Iceter

As I get closer to pulling the trigger, my questions get more and more specific.

You guys have mentioned that the nav on a 997.1 is not so good, and as work is now paying for a smart-phone, I may give up my luddite ways and actually get one and use that as my navigation system.

But just in case... . I know the 997.2 went to a touch-screen nav system. How do you input information into the 997.1 system? There is no touchscreen, no keyboard and no **** or joystick like on a Merc, BMW or Audi. Just how difficult is this system to operate (this coming from a guy who's used to a very intuitive Lexus touchscreen).

Also, I have seen "extended nav module" listed as an option. What does this mean? Do the nav DVD's only include the zone where the car was delivered? Will I need the extended module if I buy a vehicle outside of my state or region and bring it back here?

I would find out for myself but I just can't find a 997 with nav locally that I can poke around on. So, thanks in advance.

Marlon Targa 86

I have no Nav in my 997. I do have it in my 2012 BMW and even that one is crappy.

I bought this cheap Garmin unit and it's awesome:

Plus this:

It's got real time traffic updates, touch screen, blue tooth, etc. It's got it all.

function12

007.1 Nav system you input the address by using the know. You turn it to select leters and from a list. It is a little slow to input an address but you can do it while driving. (not safe but it is allowed). I have never had a problem giving my wrong directions. I believe the DVD it come with covers all of north america.

Fahrer

The input method is a very typical / traditional European system. When looking to enter the address, etc., you turn the right **** to move to each letter and then push the **** to select that letter or number.

To me nav sytems are not deal breakers. I do not even care if a car comes with nav. If the car has one..... great, if not....so what? I have never used the extended nav but you can actually go off road or in areas not coverd by the maps and use the sytem to back-track to get you back to where you started the trip.

utkinpol

for me to be able to see the map is more important than to enter anything. plus, by now i have most destinations already remembered so i can just choose any from 'recent' list if i want to see a 'path' on the map, but, map itself is what needed when you get lost somewhere in the town you do not know.

folks from midwest who are used to square corners between planned streets and did not live in MA where all roads were paved after wild paths of cows walking to nearest water holes can hardly understand, but when you drive in some town here where street can do almost 270 deg turn it gets very difficult to get out without a map. especially if street name stays the same but numbers change from town to town and no one cares to specify what town it is and put signs for streets you cross on your path.

Minok

For the 997.2 NAV system (touchscreen PCM3+) this is how things work:

1) enter destination by address: you enter the address via the touch screen soft keyboard - easier to type (PICK BY ADDRESS)

2) enter destination via map: you can click(touch with finger) on a location on the map and then click the nav system button and it will offer to nav you to that location (PICK VISUALLY)


Benefits of the built in nave over an aftermarket add-on, in my mind:
1) integrated, not mounted on the dash with wires and theft inviting
2) Bigger screen than phone
3) Integrated with on-board computer instrument cluster display of navigation info (eg, shows distance to turn in the central cluster.. no need to glance to the side. VERY USEFUL
4) Can integrate with XM NavTraffic service (must have sat radio and navtraffic subscription) - which means traffic overlay on map and automatic rerouting due to traffic conditions (not so great at fast changing conditions, but if there is a major jam well before you get there, it can route you around.
5) voice indications of routing integrated into car audio system

With a smart-phone consider:
1) The GPS functionality sucks power on the phone, so you have to have the phone plugged into the car - no big deal, but you need to mount a holder and route the wiring.
2) If you don't buy a nav app that lets you download the data at home, you use a lot of data bandwidth.

onetrickpony

Even with the **** input, the 997.1 integrated Navigation is better than using a Garmin. This is because you won't have to worry about wires, mounts, rattles, unplugging the unit when you park to save the car battery, having the stereo volume automatically lower when the voice prompts are spoken, etc. Also you don't have to worry about someone breaking in to steal your portable navigation system.

Farfelc2s

No Nav = no resale, or at least very hard.

paddyh

997.1 Nav is 'state of the art' circa 2003. Input is slow but dependable once you learn the nuances. It is really similar to my 2004 VW Phaeton - leading edge at the time, but not the best. However, if your benchmark is an intuitive Lexus touch screen, you will likely be disappointed.

Don't let the nav stop you from buying - the driving is the key and that cannot be beat.

jason74

The nav is SO obsolete. Save your money and buy a frickin iPhone for the 3 times a year you actually need to know where you are going! Very disappointed that it's now standard on 991...

Palmbeacher

Let me guess: you paid the ~2 grand for NAV in yours, eh?

Mark my words, in a year or two maximum, inbuilt SATNAV will be net- or cloud-based, using an app similar to that in smartphones, and the current PCM system will be thought of as laughably archaic as an 8-track player.

Honestly, how did we ever get about before SATNAV? Unless you're on a driving holiday or your job demands you drive to unfamiliar areas routinely, I think you truly ought ask yourself why on earth you'd need SATNAV?. If your inability to remember how to get round your home town results from some form of dementia, I daresay a bigger question is: ought you to be driving at all?

And for those few occasions when SATNAV is a true advantage and not just a pretentious toy, a $150 Garmin or an even less-costly smartphone app is at least as effective if not better than those inbuilt by the car manufacturers and sold at orders-of-magnitude profits.

Renzsport

i dont have a prob with the 997.1 nav. easy to use, but i recommend a navigator!
I've never had navi before in a vehicle so i can't compare.

Marlon Targa 86

+1

The reason I really need nav in my car is to check if there is traffic on my route. The live traffic updates are priceless, especially in the LA area. I've seen the 997.1 nav and it seems very archaic. Same with my 2012 BMW nav, which has no touch screen. So outdated it's not even funny.

Edgy01

Actually, I have had really good luck with the 997.1 nav system. The Extended Nav system is a system that gives you some off-road capability which extends the utility of the system to me.

USMC_DS1

I've had Nav in our old BMW's and the current Lexus. All the BMW units got outdated and eventually broke becoming an eye sore when it was time to sell the car. With today's smart phones I agree that Nav is becoming somewhat obsolete to me. My Razr Droid phone does a much better job integrating google voice search and acting as a GPS. I also like being able to hold it on the steering wheel when I get close to a turn off... that way I minimize taking my eyes of the road. Conversely my wife's Lexus forces me to look down at the screen in the center console so completely taking my eyes off the road for an instance. Not exactly safe so I just use the smartphone instead.

BTW, my '08 997.1 C2S did not come with Nav and I am more then happy with that... sought it out in fact. And if I sell the car in 5-10 years who would really want a 9-14 yrs old GPS system. A novelty option for sure if it's still working but like the cassette player in my old '98 M3 or the handset phone in our old '98 540i - not much use for dated electronics as smaller and newer devices are rapidly displacing the older gizmos.