Should I invest In a V1 Radar Detector

[saeedg48]

Should I pay $400 for a V1

I've gotten a few speeding tickets in my life time.
Thank God and thank traffic school I don't have a single point on my record and i'd like to keep it that way. I only drive a bit fast in the M and the M's my weekend car.

I'll cruise PCH but rarely bring it on the freeway where a radar detector really proves it strength.. In the city where I mostly drive the M, the police that radar are all BMW motorcycles with Laser guns so that V1 is only going to tell me that i'm getting a ticket.

If I was on the freeway more often with the M then I would make the purchase in a heartbeat.

I rather purchase a radar detector that's going to save my ass instead getting more tickets

Thoughts..

[ES_TRADER]

Will the v1 tell u if cops are behind u? Like say u are speeding by and a cop gets on the freeway onramp. I find these situations are also high risk because all of a sudden it comes behind you outta nowhere and lights u up

[ManAndMachine]

I don't drive without it..It's a must in a 420hp car IMO.

[1sikbmr]

Saved my ass a couple of times. I say go for it

[dnvrdrvr]

Originally Posted by richpuer

Will the v1 tell u if cops are behind u? Like say u are speeding by and a cop gets on the freeway onramp. I find these situations are also high risk because all of a sudden it comes behind you outta nowhere and lights u up

Yes it will. I've had mine for 2 years and can't count the number of times I've reigned it in... Just in time.

[Kartelli]

after 3 years of usage, id say if you do primarily city driving its not worth the investment. It picks up everything and can be quite annoying. If you have a lot of highway/freeway commute, id say definitely get it. I drove the highway for 2 straight years and used it everyday. Now that I'm back in the city, I never bring it out. My 2 cents

[gemini330zhp]

Yes its the best investment!!!!

[saeedg48]

Originally Posted by Kartelli

after 3 years of usage, id say if you do primarily city driving its not worth the investment. It picks up everything and can be quite annoying. If you have a lot of highway/freeway commute, id say definitely get it. I drove the highway for 2 straight years and used it everyday. Now that I'm back in the city, I never bring it out. My 2 cents

I drive the highway/ freeway about 300 miles a week but in my daily driver.
In the daily driver I don't do any speeding - i know if i had the v1 in my dailyD i'd be testing my limits....

[pittsy]

Originally Posted by 4G63

Once you are lit up with a laser gun it's over and no radar detector in the world will help. My V1 has paid for itself many times over already in its 5-years of service.

No entirely true. The V1 is awesome, has saved me many times. Also, my laser jammers work extremely well!

[michelley91]

delete...found my answers :P

[eisenb11]

Originally Posted by michelley91

i don't have that much knowledge on radars and laser jammers...but wouldn't you still get a ticket even if you had a laser jammer? i dont see how laser jammers can be beneficial...would be nice if someone could explain

They prevent the laser gun from getting a reading on you, so it buys you time to slow down to the speed limit before turning the jammer off.

They're also illegal in California.

[ooowowizstev]

+1 for Jammer.

[xchosun1x]

jammer is nice but illegale.

I used to have a v1 but sold it mainly bc i found it a bit useless. Honestly, there are many cases that by the time it can detect something, its too late.

Got pulled over twice for speeding, both times the v1 detected it too late. Got 1 ticket and 1 warning.

However, there have been times it did catch the radar, but I wasn't speeding....so...

you be the judge

just my 2 cents

[J08M3]

I like mine. Found many cops with it and yes it will tell you if ones coming up behind you if they have their radar gun on. Where I live they seem to leave it on while cruising the highway and I've picked up many coming from behind.

[w00tw00t]

I had the 9500 before and now I have the V1 and love it 10x more than the 9500... I feel I'm flying blind without.. (When I'm in my wife's car for e.g)

[rdkc01]

The V1 is an excellent product. It is very beneficial knowing where the bogie is coming from. Let's face it if an officer is proficient at setting up a sting with spot laser there is a good chance you will get a ticket. That said I have had my V1 go off on laser a mile out and was saved. One or two saves and the unit is paid for. Oddly enough before I bought my V1 my speed violations were not in the M3 they were in a 1997 Dodge Dakota with an anemic V6.

[Poleposition]

Originally Posted by saeedg48

Should I pay $400 for a V1

YES. Saved my ass many times. Wouldnt drive the M without it.

[FlashTwoSix]

what is the latest V1 version? I have V1.7

[cncmastr]

Buy it. I have had mine for 7 years. Its been sent in for updates twice, cost like $40 a pop. It is still a workhouse and works like a champ. Replacement parts like the power cord are super cheap they ship for free. Excellent customer service and a great product. I wish more products were backed by a great company. Buy it!

[shamoo]

It depends on your own driving style I suppose. I have never had a radar detector and I personally don't understand people who either need one and/or get tickets all the time. Sure I speed, and I speed a lot. But I don't speed over hill crests, in areas I'm not familiar with, near overpasses with hiding spots, etc. If there's any hint that Impala/Crown Vic/Grand Marquis/etc is a police car, I don't risk it. I look out for specific license plate queues (in NJ, they start with certain letters).

I suppose it's good for an "extra measure", but when that can be $400+ that's a lot of money. I think I got one speeding ticket in my 15+ years of driving and I wasn't even speeding. But you can't win trying to argue with a cop, so oh well.

[rabman5]

Yes if the cops laser you, it's too late for the V1 to warn you, but when they laser the guy 1/4 mile ahead of you, you know and have time to slow down. That said, I don't use mine in the city. Too many false warnings so I just learned to slow down (it wasn't easy). I use cruise control a lot to moderate my speed.

I always use the V1 on highway trips. Saved me too many times to count.

[poopdeckpappy]

I've had a Escort / V1 since the 80's. The cost seems to make some uneasy. Those same people never factor in the insurance bump, cost of the ticket, and time spent on the side of the road, smiling to all the people you passed over the last 1/2 hour. Is it fool proof? No. Can it detect a really good radar operator? No. I would say it saves me 90% of the time. As long as the cop's lazy and leaves his unit transmitting your safe. If he flicks his "instant on" or "pop" your toast.
I wouldn't get the concealed display. I mount mine at the top of the windshield to the driver's side of the rear view mirror. The hardwire instructions in DIY forums was super easy. V1 also offers software upgrades every few years. Good luck and speed safely.