Baxter Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 Should I buy Buy the AVIC-F90BT??? I was planning on having it installed in my 2003 Acura TL in the morning. It will require a custom made trim kit made out of mdf and bondo, painted to look like plastic. I have neverheard of such a thing. I'm a little nervous how that will look. Anyone? After spending an hour on this site, do you guys like the AVIC-F90 or hate it? Or is it a love hate relationship?? I can't tell! I don't want to become a hacker just to use this deck. I'm just looking for a unit that has Nav, XM, Blue Tooth, and IPOD built in to my dash. I gave my wife my 07 Honda with Nav and XM and I'm just trying to duplicate that. I have a two hour commute everyday and I can't live without XM and Nav after having it. Are there better options? Do I just wait? Please help with your thoughts and THANKS in advance. If I do buy the deck I'm sure you will be hearing more from me. Thanks again guys for your thoughts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bopper Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 More love than hate for me so far. I cannot compare it to any other aftermarket Nav's, though I have had Acura, Ford, GM, Mercedes, Audi Factory Nav's. the 900bt is a little quirky and if I lent the car to my Dad he would have some trouble with the radio, it is not as user friendly as all factory equipment. If you use the NAV often, you will find that it is really fast at calculating routes and recalculating routes and it is very, very talkative. I wish the MSN direct could give news and stock info. The bluetooth is great IMO, only problem is that caller can hear their voice through the speakers for the first few 10-15 seconds and after it is clear as a bell. You need the HD module for the Artist/Title info. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CatchMeIfYouCan631 Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 It's a love hate feeling for me. I love the great resolution, the Voice commands, and the fact that it's hackable, but not much of anything else. Personally I'm going to be selling the 90BT when the DNX9140 releases. It has everything the F90BT has and more. Only thing it lacks is the ability to hack and the great resolution, which I can live with. Only real killer is the price ($2k retail). As far as the custom mods for the TL, I would do a lot of research and find a reputable shop that can do that kind of thing. Before I bought the Mazda, one of the cars I was looking at was the TL, but was turned away by the factory nav as a standard, since I knew I was going to put a new radio in. If you deide to go through with it, definitely post pics, i think it'll be interesting to see an aftermarket radio retrofitted into a TL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
joegr Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 I have the 90BT. I would never buy another one. In fact, this one is going to be replaced, probably by a Kenwood. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Snakeyes Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 I have the 90BT. I would never buy another one. In fact, this one is going to be replaced, probably by a Kenwood. I must agree. Times are hard right now but I would much rather put my hard earned $$ to something I can depend on and enjoy. The problem is finding someone who will give anything for one of these because their resale value is basically $0. I will never sell mine, I have other plans for it and they will not be pretty This is the first time I have ever purchased a car audio product and had to join a forum to keep in running and I am talking about a long time here. Pioneer was once my "go to" brand. Never again. Got burned too bad on this one. I'm done with them and don't mind telling anyone who asks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paladin Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 Hey guys I stumbled across this. Should get you into the Kenwood for $1400. http://forums.evolutionm.net/evox-sale- ... oupon.html Just trying to help. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
njmikeb Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 Hey AVICF People. For the money the AVICF500BT is great. (under $200. US.) I'm getting mine custom fitted on Tuesday integrated with a JVC Headunit MODEL KDDV7400 It's front loading DvD/CD with front USB+front AV. It's cool & also under $200.. We're gonna' run the DVD out into the AVICF500. I work for an electronics distributor in Northern NJ. I get some good deals on car audio. I had my AVIC updated to the 2.0 software by the Pioneer tech in house. It's still got a pretty slow startup time but I have a 16GB flash drive plugged into the USB so that slows it down a bit. Still very cool. Peace.