I did and you are.

With two grand to spend you can do better than the Elite. I like Lowrance but in bigger/better series. Helix 9 or 10 would be a good choice for the money.

Put your money on the console unit. Most anything will work up front. You can get a used Elite 7 for $400 or less. That's what I use on my trolling motor.

Install is as easy as plugging in a lamp.

Well 2 Helix 9s don't look bad at all , now to decide SI or DI , or bouth and where to put them. If you can't tell this is my first upgrades , lol and learning to use them will be fun. I just want to be able to pull up on a bush , or tree and tell if anything is on it , and be able to mark that location for later.
I have a 18.3 foot Sprint Tour. series boat and the electronics are from 1998. lol

SI on Console, DI up front.
That's easy peasy

Easy get 1 Bird and 1 Lowrance... Then you get to compare graphs and adjust accordingly. I agree with tboxfish SI at console DI at bow...

this,, and if you ever want si on the bow you can network them together and get si reading from the si transducer on the DI unit. If you go with the helix 9 I would highly recommend to upgrade the transducer to the hdsi through the transducer swap out program through hummingbird . it runs about an additional $85 and youll want do the same with the DI transducer as well for the trolling motor

Best combo at this point is still (2) Lowrance networking (add Xi5 at the later tine when you can upgrade if you are to think ahead)

If Xi5 is never in the plan, then at least get the same brand units with networking capability for both units.
There is no reason to mark a waypoint at the console and not have it shown on the bow. Manually copying waypoints between units would definitely be a regretful decision.

Good luck on your selection!

Well not for sure the units will work on my old Riptide trolling motor now. Waiting to hear from David about that. Long drive from Waxahachie to Shut up and Fish , but might be worth it. I will bug him later when hes done fishing lol

Wel after long thoughts and talking with David I decided on Xi5 troling motor with anchor system , Hummingbird 9 SI on the console , and a Elite 7 up front. I can't wait to use it out on the water , after David gets done.