Get the popcorn! Lowrance/Hummingbird There are a lot of personal preference choices here. 2d, 3d, side imaging? Like you insinuated, electronics are expensive too. Also, are you satisfied with whats at the stern? A lot of considerations. You may want your newest/best system at the helm. I prefer mine that way.All that said, To me Lowrance has the best 2d and crisper arcs. If This is all you care about, go with a HDS5 for about 5-600 bucks depending on software. If your budget is more, the HDS 8 W/structure scan and lss2 is awesome. Put it at helm and move old unit forward. Quite a bit more money though. I prefer Lowrance and love my HDS units.