Yet another What...

[DottyMR2]

Dash Cam! Bet you thought it was a What Car for a second.

I know there is a topic relating to this however, dash cams seem to be a minefield or fakes, knock offs etc. and the thread going is so long and confusing with so many recommended options, I don't know where to begin.

I'm wanting to have camera front and rear in the Saab. After being on the recieving end of 1 rear ender (steady on!) and 1 t-bone in the past 2 years and the hassle I had with insurance companies destroying evidence and not following up anything, (I'll not name and shame but it spells the same forwards and backwards...) I want to get a dash cam to turn these 9 month headaches into open and shut it's on tape. (both accidents happened in rush hour traffic too)

This is where it gets tricky. I see some cameras have front and rear built into one camera mounted on the rear view mirror, but do I really want my coupon on film during an accident, pulling some horrid face that only a mother could love? How good is the view of whats going on behind? Will it be good enough quality to read their plate on the video?

Or, do I go for 2 slightly cheaper onces and have individual cameras front and rear? Any pros and cons to this? Obviously the rear camera is going to need power, am I creating a nightmare trying to wire that in?

Second point is, for the rear camera, ideally it will be nice and flat. It would go on the parcel shelf and not obscure any of my view if it was a low enough profile, or is it better to stick it just under the top level brake light?

Budget wise, about middle of the road. Nothing too cheap and nasty that will fall apart (however cheap and well made/good quality video is ok!) but nothing that costs a fortune. Obviously if I go for 2 cameras then both should be a bit cheaper, or if it is a 2 in 1 then it can be more expensive.

Last of all is the seller. I have seen lots of knock off dodgy sellers being reported, is this the usual only hear of bad things on the internet and not the thousands of good purchases? Recommend me a seller?

I'll sum everything up quickly since I have fired a lot of questions out there:

- 2 in 1 camera or not? Pros and Cons
- Which cameras to go for? Not looking for movie quality but has to be good enough to make out landmarks, numberplates etc. 720p would probably do the trick.
- Style of camera for rear and how to mount it?
- Advice on wiring in, setting up etc.
- Any bolt on extras that are good? I see lots with GPS modules, is GPS wroth it? I'm only looking for back up evidence, do I really need speed/location/time etc. in the camera?
- Recommend a seller from experience?

Thanks for any help PH can give on this.