I personally think all aftermarket screens make the interior of any car look terrible when OEM was a bunch of buttons. Just looks tacky.

Why not just get a phone mount and use that? Your phone is always going to win out over some aftermarket screen thing. You could get a bluetooth module hooked up (I have no idea how, i just know people do it) or if not, you can use a tape adapter hooked to your phone. That way you're only out $10, plus you keep the 6-disc changer, plus the JBL system. I had it in my 05 Camry, it was pretty nice.

 

I do use the tape adapter. IMO, the tape adapter sounds better than bluetooth. I also have an aftermarket bluetooth converter plugged into the charger and I also had the same setup in my 2001 Corolla and I prefer the tape adapter every time. All you do with the bluetooth is find a dead radio station on the radio and match the same station on the bluetooth device and it should show up on your phone settings. I noticed that the volume is always lower compared to the tape adapter though.

 

Most aftermarket [touchscreen NAV] options under a couple hundred dollars are pretty much garbage.

 

So what do I do? I can’t have OEM nav or aftermarket nav either? I believe you answered my last post on installing the OEM nav but it seems like nobody is selling the entire kit as one package.

 

Lol, no way I would spend a thousand bucks on that. Like I said, get a nice phone mount and you will always have a clean, updated navigation system. Not to mention all the other stuff that goes with it.

Plus you keep the OEM look.

 

That's the way I would go too. The phone I use has a really nice, loud, crisp speaker that you can hear just fine even at speed. Even a basic, standalone GPS device from Garmin or TomTom could be a great value. My TomTom XL from 2009 still works to this day, save for some map locations being out of date (which I could update if I wanted to pay for it).

 

Here’s an idea. I literally just saw this and I can’t believe I didn’t think of it. They have those suction type mounts that come out from the windshield. Maybe if you really wanted to get a navigation device, because I could understand not wanting to have a phone mounted all the time, you could just set one up on that.

 

I don’t know if your’re being sarcastic but I have that already. I got a mount placed in the useless CD player. No way am I’m mounting anything to the windshield. Those look too clunky for me.

 

No sarcasm at all.

 

Everyone has a phone mount. That’s not my issue though; I was looking to have a reliable backup GPS.

 

the Kenwood was my 2nd choice, but still would take it fast.... I ended up with the Alpine for my Camry and it has been Excellent. Worth every cent. I think the Kenwood would be very nice for your car.

 

not to hi jack this thread, but after i get a bunch of suspension and brake stuff replace don the 04 camry i just bought, i too am going to be looking for an upgrade. Mine is a 4 cylinder LE and i did not have the NAV, so my AC controls are the knobs and not the rectangular buttons. I do not know if i have the factory JBL or not, have not paid attention to the unit in the car currently.
I don't mind aftermarket units in my car and don't think they all look awful, but i understand a lot of times the factory stuff looks the best. I don't want a NAV deck, but a deck that i can mirror my android phone onto would be nice. I can't quite do that on the BOSS unit i put in my F350 years ago, but i can bluetooth connect to it and if i wanted bluetooth speaker, i could (i don't have it hooked up, too loud inside truck).

Anybody have some good suggestions? Perhaps any pictures? Would like to know if anybody have a modified or aftermarket dash piece as well where it's going to fit around the unit as i am sure will be required.

 

This is a little off topic, but keep engine oil with you at all times as the 4 cylinder version is known to burn oil which is why I avoided it. If that’s not enough, your head gasket may go out as that engine is also known to have stripped head bolts leading to head gasket issues and engine failure. It would probably be cheaper to drop a used V6 if your engine fails than to rebuild that 4 cylinder engine.

Now back to the stereo question. It seems like people are happy with name brands like Alpine and Kenwood. Also, I was looking at this Kentwood unit at this shop near my house; it was so smooth to use. I hope it works that well when I install it but I’m still comparing them. Most of them will need a dash kit. Now for your radio, if it’s a JBL version, it will say that in small letters on your radio. If you don’t see JBL on it then it’s one less step you got to deal with as the JBL requires a decoder or adapter for installation.

 

I've got a Sony that I'm very happy with. It's a mid range unit. It doesn't have built in GPS but few these days do unless you're spending close to a thousand bucks; otherwise they'll rely on Android Auto or Carplay.

There are plenty of kits that will include a dash piece to give it a nice integrated look. Hook it up to your steering wheel controls and you'll have a system that has a factory integrated feel.

 

I have an Atoto stereo I got off of Amazon in my Lexus. It has wireless android auto and apple carplay, connections for a rearview camera which I also added, bluetooth, USB input for thousands of mp3's, and a microphone for phone calls. For $200 it can't be beat! For an older car I would not spend more than that.

 

My car came with service records and seemed like it was garage kept. I’m willing to spend as much as I need to get the gadgets that I want. Does your unit have built in nav and night vision for the backup camera?

 

I stopped using built in gps in 2017 4Runner a few years ago. I use a TomTom gps with lifetime updates. There's a company that sells replacement batteries. Have replaced the battery in older TomTom gps for my Blazer.