Looking for a GPS please help!

[Born2Cruz]

I would like to purchase a GPS system this holiday seasson but I have no idea on the ones that are good/bad. I'm gussing there are generic ones from some of the name brands but again I have no idea. Then there is price, I don't want to spend and arm and a leg for one. Any help would be great. I just don't know where to start.

 

[PrincessNoelle'sMom]

I purchased one yesterday for $99. It is a Garmin Nuvi 205. Basic model with a great rating. I spoke to sales people at top retail electronics store and the Garmin is the one recommended most. The retail price on the model I got was $160 - thought this was a great deal! Don't know how many features you are looking for, but this would be a good starting place for a basic GPS. Good Luck!

 

[luvmy3]

Check your local Target store, they often red tag clearance some GPS models. There was recently a TomTom (sorry don't know the model) that had been found for $49 in some Targets.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

The one thing that was important to me after I did some research was getting Text to Speech--I wanted the machine to say outloud, "Turn left in one half mile on Main Street" rather than me having to try to read the screen while I'm driving.

I settled on the Garmin nuvi 225w and bought a refurbished one (came in a plain white box, but otherwise seemed just like new). They're $129 on amazon. If you scroll down the page, there's a chart that outlines features of a bunch of the Garmins (some of the newest ones aren't listed though).

http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-255W-4...3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1241540696&sr=1-3

 

[minnie1928]

2 words....Garmin Nuvi.

 

[luvmy3]

Also a bigger screen is nice. I got one of the widescreen ones for dh. It was a couple years ago, they may all be widescreens by now

 

[mgroshans]

I purchased one yesterday for $99. It is a Garmin Nuvi 205. Basic model with a great rating. I spoke to sales people at top retail electronics store and the Garmin is the one recommended most. The retail price on the model I got was $160 - thought this was a great deal! Don't know how many features you are looking for, but this would be a good starting place for a basic GPS. Good Luck!

Garmin all the way. DH got our Garmin Nuvi a couple of years ago and he LOVES it. He got it at Circuit City (when they were in business) and that is the brand they recommended (so did Best Buy).

 

[BrandiP]

We love our two Tom-Toms! We're even buying a few to give as Christmas presents! I got one of ours from TigerDirect. They have good prices, but the items are usually refurbished.

My husband has a widescreen one and is often envious of my little one. He says he prefers the compact size because it's easier to store (in the glovebox, console, pocket, etc.) and that since the directions are spoken aloud the size of the screen didn't bother him.

You should go to a store and look around, pick them up if possible so you can see the features and how user friendly it is- no matter what brand you choose!

 

[secretpantssam]

I have used Garmin, Tom Tom, and Magellan, and personally I hate Magellan. I feel like their system was much less user friendly than the other 2. However, I don't actually know the model numbers, so it could have just been a crappy model. But I personally wouldn't buy a Magellan.

 

[Kies99]

I also highly recommend you make sure whatever GPS unit you get, it has Text-To-Speach. This is the GPS speaking aloud the directions when it's time to execute a maneuver (ex: "in point 1 mile, turn right onto Main Street). I think this is essential so you can pay more attention to the road.

I also HIGHLY recommend you check into the map service for each. Maps are not continously updated on your GPS. You will have to manually do this. This will cost you. For example, Garmin charges $69.99 for a 1-time update or you can pay $119.99 for lifetime updates on your Garmin.

That being said, I recommend the Garmin Nuvi. It has it's quirks, but you quickly learn them and I don't have much trouble.

 

[akcire]

If you belong to Costco or Sam's Club you should buy one there. They both have awesome return policies, if you don't like the one you bought--take it back.

We have a Tom Tom we bought at Sam's Club, it was highly discounted after someone returned it. We wiped their information and got a GPS for less than $60. My husband has been pleased with the unit.

Also remember to download the file on the Mousesavers website that have all of the walt disney world locations. We have done this and use it in our rental cars when we travel.

Good luck with whatever you buy

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

I think you need to specify if you want one for your car to give you turn by turn directions, or a handheld device. If you want a car one then there are a bunch of options avaialble, even applications you can add onto your cell phone. Handhelds are totally different and you will get a lot of people with a lot of personal preferences. I have used them all and found the Garmins are awesome, but again, that's personal preference (avid geocacher)

 

[DebMcDonald]

2 words....Garmin Nuvi.

Ditto!

 

[chabs]

I'm waiting for QVC or HSN to have one as today's special value. They usually have pretty good prices. They are usually pretty popular around the holidays, so I'm sure one will be coming up soon.

 

[lovemygoofy]

We have a garmin nuvi and love it! We subscribed to the traffic thingy because of the crazy traffic here. It will tell us where traffic is backed up and how long the wait is and then offer detours if we think it's needed.

The only thing I will say is that the suction cup thingy that came with my GPS was horrible. It kept coming off the dashboard while I was in the process of driving. We purchased the bean bag looking hook thingy and it works so much better. I just popped in on the ball thingy and then put it away when not in use.

 

[Swimalie]

I think you need to specify if you want one for your car to give you turn by turn directions, or a handheld device. If you want a car one then there are a bunch of options avaialble, even applications you can add onto your cell phone. Handhelds are totally different and you will get a lot of people with a lot of personal preferences. I have used them all and found the Garmins are awesome, but again, that's personal preference (avid geocacher)

I agree. What are you planning on using it for? I'm looking at one for my husband to use while he rides his bike and while he's hiking. It's totally different than the car models. Either way, Garmin is the best brand

 

[Born2Cruz]

Thank you all for the great information. We will be using it for our car. Lots of traveling for my husbands job. I definatly want the text-speach.

 

[spare+a_pair]

We just bought a Tom Tom One 130 and we love it! It is a basic model with text to speech. One reason that we chose Tom Tom over Garmin is because the Tom Tom map updates are free

 

[Kies99]

We just bought a Tom Tom One 130 and we love it! It is a basic model with text to speech. One reason that we chose Tom Tom over Garmin is because the Tom Tom map updates are free

Tom Tom map updates are free...with a catch.

Tom Tom allows users in the community the ability to make updates to maps that then can be downloaded to your GPS. This is called "Map Share".

HOWEVER...your base map can only be up to 1 year old. Each year they reset the "base" map that the user community is updating. If you don't buy the updated map each year then the free updates will not work for your gps.

Here's a link to Tom Tom's site with the info:
http://www.tomtom.com/products/maps/index.php?Lid=4

 

[chabs]

HSN has a Magellan on Today's Special Value for $129.99. I can't find any reviews on this model but I think it's one that an HSN exclusive. I think I might wait to see if QVC offers a Garmin Nuvi. That seems to be the best brand.