radar detectors

mustangkid05 · Nov 23, 2006

are they worth buying?.....and what is a good brand and let me hear some stories about them lol

thanks

bluextc · Nov 23, 2006

mine has given me notice to slow down, don't know if that is what saved me or if they just didn't bother to give me the ticket. I would like a better quality one, though, I just have one of those $70 or $80 ones. I bought my husband a nice one for his car that is wired into the car, I forget the brand, but it works much better than mine. His cost around $300 if I remember correctly.

SaleenGT2001 · Nov 23, 2006

i have a cobra detector in my car. i bought it like 5 years ago for $400, traded it to a friend for a set of rims, than bought it back for $20 about a year ago.

it works ok but i dont depend on it to keep me out of trouble.

DTNODYA · Nov 23, 2006

I've never had a super expensive one but I've had 3 Bel radar detectors. They are reasonably priced and work awesome. One time I picked up a cop running radar 5-6 miles away ... it was crazy when I finally saw him. You have to learn how they work though for them to be effective. For instance, certain alerts mean nothing but others mean that teh man is running radar somewhere nearby. As for laser, technically called "lidar", if you get hit with it then your radar detector doesn't help at all because lidar has to be aimed directly at your vehicle and by that time, you're caught. So, IMO if you are one who drives 10-20 mph over and want a little helper then they are worth the money.

DCjuggalo · Nov 23, 2006

i had one and then gave it away because most the time it would beep for no reason and drive me crazy
anyways if u do get pulled over, the officer is going to think that you speed all the time with that in ur car.. so ur more likely to get a ticket

chances are he already has ur speed on his gun by the time u react to the radar

mustangkid05 · Nov 23, 2006

Figment · Nov 23, 2006

i have the escort 8500 x50, works very well. it has saved me a few times.

Figment · Nov 23, 2006

DCjuggalo said:
i had one and then gave it away because most the time it would beep for no reason and drive me crazy
anyways if u do get pulled over, the officer is going to think that you speed all the time with that in ur car.. so ur more likely to get a ticket

chances are he already has ur speed on his gun by the time u react to the radar

not true at all, i have mine mounted next to the mirror. you can not see it from the outside.

and it has always gone off long before ive seen the cop.

Duke309 · Nov 23, 2006

Figment said:
i have the escort 8500 x50, works very well. it has saved me a few times.

get a x50 or a valentine V1 or you are wasting your money.

TrueBlue03 · Nov 23, 2006

i've been hearing a lot from my a couple friends with Valentines. sounds like they're pretty good...?

saleen556 · Nov 23, 2006

Figment said:
i have the escort 8500 x50, works very well. it has saved me a few times.

+1

myg- · Nov 23, 2006

saleen556 said:
+1

+2

serviator · Nov 23, 2006

Those of us with radar detectors are of course going to be biased by our own brand. You should do research on the radar detector review sites - try to avoid those selling detectors as well.

A lot of people likes the Escort, Bel and Valentine One's. I personally would never buy a Valentine One as I don't think the quality and price match up. The top models of the Escort and Bel's are great.

I bought the Bel 980 approx. 4 years ago when it was "top of the line". It has saved me numerous times. As with DTNODYA, I have also been warned miles before the radar setup point as well as in hilly terrain etc. If you get tagged with laser, the radar detector is pretty much just telling you to pull over - but with radar it's great.

One general thing for all detectors is you shouldn't buy too cheap. The Walmart models will go off at every store you pass by and the constant chirping will drive you crazy.

If I were to buy a new detector today, I would get the Bel Sti Driver. Or if I were on a budget, I would buy a used former high-end model like this $80 Bel 980 which used to retail at $450.

Good luck with the purchase. And when you get one, you can check out my guide on how to hardwire it here.

Kilgore Trout · Nov 24, 2006

You do not need to spend more than 100-150 dollars to get a good one.

Also, people are going to try to justify the money they wasted on their overpriced radar detectors by telling themselves (and you) that theirs is the best one EVAH. The V1 is a great example of this. Just because someone else was dumb enough to overpay for a V1 does not mean you should as well. People also always try to say that the V1 is as powerful and sensitive as the long range scanners on the startship enterprise

Like I said, for 100-150 you will get a detector that is more than good enough.

Most of the "independent" radar review sites on the internet are just sham sites setup by the manufacturers and are completely biased.

Mossberg · Nov 24, 2006

Figment said:
i have the escort 8500 x50, works very well. it has saved me a few times.

Same here. It has paid for itself many times now.

And no, I can't just slow down.

NyDon · Nov 24, 2006

i have an old school (4 y/o) uniden that suits me fine. but in my area they use the old school radar..so it's a match!!. but when i travel outside the area...i really don't speed that much. so it really depends on your area and what they're using. if you personally know any cops ask them like i did! but remember...make sure you know the cop so he doesn't think you're a douche....

Mustang5L5 · Nov 24, 2006

I've never run a radar detector. I don't exactly drive like grandma either but if you are smart about where you drive fast you shouldn't have a problem. I haven't had any probs at all without one.

A few of my friends who are police say that when they see radar detectors in cars, it weighs into their decision to give a warning or a ticket.

The whole "I wasn't paying attention and got carried away" excuse doesn't work as well if you have a nice expensive radar detector on your windshield.

BennyBlown2v · Nov 24, 2006

V1 is the only radar detector to own imo. Also, they have upgrades available whenever a new model comes out (at reasonable prices actually!). www.valentine1.com

DTNODYA · Nov 25, 2006

Mustang5L5 said:
I've never run a radar detector. I don't exactly drive like grandma either but if you are smart about where you drive fast you shouldn't have a problem. I haven't had any probs at all without one.

A few of my friends who are police say that when they see radar detectors in cars, it weighs into their decision to give a warning or a ticket.

The whole "I wasn't paying attention and got carried away" excuse doesn't work as well if you have a nice expensive radar detector on your windshield.

I have actually used my radar detector to make a cop NOT give me a ticket. I was not speeding and my radar goes nuts ... state trooper comes out of nowhere, turns around, pulls me over. He tells me I was doing 70 in a 55. I said "no sir, there is no way. When you clocked me, I was doing the speed limit and I know that for sure." He says "you know you were going too fast" ... I told him again, I was doing the speed limit. He finally let me go without even a warning ... even told me he liked my car. One of a handful of experiences I've had where the cop wasn't an a-hole.

Don't get me wrong, I have many friends that are police officers, but the "town clowns" are the ones I can't stand. Just sitting somewhere trying to pull someone over for doing 5 mph over or some **** ... stupid IMO!

Team Ford · Nov 25, 2006

Duke309 said:
get a x50 or a valentine V1 or you are wasting your money.

+1

I have the V1 and feel naked without it, sort of the feeling you get when you forget to buckle up.
Why the V1 you ask.
1.) threat indicator lights tell you which direction the radar is coming from. This is very accurate and a very nice feature.
2.) Multiple threat count. So you know what type of radar and how many.
3.) low falsing. it does fault but you learn how to tell. Grocery store doors, SUV's with the back up laser sensor will set off laser if you sitting behind them at a light and get to close.
4.) you can send it in for updates...no need to buy a new detector.

I have heard good things about the 50 too, so either would be a good choice.

radar detectors

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