When I bought my MINI Cooper S, I decided that I did not want the built in Sat-Nav system, because it displaced the speedometer from its rightful place at the center of the dashboard. Now that the technology has advanced further, it's possible to buy all kinds of self-contained units; my sister and my step-mother both have added on devices, while my mother's Sat-Nav system (Henrietta...) came pre-installed on her Volvo. Most of the units available are single-purpose and self-contained, and generally sport 320x240 screens and pricetags well over $750.

I always like finding different (read hopefully cheaper) options, so I am putting together together a system and installing it in the MINI. Basically, The Blue Meanie is getting its own laptop.

By basing it on a laptop (a refurbished IBM T-22 that i picked up for less than $400), I can not only use it as a Sat-Nav, but also as a multipurpose in-car entertainment and communication center. I can watch DVDs with it, or play music via iTunes, and with the wifi card, I can use it to get on the net anywhere there is a signal. I'm also getting a combo USB2 and FireWire card for it for easier interoperability.

The GPS antenna is a small puck made by Garmin that attaches to the roof of the MINI with magnets. Then, combined with MS Streets and Trips software, I'll be able to find my way around anywhere. One additional piece I need to get is either a power adapter to run the laptop from the socket or a power inverter. Other than figuring out a secure way to mount and quickly unmount the laptop, the only other piece I might need is this PC to car adapter

You may be wondering, knowing me, why I'm using a Windows-based system. Two simple reasons- price and software availability-- there's not much available for Mac OS X, and even less that accepts GPS input. Altogether this project should cost me less than $700 for a full car-based navigation and entertainment system, which is comparable to a stand-alone Sat-Nav-only unit.