[LEDZEP]

I've had a Garmin Nuvi for about five years or more. Since then I have had 3 BMWs with Nav, and don't need to use it in them. But I still use the Garmin whenever I travel and have a rental car, so it is of some use. I have both the windsheild mount and the beanbag mount. I tend to use the latter more often.

If you don't have Nav, getting a Garmin or other brand is certainly a good option. It has some nice features that the onboard Nav does not - like calculating true speed based on satellites (and finding out how far off your speedometer really is). For a little fun, hold it next to the window next time you fly commercial and watch the map whiz by! I know BMW now offers a branded version (I think made by Garmin) but don't know how it compares to others in terms of price and features. If the BMW logo on it is important to you, that's an option.

I've never been too concerned about how it looks. I never left mine on the window or dash when I left the car anyway. Even though they are much less expensive these days, it is still a temptation to would-be theives to break a window and steal it.