Thread: Thinking of getting started... Buy a car with or without nav built in?

I'm 3+ years away from getting a new car. And it might be a used car. I'm a huge scanner enthusiast, and my original plan was whenver I buy a new car I'd install a scanner in place of the stock radio. After looking at some of the install pics on RadioReference, I saw one person that installed a PC. It hit me: why install a scanner when you can install a PC? Many scanners are capable of being controlled by PCs, so that's a win-win situation. I'm too far away to determine exactly what else I'd put in, but the other things that sounded interesting (I read a few of the FAQs) were WiFi for internet browsing, OBD-II diagnostics, GPS nav, cameras... it all sounds really cool.


So in a few years I'm going to want to ditch my '00 Ford Escort and pick up another sedan or wagon. I'm not a fan of SUVs, minivans, and pickups. Actually, if money were no object I'd buy a brand new school bus, but that's not practical for commuting and I digress.


Looking at the options for new cars, many manufacturers are starting to put nav systems in cars. Are these moddable to accept VGA in? Or am I better off getting something without built-in nav and just ripping out the radio?

One other question: Are there any specific cars and/or manufacturers that make it easy to interface with the car's electronics? i.e. use the carputer to control windows, climate, display info on dash displays, etc.