps and application software (no waiting for delivery of DVD disks).

Kenwood went with this structure (ROM-based) more than two years ago. They chose a different path, but the investment is proving to be a wise choice since the competition is chasing and hoping to catch-up in the marketplace (all of the major name brands are planning to release a ROM-base navigation product ASAP).

--Spike

 

I have been looking into getting a new HU and now I can say that i know the difference in all the different types of nav units.. great explanation Spike..