I searched around for this topic and its pretty scattered and I had a couple of questions myself and thought opening up a new thread would be better than reviving an old one. First off I have a 2002 ES 300 with the Factory Premium Sound System 6 CD changer and have been looking for a navigation system of some sort that includes GPS and a way somehow to connect an ipod to the factory sound. I do not want the FM modulator or Cassette adapter, as the quality was incomparable to the CD audio and I think would bottleneck the Alpine Type S 6-1/2 speakers I've already bought from Best Buy to replace the stock pioneer speakers from all doors. Buying CDs and burning custom CDs has become pretty tedious and I would rather have an iPod to connect to listen to my songs instead of finding 20 songs to burn on a cd every time i get sick of hearing the same cd over and over.
I wanted to know what I would need to buy in order to fit the navigation screen, I asked the Best Buy guy in Bay Parkway, Brooklyn and he told me to go to 212 Motoring to get the piece b/c they do not carry the part, which I think would be kinda ridiculous b/c they are well known to attract celebrities and their expensive cars to custom fit their audio, electronics, ect. accessories and here I am, just looking to get a bracket\bezel from them which i am sure they will charge an arm and a leg for.
I've seen threads where I would have to buy the Double Din Stock Navigation bracket from Lexus, my question is is there anything else that I would need to buy? Or would I be able to replace the plate onto the existing bracket with the navigation bezel? (bolt,screws, etc) So far I haven't bought anything, I want to make sure I have every thing before I start splurging on things that I don't know will work. I want to be sure.
If factory is an option then would only a 2002 nav fit or would newer version of the ES navigation system fit?
Also, is the 2002-2006 ES Navigation Touchscreen an easy swap or would more things need to altered to make this possible or is this just impossible?
Im thinking in the long run, would a factory Nav be more attractive in the long run than an aftermarket?, I am weighing my options but I am envisioning the price of a 2002-2006 nav to be more pricier than an aftermarket (Pioneer, Alpine, Eclipse) so I'll weigh my options but so far this seems to be a big task.
I'd rather buy the Navigation myself at a fraction of the cost from ebay or something then have a shoddy custom audio place overcharge me a couple extra hundred and have best buy install it for me instead for 55 dollars + tax with warranty.