GPS do you have one? Which one? Do you like it?

[JadenLayne]

I'm thinking of buying DH a GPS system for our van. We are forever exploring or going on vacation somewhere and looking for this or that and I think it would be great to get one.

So I know next to nothing about which to get. I've done a bit of research over the last day or so but nothing really conclusive as quite a few of them seem nice. Garmin, TomTom, Magellan......

I'm looking at spending no more than $400 and less if possible. So do you have one? Which one? Do you like it? Would you recommend it?

HELP, LOL!

 

[daisyduck123]

Ours came built into our new Denali when we drove it off the lot.
We love it & use it often to get around!
Those things are great!

 

[lsyorke]

No help on the portable ones, but I have Nav in my new vehicle...i would never get another car without it!!

 

[kaseyC]

Both of our cars already have Navigation systems built in them but because we love having access to them while traveling w/o our cars we purchased a portable one. We bought the Garmin Nuvi 360.

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=134&pID=6291

We chose this one because it has North America and European Maps. My DH is in Europe frequently for business. It comes in real handy when you're in a rental car in an unfamiliar city.

 

[DVC-Don]

I have one that came with my Hummer and I really like it. I just put in the update disk last week.

 

[JadenLayne]

We are looking at the Garmin 350. We don't need Europe but to have Canada would be good since we are planning on driving back there in a few years.

 

[DawnCt1]

No help on the portable ones, but I have Nav in my new vehicle...i would never get another car without it!!

Me too. DH would hardly use it however. Its hard for some men to ask directions, even if its from the Nav.

 

[mom2rb]

If you can buy one for $400, why does it cost so much to add it to your car? I have seen the sticker price go up by $1500-$2000 for a GPS. Are the car ones better?

 

[crz4mm2]

Garmin Nuvi 360. LOVE it. you can find whatever you need. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. it is really really EASY to use. I tried a different one first (off brand that was on sale) and it was sooo difficult to use) I sent it back and bought the Garmin.

I was going to wait til I bought my new car and order one with the new car, but they do charge 1000-1500 more for them with a new car. Why pay that when you can get a Garmin for 400- or so and take it with you from car to car. You can update every year.

 

[JadenLayne]

No idea....$400 is actually a pretty high budget for one as there are some that sell for $150 and you can find tons under $300. We want a few bells and whistles with ours...like the voice that says turn right on Main Street in 500 yards. There are some very inexpensive ones out there.

 

[janette]

My Dh has a tom-tom. He likes it, I've used it when going to a baby shower in an area I wasn't familiar with. Kind of funny to listen to it give directions when we are going the obviously wrong way We had to make a detour and it wasn't set up for that so it told us to turn around until it decided it would be better to go a different route and adjusted the directions.

 

[lsyorke]

The Chrysler version automatically does a re-route when you go off course. It's like you're never lost. I used it in Washington DC last month, and it was the first time I didn't get lost getting out of the city. We have found a few missing streets, but not many.

 

[JR6ooo4]

I got a GPS about 6 years ago. A garmin E-map. It is about time to upgrade.... It is a smaller size unit and will fit in my pocket, and will run on batteries. I have even used it to guide me back to where we parked in the huge parking lots.

MIkeeee

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

I suppose it's the convenience of having it in and installed instead of being an add-on. On my car, it was $2k more for the navi sytem, however it also came with other features like a back-up camera and a memory card slot (mp3 files and podcasts and audio books) and a hookup to play ipods through the stereo all as part of the navi system. It also uses the navi screen to work the sound system and the various sources, i.e., AM, FM, XM, CD, CD Changer, Memory Card and all the presets. It's very integrated. Is it worth $2k? That all depends on the consumer. I'll never buy another car without one, $2k or not. YMMV.

If you can buy one for $400, why does it cost so much to add it to your car? I have seen the sticker price go up by $1500-$2000 for a GPS. Are the car ones better?

 

[I Love Pluto]

I have a Garmin StreetPilot c330. I love it. It's easy to use, recalculates when you make a wrong turn, and shows area gas stations, restaurants, shopping, etc while traveling. It's a secure bet against being lost.

 

[LoraJ]

We were going to get a Tom Tom, but I think now we may be looking to get a Garmin. I was playing around with a bunch of them at Best Buy last weekend. I found the Garmin's to be the easiest to program. The Tom Tom was very difficult to try and get my work address to come up. I live in New Jersey, work in North Jersey, the Tom Tom wanted me to drive through NYC to get up to North Jersey. That's just insane.

So I would suggest going to Best Buy or a similar store and just play around with the units on display and see which one works best for you.

 

[tinksdad]

I've had one for a portable Garmin 2620 couple of years now and love it. Updated the maps twice now. I like the fact that you can take it along with you on vacation to new places that you have NO idea how to get around without a map.

Tried the Magellan first, but returned if for the Garmin. Just liked the interface and features better.

Looking for an upgrade in a year or so.

 

[Liberty Belle]

My husband has one and loves it. I have no idea of the brand, though. Oh, and he bought it at a sporting goods store. It didn't come with the car.

 

[kerrynic78]

I just got the Garmin Nuvi 350 for Mother's Day and I don't know how I ever survived without it! My DH always says I can not find my way out of a paper bag so this was a perfect gift. I think he spent about $350 for it.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

I have a built-in one on my CRV and DH has a portable one--a Tom-Tom Go 910. He wanted a $1200 top-of-the-line one but the installers would have had to cut a hole in his dashboard(2002 avalanche), so make sure the one you want will go in your vehicle. I think this one was $400-500.
He is even able to change the voice on his. He has a girl with a british accent and a tinge of a scottish brogue. It was very useful when we had to go to NC. SIL didn't trust it and sent us a bunch of maps, but he just typed in the addresses and we got right to them.
Mine has some errors. There is a park near us but the map shows it on the wrong side of the street. Also my sister's subdivision has been around 20 years, but when I go there it says "entering unverified area". Newer construction is hit and miss whether it is on the map or not. Unless I missed something in the manual I can't change the voice.
But as someone else said, mine also has a back-up camera and an audio display for XM or radio.
Robin M.