Radar Detector suggestions?

[nitrous3]

Hey guys, so I have a basic Cobra Radar detector that I picked up 3 years ago from Walmart for $40, and have been using it ever since. I would like to upgrade to a somewhat better radar detector for around $100.
I've heard that cheaper radars are all basically the same and it is recommended to either get something really nice or something very basic. Also I do not speed too much, but I would also like to avoid checkpoints, because they give out tint tickets. And yes I do know radars are not 100% full-proof.

thanks in advance!

[2011 Avalon Limited]

How does a radar detector help you avoid checkpoints? If you don't speed that much, you can probably do without a detector. I have been using a Valentine 1 since 1993. Got one speeding ticket since that time. The detector worked but I had already been clocked by the state trooper with instant on.

[nitrous3]

because there are police cars at checkpoints and sometimes they pick the signal up. And I speed enough to need a better one

[JoeRacer302]

http://www.bestradardetectors.net/Be...ctor-2011.html

Here is some info I found with google ...

[JoeRacer302]

After some reading it seems that Escort owns Beltronics, and they both have some reliability issues. I am not sure if I would buy either myself after reading all of the complaints on Amazon. For comparison, the V1 seems to have very good reliability, but at $399 it is a little out of your price range. Let us know what you end up buying, and how it works out for you. I do a lot of highway driving (I've put over 5000 miles on my car in the last 6 weeks), and I've been considering purchasing a radar detector. I just don't know if they are really worth it.

[eighty5iv]

Originally Posted by JoeRacer302

After some reading it seems that Escort owns Beltronics, and they both have some reliability issues. I am not sure if I would buy either myself after reading all of the complaints on Amazon. For comparison, the V1 seems to have very good reliability, but at $399 it is a little out of your price range. Let us know what you end up buying, and how it works out for you. I do a lot of highway driving (I've put over 5000 miles on my car in the last 6 weeks), and I've been considering purchasing a radar detector. I just don't know if they are really worth it.

I've never owned a beltronics but I have Escort. I never had any reliability issue with them. In my opinion the V1 is best for highway and the Escorts are best for city driving. But both seem to be out of the OP's range. I personally can't think of any good ones for the asking price range and if you really need one, i'd recommend saving up for one of the "higher end" ones.

[nitrous3]

thanks for the advice guys! Money isn't really the issue, it's just that spending $400 doesn't justify to me, because I dont need all the features and such that badly. I was looking around and came across the Cobra XRS 9945 $130, and it received pretty good reviews considering the price point I was looking for. Only thing is its a lot longer/heavier than my existing one so I'm not sure how nicely it will look with my custom setup. But if anything I will be purchasing this one soon.

Here is how my old Cobra is set up:

[2011 Avalon Limited]

My V1 in my Frontier.

[El Loco VG]

I forget who it was but one of the Virginia guys on here has one of the hidden radars and put the leds next to the clock hidden behind the tinted display.

[BlackCamSe]

I have the beltronics V995. Great unit. Have it mounted with a blend mount and hard wired. Looks awsome. And works flawlessly.

[Glenn8963]

by the time any radar detector warns you of a speed trap, you have already been "clocked".

i once had a Beltronics, and it was a p.o.s.

kept giving me false alarms.

i sold it to a friend, he got a ticket, then he threw it out the window, doing 80 mph...!!

i would not ever want to spend any of my money on those p.o.s. things ever again.

[JoeRacer302]

^^^^That's pretty much what I've kept reading over and over. Radar detectors 'work,' but they aren't perfect. I've never owned one, and I am afraid if I had one I'd have a 'Superman' feeling, and then become careless with my driving habits. I kind of want one anyways though lol...

[mdgcentral]

To me, any advantage I get over The Man is a help. I put in the Escort QI 45 system, with the sensor behind the grill up front, the module under the dash, and a small display stuck under the instrument panel. I added the Laser detectors to the module. It is hardwired, but I did it myself in under 2 hours with a few breaks.

Works great, instant on, no ugly box on the windshield, and it detects everything pretty well, including shopping centers and those pesky robot speed check display boxes in residential districts.

Yes, you still have to be careful, nothing is perfect. I like the system, would recommend it, and makes driving a little more interesting. If nothing else, the beeps now and then keep me awake and aware. So there's that.

2005 Sport 4runner

[kotori]

http://www.escortradar.com/qi45/

I got the Qi45 and I like it, what I like the most is that I don't have to worry about anyone break in into my car to steal the detector

[mdgcentral]

Yes, exactly what mine looks like. Pretty cool, huh? and......it works