Anyone Have A GPS System They Love?

[launderess]

Traveling around for Thanksgiving this year has made it apparent one will have to break down and purchase a GSP system! *LOL*

Once again got lost in South New Jersey down by Sayerville and it seems no matter how good one prints down directions it just becomes confusing "take route "X" to "X" get off when you see "this or "that", then turn left at light....

So how do you all manage with GPS and are they a good deal.

L.

 

[imperial70]

I don't own a separate GPS but...

My Motorola DROID RAZR uses the Google Maps application. It has never let me down.
If you have a smart phone (iphone, droid, windows phone) you can just use that. They are quite effective.

 

[perc-o-prince]

Rich has been using Garmins for years. His newest is a Garmin nuvi 2455LMT with lifetime map and traffic updates- got it for $79 as a reconditioned unit off of Groupon. Bought the Square Trade warranty on it for $10.49.

His last one was having a little trouble with the battery staying charged (after almost 3 years). I bought the Square Trade warranty on it when I originally got it for him. They send a pre-paid label and had me send it back, then credited my PayPal account for the original purchase price of $90!

I'm using the one he had originally- probably 6-7 years old- takes forever to locate satellites. Therefore, I don't use it much, and don't have much need to, but when I do, it works great (once the satellites have been contacted) and the battery isn't an issue.

Hope that helps,
Chuck

 

[frigilux]

Garmin. Love mine, and all but their lower-end models score high at Consumer Reports.

 

[paulg]

None are perfect

It'll be interesting to see how people opine on this one.
As I used to travel for business I would use whatever the car rental firm provided. I've used Garmin, Tom-Tom, Magellan and Cadillac's internal system. They all work but none are flawless IMHO. I don't love any of them though I wouldn't travel without one. I was born without an internal compass so I get lost very easily.
I'm on my third Magellan and I am pleased. We beat them up in our luggage so we accept their occasional demise.
Our last one was surprisingly well priced at C**TCO.

 

[westie2]

TomTom

On my second one a VIA 1435 TM with free updates for life and voice command. Had an older Garmin and was always saying recalculating. Tom Tom also makes sure you are in the correct lanes to be in going into exchanges on freeways.

 

[countryguy]

I have an older Tom Tom but it works well although I did have to get it replaced twice because it quit working. I have a Toyota Venza with the built in nav system. I don't know who makes it but I would much rather use my Tom Tom. The one in the Venza is not as quick at recalculating a route nor does it always provide the quickest route.

Gary

 

[yogitunes]

well....none are foolproof, you have to use a little common sense, and work along with it, sometimes "it" has a better route or "you" may know of a better or short cut way around things.....

I have a TomTom to use from car to car.....its decent, gets me to where I am going....quick to re-route if I miss a turn.....I like the speed feature of going too fast warning, the posted speed limit, and your current vehicle speed

in the Jeep is Garmin, the voice command seems better while you are driving, although, one unit does it all, CD/Radio/DVD/Clock/Navigation/Phone....sometimes annoying to jump around searching for what you need at that moment.....in the older Jeep using theportable TomTom, everything was seperate...

I find the Garmin more precise on turns.....

one thing to keep in mind about re-routing, if your in a condensed area like Philadelphia for example, and mis your turn, better to pull over and let it re-calculate, otherwise you will mis the turn again.....don't drive faster than your guardian angel can fly!

go for the biggest screen if possible.....

even the best unit relies on the same intel.....no matter which one I use, even MapQuest, my house is still 1 mile off track, and I have sent numerous updates to them....

 

[launderess]

Thanks for the suggestions lads, keep them coming!

Speed in recalculating and so froth does seem desirable. At least on the New Jersey Turnpike and or Garden State there isn't much time for "readjusting" if going at a good clip and miss one's turn or exit. Well you *can* but there is risk to life, limb and or vehicle. If one is familiar with the terrain it is easy to get off and reroute one's self back onto the proper route, OTHO if you are not it can mean in my experience driving way far to find out how to get back to where you should have been.

Have begun telling friends and family if anymore of them move to NJ they are coming to us for the holidays. Why do so many persons live off/along side "routes' in NJ anyway? *LOL* I mean these routes look like wide avenues to me.

At least in NYC you can purchase an EZ-Pass directly instead of using the car rental's leased devices which does save. Also those purchased directly allow you to obtain the various discounts on tolls that IIRC the car rental devices often do not. Have not looked at car rental's GPS devices because of mixed reviews from those that took the things. I mean if it turns out to be useless and you are already on the road what do you do then?

 

[sudsmaster]

I was using the Metro PCS Navigator GPS system on my Samsung Code Windows Mobile 6.1 cell phone, but Metro PCS has discontinued that service. So I'm looking to get an Android type phone and using Google Maps instead. Probably will go with Virgin Mobile as well.

There may be a GPS app for the Code but from past experience it's probably outdated and probably won't work too well either.

Good to hear that Google Maps works for people. I'm thinking of getting the ZTE Virgin Mobile Awe.

