Need a GPS

[ouch]

Anyone have one of these? I'm looking for a portable one for SWMBO's car, and thought I'd draw on the unlimited knowledge base of the forum.

Brands? Features? What should I be looking for?

[scorpion]

Although they aren't the only manufacturers, they are the largest by far... Garmin Vs. Magellan is the ford or chevy debate of the GPS world. In my opinion the Garmin autoroutes in a superior fashion to the Magellan systems, but they are both fine. Autorouting is the ability to figure out a new route from the current coordinates if you miss a turn rather than just saying 'do a u turn'. Love my GPS by the way. I have a garmin gpsmap60cs - I got a handheld I could use in the car so I could use it for hiking and geocaching and stuff. Not waht you'd want if it's to be a dedicated auto unit.

[rhett121]

I was thinking about getting this one or this one.

A friend of mine has an older Garmin (I think it's an older Street Pilot or something) and it's pretty cool. I usually use the google maps on my cell phone but it doesn't have GPS, just a map and direction and real time traffic.

[teamacacia]

I purchased the Garmin Nuvi 660 for my wife for Christmas. I went with it over some of the cheaper models as it had bluetooth so she could use her cell phone hands-free via the GPS unit, it has a 20Gb mp3 player, and a few others. What I'd recommend is to look at the website and see what features each unit has and compare those features to what your needs are.

[Dennis]

What all do you want to do with it? That would help narrow it down a bit...

The one thing about GPS is it is all about the antenna. GPS units are just receivers, so if the antenna is not great, it sucks - takes longer to acquire the signal, accuracy really suffers, signal drops while you are moving, etc... I have owned both Garmin and Magellan units and I preferred the Magellan. A color screen was not all that helpful in my book. I would always get a mapping GPS since owning one. Be sure you like the maps the company offers because, in essence, those are the only ones you can use (unless you get into hacking maps and all that). Be sure you have sufficient memory if you like to have a lot of maps - preferably more than 24 mb or even expandable via memory cards would be nice.

If you have more qs, just ask. I have been using GPS units for about 10 years now and used them extensively for mapping hiking trails. I am also a paid subscriber to OziExplorer.

Dennis

[peacefrog]

We've got a Garmin 2720 in the car, and we absolutely love it. It's got loads of capacity and came with all of North America pre-loaded. It has text-to-speech (ie. it tells you the street names rather than just "turn left in 1/4 mile") and, importantly to us, allows us to load hundreds of custom waypoints at a time. We do not subscribe to its traffic feature. We also have a Garmin Legend and a Garmin eTrex for geocaching.

[ouch]

What all do you want to do with it? That would help narrow it down a bit...

I need one to keep my wife from getting lost, primarily in Bergen County, NJ. It will never leave the car, and should be idiotproof.

[AlwaysUK]

Think of the cost ! ..just buy her a road atlas..

[ouch]

Think of the cost ! ..just buy her a road atlas..

Right. Sure. That's how it works in America.

It has to tell her the name of the street to turn on.

Cost??? Think how much shave gear I'll be allowed to buy!

[Dennis]

You threw me at "portable." All my GPSeses have been hand-held. I'll let the car guys take over - good luck!

Dennis

[Tanksfurnutin]

I am also looking for a navigation device. The wife and I are planning a trip to Germany in the spring so I need it to have European maps also. I was looking at the Garmin 350, but with the price they charge for extra maps I am leaning towards the Garmin 370. This model already has both Europe and North America pre-installed.

[Razorlite]

I have a Tomtom one, very user friendly, Touch-screen, Portable (sticks to the windscreen with a suction cup). Only, I'm not sure if they are sold in the US.
Good Luck.

[Nick]

Right. Sure. That's how it works in America.

It has to tell her the name of the street to turn on.

The Garmin Nuvi's have text to speech capability. I spent a lot of time researching it, and I purchased a Nuvi. Of course, one of the big benefits of the Nuvi is it's slim and portable (which it sounds like you don't need).

While true, the antenna counts for a lot, when it comes to turn by turn directions, and not finding geocaches and plotting coordinates out in the middle of nowhere, the interface is just as important. Garmin and Tomtom are the big boys when it comes to the type of GPS you're looking for.

I don't know about Hackensack New Jersey, but I wouldn't trust leaving a GPS in the car all the time around here. What does the temp reach out there in the summer months?


-Nick

[Razorlite]

I have a Tomtom one, very user friendly, Touch-screen, Portable (sticks to the windscreen with a suction cup). Only, I'm not sure if they are sold in the US.
Good Luck.

Seems they do, look here!

[ouch]

The Garmin Nuvi's
-Nick

Portability is a good thing, as it will no doubt be moved from her car (aka: her car) to my car (aka: her car) constantly.

Which Nuvi did you get? Are they better/easier than the Street Pilot series? They don't look like they have a keyboard, so how to you tell it where you want to go?

[_JP_]

Anyone have one of these? I'm looking for a portable one for SWMBO's car, and thought I'd draw on the unlimited knowledge base of the forum.

Brands? Features? What should I be looking for?

Focus on what features you want:

• Color screen (pretty much a given these days)
• Voice navigation
• Touch screen input
• Screen size
• Cost of mapping software, which is often an option for added map detail
• Mounting
• Input controls (buttons)

For city driving around lots of tall buildings, the antenna system can really make a difference in accuracy. Garmin has recently come out with SIRF technology that is really amazing, part of the reason that I decided on the Garmin 60CSx hand held unit that I recently got.

You can expect the cost of a vehicle mounted GPS device to start at about $350 for a new one. Or eBay for an older device if it suits your needs.

[ouch]

You can expect the cost of a vehicle mounted GPS device to start at about $350 for a new one. Or eBay for an older device if it suits your needs.

I guess you're not familiar with Mrs. Ouch. Used isn't in her vocabulary.

[peacefrog]

I am also looking for a navigation device. The wife and I are planning a trip to Germany in the spring so I need it to have European maps also. I was looking at the Garmin 350, but with the price they charge for extra maps I am leaning towards the Garmin 370. This model already has both Europe and North America pre-installed.

I think you might be better off just renting a car over there with a navigation system in it. It'll probably be way cheaper than buying the European maps.

[Tanksfurnutin]

I think you might be better off just renting a car over there with a navigation system in it. It'll probably be way cheaper than buying the European maps.

I'm actually picking up my new car and driving it around during our vacation. I didn't order the car with a navigation system since I won't need it for everyday use. But I think one will cut down on arguments during the trip since we've never been to Germany.

[HlSheppard]

Interesting thread, guys!

I've been DROOLING over the Garmin Nuvi 660 for some time now. The only reason that I haven't got it yet is I'm thinking about getting a built in nav. system in my next car (a couple months away).

That would lover the theft factor and give me a 2" bigger screen...