no offence taken, all input on this is appreciated.. from what ive seen so far i think i can come in well under $1200.. i just dont want to put down $1200 for a single piece of equipment , i havent set a cap, but from my research so far, i think i can do all this for well under $1000...
im resourcefull, i dont need packaged set ups, so im lookiing at how the pieces will go together, key components needed, and how i can integrate them to do what i need them to do.. Im pretty sure i can buid a micro itx pc right into the plastic paneling in the back. theres no need for any enclosures or optical drives really, i can run a 802.11g wireless set up and program from my desk at home, or laptop. but a dvd rom drive might be a nice thing to include (i can put it anyplace and just run the cables to the brain.) i can add a touch screen monitor for the controller interface, and elliminate the need for a keyboard as well. the hardest part is creating a driver freindly controll interface to switch from the nav system, to cameras, or what ever else i want to display so im looking at that problem now.. but so far ive figured out that i can use a pc based system including video recording and navigation, and have it almost completely invisible..pretty cool stuff!!

nice set up in the pics above as well (i was composing this when it was put up) and the extra info was very helpfull!! thanks!