Best Deal on GPS System?

[weHEARTmickey]

I am directionally challenged & really need a GPS for our Mem. Day trip this weekend. I have spending $$ left over from Mother's Day (thanks to all the dissers for advice on my mixer!) & I'd like to get the cheapest GPS that actually works. I definitely want one that speaks.

This is what I did....I bought the Nextar for $109 from Best Buy & told the guy I was going to use it this weekend & return it if it didn't work very well. He said that was completely okay, as long as it was within 14 days.

Then I got worried about it not working very well, so I also went to Walmart & bought the cheapest Tom Tom there. It was about $120 or $130. They have the same return policy.

I don't usually buy things like this without researching them, but I REALLY need one for my trip this weekend. Have any of you used the Nextar? Just from playing around with them this afternoon, it seems the Nextar might be a little more user-friendly. BUT, who knows??? I really appreciate ANY advice. TIA!

 

[weHEARTmickey]

Anybody?? I am willing to get a Garmin or Magellan, just don't want to spend more than $130-$140 on a talking device. Also, we leave tomorrow am (t-ball game tonight!!)

 

[andrews_dad]

I bought mine at www.buydig.com over a year ago. It is a Nuvi 350 ... talks with street names (you should have heard the computer voice try to say the street names when we took it with us to Hawaii!!! HAHAHA) It was a great price and has always worked perfectly.

 

[Earstou]

I looked into the Nextar X3-03 now on sale at Kmart for $79.99 (after $20 rebate). It has good reviews on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Nextar-3-5-In...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1242997144&sr=8-1
In reading reviews, someone mentioned an earlier Nextar was not very good. So be sure to research which one you bought before keeping it!
I ended up not buying it because I need a GPS that has Europe maps available, and the Nextar does not (US and Canada only).

 

[weHEARTmickey]

Hmmm...after reading some reviews, I'm getting a bit nervous. I have to drive through Houston (just me & my DD8 & DS5.) I am terrible with directions but CANNOT get lost in this situation!

Now, I'm considering the Magellan - RoadMate 1440 GPS for around $200. I'm so indecisive, but the thought of getting lost on the way to the coast terrifies me. I wish I knew what to do! The "text-to-speech" function seems to be something I need (it speaks the street names before you come to them.)

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

We just took the plunge and bought a Garmin..... but we spent the extra to get lane assist and got the 765T.

From what I have read, Garmin is the way to go.... just decide which bells and whistles you need, and which ones you can do without.

Good luck!!

 

[RekkahBekkah]

I love my Garmin. It's an older version that doesn't speak street names. If you buy a Nuvi, you can also buy the map upgrade for life for the cost of 2 map updates. We haven't shelled out the money to update our maps, because they cost more than our Garmin is now worth.

The Nuvi 780 looks pretty good- It's $249 at Costco.

Amazon has the refurbed version for $199- but I don't think you have time for that.

Walmart has the Garmin Nuvi 200 for $108. If they have a good return policy, you could try it for the weekend. If you love it, keep it. if not, return it and pay a bit more for one with bells and whistles.

 

[Chicago526]

I have a Garmin that I love. I highly recommend a GPS that speaks the street names. We took it to DC a few months ago and would have been lost without it. I'm sure we'd still be there now, going in circles, if we hadn't had it with us!

We got ours as a Black Friday doorbuster the day after Thanksgiving for $199, I think it now goes for about $250 regular price. I know it may be more than you're wanting to spend, but I think it's just one of those things that is worth the extra expense.

 

[Vijoge]

We have an older Garmin StreetPilot c330 that has turn by turn directions but does not speak street names. We've had it for a number years (bought it when it was new and expensive) and we do pay to update our maps every two or three years jst because we like it and don't have any particular desire to buy a different unit.

Magellan and TomTom also make good units. No need to think that any of these brands won't "work well".

You can buy a fully functional GPSr for less than a hundred dollars. As with any electronic device you can also spend over a grand on one with tons of bells and whistles.

My advice is just to pick one in your price range and don't over-analyze your decision.

You should also be able to pick up a pre-owned unit on Craigslist for not much money. We bought two of ours that way. (we have four units altogether)

 

[jmunutt]

I bought a Navigon 2200 for $128 from Amazon before our trip to LA/Vegas earlier this month. After researching, I decided on this unit for two reasons:

The unit tells the street names, not just "Turn left here"

The unit also has live traffic updates. When we were in LA this was extremely helpful.

I read a lot of reviews and this was the unit I decided on. I'm extremely happy with my purchase.

Good luck with your trip!
Debby

 

[ShootingStarMom2]

We bought a Magellan from WalMart for $139 on black Friday. It is good for entering your to and from destination addresses, but if you try to use the special options like find a restaurant or store near where you are it stinks. I tried searching random things because DH didn't think it was that bad. I searched salons in the area and it said there were 5 near by. Near by being 150 miles away. I was waiting for DH to come out of Target so I searched local Targets available from the parking lot and it said the nearest one was 5 miles away. Someone I told about the problem said it just didn't know the Target because it was too new. Well, unless all the stores we are going to are all new then something has to give. It also takes about 5 minutes to realize you aren't at the last location you searched. So if you are driving along and need help you have to wait for it to recognize the new area after a few minutes. It won't charge if it's not turned on so it's always plugged in and running from the charger. The base is big and bulky. I would just get a Garmin.

The only plus I cad add is that is says the street names and chimes when you should turn. However, if you miss a turn it doesn't alert you like the Garmin does. They typically say "recalculating" but the Magellan just lets you keep going until it says "make a legal U-turn" after it's figured out where you went wrong.

 

[coneeny4]

Last week I bought the Garmin 260W at Costco for $149.99. It speaks the street names and it has the wide screen. I also downloaded for free the 2009 map on the Garmin website.
I have been very happy with it.

 

[weHEARTmickey]

OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just got home...with my Magellan Roadmate 1440!!!!!!!! I talked to my Dad this am (he & my stepmom have Magellans) & he said he liked it fine. I've borrowed his before & just thought I'd go with an old faithful. Now that I've opened it & used it I'm second guessing my purchase (or would that be 3rd guessing by now??) I found it at Sear's for $169.99---pretty typical price online, but much cheaper than any of the other places I checked in person.

Anyway, I took the Nextar back to Best Buy & they tried to charge me a $16.50 restocking fee. Apparently this is the norm, but I politely mentioned that the electronics mgr told me I could get all my $$ back if I didn't like it, as long as I returned within 14 days. They gave me 100% of my $$ back. (Now I know why I USUALLY research my purchases to death.) Now I have to take the TomTom back to Walmart & I'm scared they're going to charge the same thing.)

Anyway, I appreciate everyone's help so very much. The DIS always comes through with great advice. I'll just pray my lil' Magellan takes care of the simple tasks I require. Have a happy & safe Memorial Day weekend everyone!

 

[foodlover_US]

You might want to try the Magellan Maestro 3100. It’s a beginner level GPS that looks to provide bare-bones navigation at an low, attractive price. We have a Magellan GPS unit for the car. Those things are so great! We do a lot of private parties and finding these gigs without the GPS is not a lot of fun.

 

[NiftyJ88]

I bought a Magellan from amazon.com. it's a refurbished model, but it's regular retail is like $500 and I got it for $120.