Tell me about GPS systems

[daughtersrus]

My DD (24) wants a GPS for Christmas. It looks like a bunch of stores will have them on sale either Thanksgiving day or Black Friday but I have no idea which one to get.

What do I need to know?

I'm wondering if the $59 Tom Tom Ease at Walmart would be good enough.

I've heard people say that they have to pay about $100 a year for updates. Is that true for all of them or just if you want updated maps?

DD is a teacher so she isn't driving for work. Chances are it would get used a few times a month at most.

Thanks for your help/advice/ suggestions!

 

[december]

I'm interested in the answers here, too. I am considering the same one from Walmart. I have a horrible sense of direction. I teach in the next small town over, so wouldn't need it often. With the new airline rules I'm thinking I may be driving more for vacation, though. Dh won't go with us, so before I take off with 3 kids I'd like to know I have the gps to depend on. I didn't know they had to be updated-don't really know anything about them.

 

[fall08CP]

I have a Garmin Nuvi and LOVE IT. I move at least every 6 months so it's been vital in getting around town, but I love that you can program to avoid traffic, alternate route at any time, avoid toll roads, etc. Also the "points of interest" have been a lifesaver. My gas light went on while driving down a lonely highway stretch and there were NO signs for gas. My Nuvi found a tiny station right off the highway and I barely made it there. It also has ATMs, post offices, schools, food (of every cuisine- love that when out of town!) other little points of interest that you wouldn't really think you need but come in very handy. I used to be nervous about highway driving and missing my exits but it's no big deal with my GPS.

I've never updated it (it's been 2-3 years) and occasionally there are roads it doesn't recognize, but they're few and far between. I also like that it "thinks" really quickly- if I miss a turn, it will immediately send me to the next closest appropriate turn. My friends with other GPS take forever to recalculate, and by the time it comes up with a turn you've missed it!

I have no complains with Garmin. I've literally taken it all over the country (including a 20 hour cross country drive) and it hasn't led me wrong yet, pardon the pun

 

[mguilford1]

We have a magellan pretty basic model for around $100 or less. We love it! We do not have to pay for updates or anything it just does it itself. My sister had a different brand $400 model with all the whistles but loved ours so much she went and bought one of these for herself and gave the other to her daughter. It is very easy to run. turn on and type in address or you can go to points of interest. It tells you what time you will arrive at address.

 

[Darcy03231]

I'm getting one for DD for christmas and so far everyone that has one really seems to like the Garmin ones the best. A couple of people I've talked to started out with the Tom Tom and then a couple of years later replaced it with the Garmin. I played with them some at Best Buy and it really seemed that the Garmin was much more user friendly (at least to me - I'm an electronics dummy) than the Tom Tom was.

 

[mrodgers]

I have a Garmin Nuvi and LOVE IT. I move at least every 6 months so it's been vital in getting around town, but I love that you can program to avoid traffic, alternate route at any time, avoid toll roads, etc.

Note that Garmin is the company brand, they make hundreds of these things. Nuvi narrows it down, but Nuvi is just the current line of GPS from Garmin. After Nuvi, there is a model number missing from above.

I mention this because the above can be misinterpreted. My Nuvi does NOT have traffic alert, which may be a pretty big feature if you travel through cities and other areas with a lot of traffic. Not all Nuvi have the same features, "Nuvi" is too basic of a description. You must have the model number to know what features it has.

 

[golfgal]

Map updates are around $100 so it is worth it to get one with free lifetime updates.

 

[Hercules10]

I have a Garmin NUVI. They're pretty good and Garmin was one of the first to market with GPS.

The only trouble I have is charging the unit up while on the road. Lithium batteries get HOT while charging. Couple this with the heat of the sun (since it's attached to a windshield) and every now and then the unit will seize up on me. I'll place it in front of a vent for a few minutes to cool it down.

 

[Singleminnie]

Thanks for the information I am looking to get a GPS this year. Planning on moving to Tampa, Fl after the first of the year from Nebraska, so it will (I hope) come in heady. Especially on our drive down to Florida.