Dealer installed Bluetooth worth it?

I was in the same boat as you when I decided to go with the non-BT package.

I'm probably going to buy a bluetooth speaker instead. The Jabra sp5050 sells for about $60 at Costco, and I'm hoping it works as well as my Motorola h700.

Of course, the factory BT is nice because it's fully integrated into the MFD and stereo. I rarely use the phone while driving, so I decided it wasn't worth the extra $.

 

$600 is pretty steep just to have something that will mute your stereo when you make a call. For half that you could have a nice portable Garmin Nuvi GPS w/Bluetooth, and for 1/10th that you can buy a Bluetooth speakerphone (I have both Parrot and BlueAnt installed in other cars).

For the cost savings, I'd be willing to press one extra button to mute the stereo and answer the phone.

 

I spent the extra $ for the package with Bluetooth. I really like the ease of use. Once I'd paired it with my phone, I just get in the car and drive. Not only does it automatically answer the phone; it lets me hang-up with a button on the steering wheel; and is pauses the CD player or mutes the radio. And since I put MP3 burn onto CR-R discs, I get a lot of songs per disc.

As for the Nuvi GPS, that's also a good idea. be sure to get one which accepts 4Gb SD cards. Because if you use it as your music player, it too will pause play to answer a call. Then the only concern is theft of the unit. I've read that some cars have been broken into because there's a GPS mount visible, assuming that the GPS is just being hidden inside. (and often that is the case too.)