Hey Tony,
The idea of having to pay for map updates is ludicrous, you pay for the car, then again, and again... I am chasing a head unit for my wife as we are new to our area and wouldn't have a clue where we are going. There was a phone holder to suction cup to the windscreen in the car when we got it but my fife finds that is in her line of view even when we shifted it, I was pretty much the same. I have also found the stock unit pretty lame. lots of problems with the Bluetooth connectivity.