Advice Needed: GPS Device
 

Hey Gang,

Figured I would come to the experts.... I have read the threads on different GPS devices...

I want to buy one for my partner for Christmas...

It would almost always be in his vehicle... not really planning to carry it around.

Any advice on which GPS unit you would look to be buying?

Also, any suggestions on where to buy at the best cost?

Thanks in advance.

William

If price is no object, take a look at the new Garmin Nuvi 660. I saw one in a cab last week and it's a gorgeous unit with a huge (compared to other units) screen and great graphics. It lists for $999, street price is around $830. http://www.garmin.com/products/nuvi660/

There are some good deals on the Garmin and TomTom units at the moment, of course even better deals will be around on Black Friday if you can survive the crowds.

I did a search a couple of years ago and never found anything I really liked.

I settled on a Teletype bluetooth reciever www.teletype.com but havent been happy with the company. I had a bug in my version that showed itself up with US maps. First they told me I had to pay an upgrade fee to get a software version without the bug. After raising a stink they gave me newer version, except it was incompatible with the maps that came with my older version. After more of a stink they finally gave me just the new US maps. They wouldnt give me the upgraded maps to replace the rest of my world maps with (telling me I could use the older version of the software for those). I finally ended up paying $200 just to get everything upgraded. The next time I was in Europe, I found another bug that esentially made the software useless. Needless to say, I am done with Teletype . :-)

Itll be interesting to monitor this thread though and see what folks are using.

I use the Garmin NUVI 350. It's about the size of a deck of cards and will fit in your shirt pocket. Very mobile. If I were not traveling, I would think about the 660 model due to the larger screen. My price for the NUVI 350 at the time was $579 at GPSonsale.com. They ship from AZ and I had the unit in 3 days. No problems.

I notice that they are down to $479 now on that same site. Great price and well worth it. ^

I'm also thinking of getting one. I'm looking for a fairly simple unit to use when I need to get somewhere new and/or help me get around a traffic jam.

The only real requirement I have is that it voice prompts so I don't have to look at the screen map.

I don't want to spend very much because I don't think I will be using it all that much, but I do think it's something useful to have.

Costco currently has this Garmin for $270. Any thoughts on it?

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product...hse=BC&topnav=

I also don't mind waiting until after the holidays to get a better deal.

I'm probably going to get the TomTom One for myself for Christmas. So far it looks like a great choice. The people on a different thread that have used it seem to like it.

I can tell you what NOT to get.
 

Do not buy Medion!

I repeat - Do not buy Medion!


It has gotten lost with me too many times. It isn't mine but it comes with my friend's car everytime he goes abroad and leaves it with me. For some insane reason I keep thinking "this time it won't mess up" and each time it does.

Ok, so I am in Europe, UK to be precise. I am north west of London. I'm going to North London and it brings me in via south west and Harrods, at which point it looses the plot completely runs me via oxford circus to get to the bottom of the A40 I could have taken straight from where I am. Which is the route it tells me to take to go home! Go figure!

Second time, London again, it actually DOES guide me in via A40 but when going home takes me via - you guessed it. Oxford Circus, Harrods, Hammersmith.... ARGH!

I love it when it tells me "turn left at the T-junction in 200 yards" and your on a main road that goes on for several miles.

Two days ago in Oxford it tried to tell me to turn left through a 500 year old building, directed me to go through a kanal, over pollards, via a park. It took an hour to make the last half a mile (800 meters) to where I was going. I ended up turning it off and tossing it in the back seat and navigated via taxi and bus lanes. I was to shoot pictures of a band and only had the first 4 songs of their set to do this. I ended up getting in just when they started their last two songs and security was kind enough to let me get on with it. Ran around with photopass stuck in my mouth so I could show it when asked and not be interrupted.

So, I hope I have made it very clear that never buy Medion Sat Nav

One magazine rated it not long ago with the "do not touch with a barge pole".

Did I say "Do Not Buy Medion!" ?

/E

I have the Nuvi 350. I recommend it highly. While the 660 has a bigger screen and Bluetooth, I don't think the cost difference is worth it.

If you'd rather deal with Amazon, you'll pay a little more -- $519 now -- but it's a great device and I've enjoyed not printing maps anymore.

does the nuvi make a good mp3 player as well? How many mp3s can you get on it? If I can convince myself that this would be an ok replacement for my lost 2G ipod, it might just be all i need to go ahead and pick one up.

It does have an SD slot, right?

Thanks for any info!

Love the two Garmins I've had, when I replace the second one it will probably be another Garmin.

And don't forget about the black Friday ad sites blackfriday.info, bfads.net, etc.

Be careful, some of those addresses have become porn sites, so don't just keep changing the domain names if you are looking for another site (blackfriday.org for example is no longer sales coming up for the holidays, but a porn site). No fun if you are in the office with a screen others are looking at.

I have the OEM GPS (Kenwood) in my Subary Liberty (AKA Legacy). IF it's to remain in the vehicle, the built-in version is much better to use than a portable.

The downside is that they're more expensive, and (duh) not portable.

Eclipse have a fantastic built-in - Eclipse AVN5500

I second the Nuvi 660. The FM transmitter isn't as strong as the one I used to use w/ my Ipod, but it's still an FM transmitter. I like being able to play music through the stereo, yet still have the nav kick in when needed.

Yes, it has a SD slot and SD memory is practically given away now.

I got mine on Amazon.com for $750 with free shipping and no tax over a month ago.

I'm happy with my nuvi 660. I never print out maps anymore. The touch screen is very easy to use while driving (shh, don't tell).
I haven't signed up for traffic rerouting yet, but I like knowing that my unit has the availability to do that.
I also haven't used bluetooth since I am currently due for a new cell phone.

I'd echo the other Garmin Nuvi sentiments - I'm shopping for a portable one and the reviews of the Garmin Nuvi units have been the strongest overall.

If you are in the US, then check out Sams Club and Costco...both had great prices on garmans, magellins and a few others.