Hello fellow enthusiasts. I am new to this forum, having just discovered it tonight and I am very glad I did. I have been reading for hours now and have learned a lot, but I still feel I need to ask a for a few opinions before diving into the D2. Ive been looking into the N1/N2/N3 for a few years now, but now I'm very serious about getting one soon and with further research, I have discovered I may like the D2 better.

First off, I have a 99 GMC Envoy. I am about 99 percent sure the D2 will fit, but does anyone out there know of a site where I can double check? Of course, Crutchfield has not yet researched this part of my car yet and cant tell me. Bestbuy.com says it wont fit though, and I know of no other websites to check.

Next, I'm curious about what is going on as far as a price for this unit goes. Researching throughout this forum, I have seen prices as low as $600. The best I am able to find for some reason is $697 for a refurb. I saw mention of a site called 6ave and how they sell them at a fairly good price of $719 brand new, yet I just went on 6ave and it is telling me $1200. How could the price go up like that? I know this is the same old question you get all the time, but where is the best deal nowadays? I'm checking Ebay constantly but I'm seeing nothing worthy on there either.

Now onto video. I would love to have a DVD player installed. I wish there was a single disc that was compatible with the touch screen, but I know that besides the SDV-P7, I'm out of luck. My current stock stereo has a separate 6 disc changer under the actual headunit, which I would like to occupy with a DVD player. Any suggestions from anyone on a cheap in-dash DVD player to fill that spot? Maybe one that plays both PAL and NTSC?

Ok, next question. Is the navigation REALLY as horrible as some of the board members here claim? My parents had a stock navigation unit in their 2004 Chrysler Pacifica. I'm not sure if it used TeleAtlas or NavTeq, but even it was good enough to get me around. From what I understand, the map update coming in March is going to be a huge step up though, so I'm not THAT worried, but for the next three months I'd like something that will get me from A to B decently, ya know?

Lastly, I'm considering buying a huge iPod to connect to this and go "CD free", but Ive learned there is no perfect way to set up an iPod. The best thing Ive seen on here is to get iPod2Car. Can someone divulge a little further into this product for me, or give me a better suggestion for iPod compatibility.

Thank you for taking the time to read my questions and ANY help would be appreciated! I know all of these questions have been answered numerous times and I am sorry, but sometimes I need to ask these things in my own words to finally understand the answers. I'm starting to get a headache from all this criss-cross info I'm reading and I haven't even dipped into how to install this damn thing yet! And I have NO experience! That will come later though. Thanks again!

i'm not exactly a pro when it comes to the system b/c i've only had my d2 for less than a month, but i can tell you i got my d2 from www.amazon.com for around 700-750 (i forget the exact number...)

and as far as the ipod connector, i have 2

one is the CD-IB100II for the ipod music

and then I have the Ipod RCA cable for the playback of videos

(http://cgi.ebay.com/APPLE-IPOD-TRIPLE-R ... dZViewItem)

i switch back and forth between the 2 cables...one for the videos one for just the music

hope this helps a bit

apercele79

I am contempleting the same setup, how is that iPod interface working for you? Was it a straight forward install? Thanks in advance

to be honest with you the interface sucks a$$....it only shows the first 8 letters of the artist, so you might as well stick to just the RCA cable

i bought the Z1 and i will probably install it in these next couple of days; i heard the Z1 is much better with the ipod adaptor than the D2

but as far as the D2 is concerned, i would recommend just the RCA cable since the ipod adaptor is so limited

wow lots to read. anyways, ipod connector is the best choice for controlling the ipod from the avic unit. using the rca's you dont get it to charge, you dont get the control from the avic unit. that is more important to me and most people then being able to see characters or such on the screen. there is a mod for the blue wire in the accessory unit that gives control and the ability to switch from rca to connector for control and charging of the unit.. search it out. as far as the rest of the stuff I honestly didnt read through the thread enough to get the rest of the problems, thats alot to read.

actually my ipod is charging with the ipod adaptor and i would rather control it from the ipod then the actual unit so im happy with the rca cable

sorry, I meant most people ... like in the kind that dont use the mod to control the ipod from the ipod instead of the avic unit itself, in addition thats a little risky as thats just another thing to take your mind and hands off of the road if even for just a few moments to adjust the rather small screen and buttons that are not in a central location and all while driving... ewww I know of more then just a few drivers that have hard enough time driving anyways.

Sorry for my long post. It was 4 in the morning and I had a lot of thoughts in my mind, haha. Any help you could give me would be great. Thanks!

Can't there be love in the world, Ap and Till? LOL. On the real, I see both of your points. For me, the iPod will be strictly for watching movies/TV Shows at lunch. And something to keep the better half entertained while we take road trips. So I am mainly looking for the video playback features. However, the Pioner unit would be a "back-up" incase I decided to load up the iPod with some music.

Now you guys kiss and make nice...LOL.

no one's pissed...i dunno where you got that from..

i was just explaining why i choose both options...

not mad, least not at anyone here as long as they arent the dumb ass's on the road that I am on at the same time.

I dont believe I will be using the video feature of the iPod with the AVIC so right now, from what you all tell me, the iPod adapter seems to be the best choice. That, or the iPod2Car. As I said in my first post, does anyone have this where they can give me some details about it and opinions?Also, if anyone has any time that they can read my other questions in the first post (I know its long, I'm sorry ) it would be greatly appreciated! The iPod was a concern, but not the greatest one on my list. Thank you for your responses so far!

the navi is not that bad, there are some areas that are a little shaky but all in all it works well. as for the price, the d2 is not being manufactured and wont be, cuz the d3 is coming out. there is lots different with the new model. So, for right now, you might find only high priced units out there since they are in demand and really not in stock in many places.

To piggyback on what Till said because the D2 is no longer being produced, I would suggest researching the D3 and if it is best for your need, wait until March. If not, get the D2 from a reputable reseller (Crutchfield, etc) that way if there are any issues you are covered

Thank you for your help! Getting the D3 was an option I hadn't considered all that much but now that you mention it, it would be pretty smart to just hold out. Think they are able to be bypassed? Anyone else here getting one when they come out? Thanks again for the help!

Before you rule out the D2, check what features are on the D3. There are a couple of threads on it in this forum. For my money, the upgraded features were marginal at best and not enough to offset the loss of the screen real estate.

I have the iPod2Car. It's MUCH better than the Pioneer interface, but is too expensive for what it is (and is only about $20 worth of parts).

For one thing, it is slow. MUCH faster than the Pioneer interface because the Pioneer interface loads and plays back each selection, but iPod2Car is still not that fast. It lets you browse without interrupting the current song which is a HUGE benefit over the Pioneer interface, but if you're looking for the 150th entry in a list of over 300 items, you still have to click the button 150-times. It also doesn't register instantaneously so as you can imagine, it takes some time. You also lose XM compatibility, if that's important to you. That's because it pretends to be an XM radio. Another annoying issue is that it causes the D1/D2 to start up in "OFF" mode every time you turn on the ignition, forcing you to press SRC to turn it back on.