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cptdean Posted March 7, 2009 Report Share Posted March 7, 2009 Hi, Baxter. I've had the F90bt for about a month now and there's as much hate for it as there is love. Like CatchMe, I've got the DNX9140 in my sights, but I'm going to try to hold out for the 3.0 release and see what it brings. I have a feeling that I'll end up giving the F90bt to my girlfriend and buy the Kenwood no matter what. Here's where I'm at: Love - Resolution - Voice Commands (most of the time) - iPod Controls - Hacking - Relatively low price Hate - Sluggish interface - Navigation controls (even with the hacks) - Sound shaping - Slow boot-up - Crappy contacts control and BT issues with my 8330 Curve I realize all the points (good and bad) are rather subjective, but I'm looking forward to a larger display, quicker interface, and Garmin navigation (I owned three Garmins before the F90bt). That's just my $0.02. YMMV Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nkosi Posted March 7, 2009 Report Share Posted March 7, 2009 The f90bt is not worth getting. As soon as the Kenwood DNX9140 comes out I'm going to scrape up the funds and pick me up one. The unit is amazing. the f90bt had a lot of potential and initially I thought I made the right choice. I would soon live to regret that decision. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
blackh8552 Posted March 7, 2009 Report Share Posted March 7, 2009 The f90bt is not worth getting. As soon as the Kenwood DNX9140 comes out I'm going to scrape up the funds and pick me up one. The unit is amazing. the f90bt had a lot of potential and initially I thought I made the right choice. I would soon live to regret that decision. F90 can be has for $550 now and DNx9140 will be $1500+ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bopper Posted March 7, 2009 Report Share Posted March 7, 2009 The f90bt is not worth getting. As soon as the Kenwood DNX9140 comes out I'm going to scrape up the funds and pick me up one. The unit is amazing. the f90bt had a lot of potential and initially I thought I made the right choice. I would soon live to regret that decision. F90 can be has for $550 now and DNx9140 will be $1500+ I do think that a piece of equipment should do what it states in can do, but for a $1,000 difference, you can't really compare the two, apples and oranges. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nkosi Posted March 7, 2009 Report Share Posted March 7, 2009 The f90bt is not worth getting. As soon as the Kenwood DNX9140 comes out I'm going to scrape up the funds and pick me up one. The unit is amazing. the f90bt had a lot of potential and initially I thought I made the right choice. I would soon live to regret that decision. F90 can be has for $550 now and DNx9140 will be $1500+ I know how much the F90BT cost because I own one, but excuse me if I miss your point. Are you suggesting that the F90BT is worth getting because it is cheaper? My real question to you is, which would you rather have, something that is cheaper but doesn't work (aka brick), or something that works but cost more? The answer for me is a simple one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nkosi Posted March 7, 2009 Report Share Posted March 7, 2009 The f90bt is not worth getting. As soon as the Kenwood DNX9140 comes out I'm going to scrape up the funds and pick me up one. The unit is amazing. the f90bt had a lot of potential and initially I thought I made the right choice. I would soon live to regret that decision. F90 can be has for $550 now and DNx9140 will be $1500+ I do think that a piece of equipment should do what it states in can do, but for a $1,000 difference, you can't really compare the two, apples and oranges. Bopper, You need to check your numbers, the MSRP for AVIC F90BT is $1200, while the Kenwood DNX9140 is listed at $2000. A price difference of $800. When the Kenwood's actual price settles to a lower level just like the Pioneer has, then the real price difference will be much lower. Although, I suspect it will never drop to as low as the F90BT has. This is because the Kenwood won't have to stoop to giving away their product. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paladin Posted March 7, 2009 Report Share Posted March 7, 2009 You know when I first started looking for a new HU I found this site. I read all the negatives and the positives. I honestly did not want to spend $1000+ for a HU. I got my 700BT for $406. I got that as I did not need to play DVD's. I even have the buildings and speedcams etc.. displayed with the hacks which are easy to install. I have only had my HU for a few weeks now but so far I have hacked it and it is running fine for me. It takes a min or so to start but that is not a huge deal for me. Most everything else is working fine. There are a few quarks but nothing that was "really" annoying except for the vol beeps and that was easy to fix. The only other thing is a fast shuffle on/off but I can live with that. My MAIN feature was VR for calling up my ipod music. I have NO complaints for a $400 HU. I say if money is no object then go for the Kenwood. If you don't want to spend a fortune then get the AVIC. I am unsure how much better the Kenwood will be since I never owned one. All I can says is that so far I am very happy. It does a LOT for the money. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lubba911 Posted March 23, 2009 Report Share Posted March 23, 2009 Maybe we should wait until the Kenwood comes out and see what flaws it may or may not have before we compare the two head units. Hard to compare a flawed HU to one that's not out yet. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.