GPS by Garmin - how does it work?
 

Hello all!

Me and my friend will be taking a 3-week trip from Seattle to Los Angeles this summer and we already have a Premium reservation with Avis. But since we've figured that we want to have GPS, and we will not buy any there just to throw away because I'd never use it here in Sweden, I was wondering how this GPS by Garmin works?

Is it just a Garmin tacked onto the dash or is it more integrated?
And how are the possibilities of getting a car with built-in navigation at the SEA facility? Because last time I rented at Hertz with a Neverlost we got upgraded to a Mercedes E350 with built-in GPS so we basically had two navigation systems in the car, lol.
And finally, do any of you know if the Charger R/T that Avis presumably have is regularly equipped with factory nav?

Cheers!

Uh,,, do you have a smartphone that has data in the US? If so google maps is your friend and will do everything (I believe) that a separate gps unit will do. Haven't used gps navigation for years now since smartphone is much better.

+1. Osmand+ is also good for Android, and Maps.me for iOS if you want offline navigation.

Thanks for the answers but, meh, we'd rather have a GPS ready to go in the car than having to hook up the phones, buy car chargers etc. The cost is basically irrelevant for us anyway since we are just talking about splitting 99 bucks for 3 weeks.

So, my original questions still stands:

- How integrated is the GPS by Garmin for Avis?
- Is it possible to easily find a car with built-in navigation at the SEA facility?
- Specifically, do any Charger R/T:s have built-in GPS?

Anyone else wanna chime in?

Cheers!

1. Not integrated. It will sit on the dash. You *might* be able to get the Bluetooth to hook to the car for speakers but not sure if the Avis Garmin models have BT.
2. Lots of cars have nav now (even non-premium cars like GMs, Ford's, etc).
3. Can't speak for the Charger but many 300s, Jeeps and Durangos (all Dodge family vehicles) have built in GPS.

If it were me,with a premium reservation, I'd walk the lot and find a few cars you like with nav that fit the premium category. Then approach the desk and ask for one of those cars. If they can't get you one with nav, then tack on a Garmin to the rental at the desk. No need to prepay as there's a good shot you can get it for free in the car.

Thank you very much for the answer, I appreciate it ^

Except you probably can buy your own stand-alone GPS for about 99 bucks, and keep it forever, or resell it when you're done. Maybe even one with integrated traffic (I'm not sure if the ones from Avis these days have integrated traffic or not).

I'd just buy a GPS if I were you. The rental agency GPSs I've tried in the past have been crappy and hard to use pieces of junk.

You can get a decent TomTom for around $100 at any electronics shop. I bought one for use in New Zealand and Australia last year, definitely a good investment.