I recently got my first ticket. My parents didn't give me a whole lot of crap about it considering I have been driving ticket free for 2 years and I have friends who had 8 tickets their first month (and no, thats not an exageration). Anyways, I have a deal with the court where if I attend a small, one time class that is 3 hours long, and do not get a ticket for 90 days...the ticket is not put on my driving record and I don't have to pay it. But if I do get a ticket, I pay double and it kills my insurance.

My question is this. I figured this, a place where all my friends own vettes :cool: , would be the best place to ask for opinions on radar detectors. Which is the best? I know there are numerous brands and models out there. I want a good one, one that will catch any hidden cop. My price range would be anywhere between $20-250, give or take. Suggestions?

 

http://www.valentine1.com/ :thumbs:

but a little more than your budget allows for...

 

I have a huge sale going on for the Escort Passport 8500's. It is one of the best detector out there. For more details, here is the link in "C5 general" http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=480782

Regular price = $299.99 plus shipping/handling.
My sale price = $259.99 with FREE S/H

Here is the link to order http://www.tlelectronics.com/catalog...products_id=28

:cheers:

 

I hear that class is quite informative. For instance, did you know in most states an empty beer can in the bed of a truck is grounds for an open container violation, whether you picked it up in a parking lot or "emptied" it yourself. :eek:

 

Car & Driver did a comparison back in February 2002 (yeah, I know, kind old) and the results came out as follows on a scale of 1 to 100:

Valentine One: 97
Escort Passport 8500: 73
Bel 980: 61
Cobra XR-1050: 43
Whistler 1780: 35
Uniden LRD 987: 34

Personally, I own a Valentine One and I cannot imagine owning a radar detector that doesn't have the directional arrows that the V1 has. Yes, it's expensive. But so are tickets and the accompanying increase in your car insurance.

 

Learned that one the hard way

 

I'd say take the class first of all :yesnod: . For a radar detector, I went to the place where I bought my stereo, and I know the owner. I asked what he had for radar detectors, and he told me NOT to buy one of his and get the Valentine 1. He said if he was buying a radar detector, it would be the only one he would buy :cheers:

 

The Valentine 1 is the only way to go. I'm sure you could find one on ebay that would be within your budget. My V1 has paid for itself 3 to 4 times over in the 1.5 years I've had it (and I paid retail). It sniffs out cops better than anything I've seen or used. The direction indicators are priceless yet it also has the best sensors available. For me there is no comparison.

 

V1 all the way. Once you get used to the arrows you will be hooked. Second place would be the Escort 8500. It is good. and about $100 cheaper. So if budget is a serious issue then you may want to go for the Escort. Don't even consider any other.

tom...

 

I did a post like this a few weeks ago. You can search the archives and see what others said. I threw opinions heard here have decided to wait and buy a Valintine One when I get the extra cash.

Mark B.

 

Both of these radar detectors (V1 & 8500) have their own pro's and con's. The Passport 8500 has several features that V1 doesn't, and vice versa.
I personally feel that at $259 shipped, the Passport 8500 is a much better value than V1 at $399 plus shipping/handling. But with the cost aside, I honestly think all of you will be equally happy with either one. We have as many satisfied 8500 users as the V1.

:cheers:
-Tuan

 

Escort web site says $299 not $259.

jonny4523
Just don't forget, the radar detector will not keep you from getting a ticket. It can help you know if there is a trap a head. But if you happen to be alone on the highway and the cop has an instant on radar then you are nailed. Just don't think it will stop tickets. It is just a tool that can help if use right.

tom...

 

Original Passports go on ebay for under $50. They are in my opinion the best x-k band units out there. The newer units with laser are just not as sensitive as the older radar units. I find (at least in my area) that the police use older radar more than laser. Laser is awfully tough to detect and beat with a detector.

 

It is alot better value, but the thing that got me is the directional arrows on the valintine one. I like the idea of knowing where the cops are more then that they are close. It is my understand that the Escort 8500 is just as good and only lacking that feature for the much lower price like you stated.

Mark B.

 

:iagree: The old Passports are cheap and hard to beat; I have one in each vehicle. Most law enforcement can't afford laser so it is very rare (at least in the SE where I drive). Every once in a while, the NCHP will use VASCAR which measures speed by clocking you through a premeasured point to point. Nothing will work against that, not even the V1 or new Passport.

 

[QUOTE]
Escort web site says $299 not $259.

jonny4523

Tom73,

What I meant is you can buy a brand new Passport 8500, still in the plastic seal for $259 shipped. Where as on the Valentine, you will have to pay retail @ $400. :)

 

jonny4523, here's a radical concept for you- try not speeding during the specified 90 days. It seems to me that would solve the problem nicely. :)

Radar only detectors have a limited usefulness in these days of laser and 'instant-on' radar systems. With 'instant-on' radar, you have a very limited chance to react. Some officers drive around with their radar on all the time, just to see who has radar detectors (that would be the guys who pound the brakes each time a patrol car passes).

Laser is 'line of sight' with an effective range long enough that you won't see the police car until it's way too late. By the time a laser detector warns you, the first reading on the laser is done. Most cops take multiple readings so even if you slow down, they'll record that pattern to present in court. What looks worse for a driver in court than a cops saying "His speed was XXX but he slowed immediately because of his laser detector. Evidently this driver habitually speeds and used a laser detector in an attempt to avoid tickets."

Both laser and radar detectors will pick up 'skip' (radar or laser bouncing off of other vehicles) which provides you an opportunity to slow down before you become the target but 'skip' by it's nature is not consistent.

Finally, remember that both laser and radar are only used to confirm the law enforcement officer's visual estimate of your speed. A cop can write you a ticket based strictly on his/her visual estimate, but most prefer to use laser or radar for confirmation. For court purposes, it's easier to use radar or laser confirmation than to have to articulate one's expertise in the estimation of speed.

At the end of the road, common sense (the least common sense of all) plays a more important role in avoiding tickets than any kind of technology. There are times and places where exceeding the speed limit is like begging for a ticket. Look at your buddy who got 8 tickets in a month and avoid whatever it is he does. :lol: