In 2008 we traded in our Chevrolet Silverado and Nissan Sentra on a new Ford Escape lease. We shopped a lot of cars and drove many. The Escape fit our needs at the time and was within our price range. We ended up with a lot of extras I wasn’t expecting because they were on the car in the color we wanted that was in inventory. They were not all the options that I would have liked, however.
One of the dealers we visited was offering a free navigation system with purchase. We hadn’t had navigation in our cars and I really wanted one. I was very disappointed, though, when we talked with a sales person. The navigation system was not installed on the car but rather the cheapest portable Tom Tom GPS available.
I have since discovered that a navigation system installed in the car is not a wise purchase. My parents have an installed GPS and it’s awful. The buttons are impossible to work and it’s not the best system for navigation. The GPS in my sister’s same model car is better, but she doesn’t use it. I have an iPhone and two different navigation systems installed and both were free. They are both excellent at finding where I want to go, but I miss voice and I need to mount my phone to see the maps more easily.
Navigation may be unavoidable to get other features that we want in our next car. Jessie has outgrown her rear-facing convertible seat by height and is facing front now. I know she would enjoy an entertainment system. Navigation goes with entertainment a lot of the time.
I would still love to have an installed GPS, but it’s an unnecessary expense, especially when it adds so much to the price of the car.