I got the non-nav mainly because the only TCH the dealership was receiving did not have a nav unit.

I would love to have the consumption info, but I don't miss spending the $1200 or $1300 necessary. I've had the car over 7 months and have not taken any road trips yet, so I doubt I would have used it for anything except a play toy.

Aside from which the MFD takes my eyes off the road enough.

 

That is a key point.

In the Prius and in some non-Toyota vehicles, there is a display whether you have the Navigation system or not. Not so in the Camry. If you don't get it now, and later decide that back-up camera and GPS would be nice to have, it will get pricey and labor intensive.

Also, i don't buy the "it won't help resale value" theory. Value is not necessarily all profit dollars. Certainly, a fully loaded vehicle, at the high end of the same price range, will sell faster than a base model, thus saving the seller advertising money and storage space. To me, that has value.

 

Dude, you are getting a high tech car. Get the nav!! And don't pay retail for it! The days of paying retail on the TCHs and options is over. In Oregon we are paying just hundreds over dealer invoice for loaded TCHs. Edmunds online has all the data you need to know exactly what the dealer Invoice is.

 

It seems to be a true 50-50 and as far as the stereo is concerned with or without NAV there is little difference.

As far as price, believe me I am currently negotiated to 1000 above retail and that from only one dealer, I have three others to stop by and visit.

One big reason behind my questioning is that I still desire to put a better stereo in the car. On capable of playing MP3s from DVD or one that has a built in hard drive. It is a hobby I guess. So what I attempting to to weigh is whether or not spending the money on a NAV now if I want to upgrade the stereo later is worth it.

I am thankful for all opinions and I would love to hear more.

I am really split 50-50. :-) Either way I know I'll get a really nice car in the end.

Thanks,
Mike

 

I would have gotten the nav if one were available without the sunroof and leather seats.

 

At one point down here in the south we were able to get the Nav without the sunroof and leather...not anymore though. You may have been able to get it that way if you ordered directly from the factory?

 

I bought a non-NAV in June. I wanted NAV, but at the time I could only get NAV with leather and sunroof. I'm not a fan of leather, and sadly, I found that I didn't like the smaller field of vision caused by the lower roofline on the sunroof model.

Had I been able to add just NAV, I would have definitely done it.

 

Ordering directly from the factory, you can get any combo you want. Here in California, the standard package with NAV also includes a sunroof. I didn't want a sunroof so I special ordered mine with leather and NAV.

It took about 3 months but I got the colors I wanted along with the options I wanted. It was worth the wait. And I got it in time to get the full tax credit.

Dealers don't advertise it but you can get any combo you want. They are worried you might have second thoughts so they want to sell what's on the lot.

 

I don't liken adding the NAV to enhance resale as like upgrading a kitchen. If anyone buys the NAV to make money out of it - obviously they took my comment wrong. During ownership you have the advantage of its use and features but In general, a built in system adds more value to the car "IF" you decided to sell it a little later - hence - the reason that book value ratings such as Edmunds and KBB increase a cars "worth" by taking into account items such as leather, moon/sun roofs, NAV systems, etc.

The controls and such are built into the car and "fit" the car better. Unless you like having portable NAV, sat radio, etc. units hanging or dangling off your windshield like grapes - the factory units seem just fine. I mean, you spend $30K on a car with some creature comforts may as well enjoy more of it.

I agree about technology changing sooner then the car will but with the built in NAV and the AUX/MP3 input, there's not a whole lot of other things you need to have installed for entertainment (unless you live in it VS a house).

 

I have heard it often, and I have said it myself......" I will never buy another car without Nav." I believe this is the feeling of a high percentage of potential buyers, new or used. JMHO.