 

[petek]

I'm on my 2nd Garmin Nuvi. The first one crapped out after a couple of years. The 2nd one I'm using now has lifetime maps & traffic,, that's what the LMT in the name denotes. I paid around $120 for it,not the cheapest and certainly not near the most expensive model but it works well with what other have said a few curiosities once in awhile but it will always get you where you want to go. For instance on a route you know shortcuts it doesn't necessarily take you on those but the longer route. I'm not to sure how well the "traffic" thing works because I've had that pop up a few times driving thru Detroit and the roads are free and clear so where the "traffic" ahead went I dunno. The lane feature is good but I'm guessing they all have that now. I wouldn't spend much more than $100 on one these days. Oh and get the bigger screen not the smaller size

 

[kb0nes]

Some collect appliances..

.. I collect GPS's, I bought my first in 1996. I have a few more that I didn't pull out for the photo.

I have used Garmin, Magellan and TomTom and a few older non-well known models too. If you look close in the photo all mine are Garmin. I'm not as pleased with the latest Garmin products as I used to be but at this point I wouldn't buy anything else. The GPS II and the GPS 12 in the photo are 15 and 17 years old respectively and they are rock solid. Only the Nuvi 660 ever needed any work, the touch screen digitizer failed. I bought a replacement off of eBay for $12 and swapped it out.

Of course the GPS you seek is for automotive direction finding, the only one I have that does that is the Nuvi. I have used a number of newer Garmin Nuvi's also, I bought a 15xx series for Annette. They will all have occasional glitch or two but I am always amazed at how few problems I have. I did buy the lifetime map upgrade for mine and I have updated the maps about 7 or 8 times now.

I own an iPhone also and I have tried using it for automotive directions. All in all it does a pretty adequate job, but I am spoiled by having a real GPS on the dash with a big bright display and plenty of 12 volt power from the vehicle, In a pinch I use the phone, but it reminds me of using the claw of a hammer to try to unscrew a slotted screw. A hammer works great as a hammer but now so great as a screwdriver... There is just no favorable comparison between a dedicated GPS and a smartphone in my opinion.

I do make it a point to try to leave the GPS in the glovebox whenever possible. I believe that if we allow ourselves to become reliant on technology then get to where we can't function without it. I like to test myself knowing I have it there to fall back on. But that said if I travel somewhere into a distant city I don't know, its on all the time I am driving!

Bottom line is that any of the current models will work for you. I'd buy a Garmin though since they are the ones that have been around since the GPS satellite constellation was commercially operational in the mid 1990's.

 

[DADoES]

 
Garmin Nuvi 255W, refurbished model.  It didn't include updates but I bought a "lifetime" subscription, which comes out cheaper than ad hoc after two updates.  I don't travel much but it can be helpful.  Map data can never be 100% accurate but odd what routes and data may and may not be included.  Posted speed zones are often a little wrong.  It steered me wrong in two instances where I didn't know exactly where was the destination but was at least not totally unfamiliar with the area.  It was spot-on in two other instances of destinations that were completely new.

 

[chachp]

I bought my first one in around 2002.

It was a Tom Tom. I have upgraded a few times over the years including the Tom Tom app for the iPhone. I have always been happy with it. I had a Garmin for a short time but hated it. I disliked it more because I didn't know the interface and when I really needed to do something quickly I would struggle. So, I went back to the Tom Tom. I'm sure it would have been fine if I had taken the time to get to know it.

In April I bought a new car with one integrated and I am happy with it. It uses Google maps and shows the Google Earth picture of your destination. It's a WiFi hot spot and a few other cool things. I love having a system where everything is integrated and plays together nicely. I didn't think I would like that but I do. If I am on the phone I can still hear (and see) the directions but my caller doesn't.

I think any system is going to have its flaws. For me I went with what was comfortable and what I knew. It's funny though in May I took a long road trip. For some odd reason I was worried about the system in the car so I packed my trusty old Tom Tom in glove box just in case. Turns out I didn't need it but it was there.

I don't know if other systems do this or not but the Tom Tom had that feature where it told you in advance what lane you need to be in so you can prepare. That's not a big deal where I live now but when you're in a big city with lots of traffic that can be a life saver. The Garmin I had did not have this feature and I didn't realize how much I had grown to depend on it.

 

[petek]

Well it seems my 2nd Garmin that I talked about above

Has bit the dust as of yesterday. It worked fine on Saturday. I went to turn it on yesterday and it was dead dead dead.. It won't even recharge..

It seems they last 2 years and quit

What to do, what to do.

 

[kb0nes]

Petek,

Be sure to try doing some Google searches with the name and the model number along with a few key words describing the fault, i.e. "dead" etc. Perhaps its a known issue that has a somewhat simple resolution.

I'm assuming you have one of the latest models that uses a standard USB Mini-B connector for power. This connector is a bit marginal for power and its a shame that they standardized on these. Its especially a problem if you frequently plug and unplug the unit.

The other common problem is the internal battery can die after a few years, although it should still power up with a good connection to a USB power source.

My Nuvi 660 is about 8 years old now and its still good as new thanks to a Google search when it failed. I had to replace the battery and the screen digitizer which are both common problems for my model. It was only cost me $20 worth of parts on eBay and there are Youtube videos detailing the repair process.

My fingers are crossed that your problem is a simple one!

 

[sudsmaster]

Got the Virgin Awe a couple weeks ago, and have been using Google Maps. It's ok, but tonight I'm looking into other free nav/gps apps for the Android system. Downloading and installing "Navfree USA" right now.

Maps is OK, but a little cumbersome for selecting alternate routes. The attraction of Navfree is that it uses downloaded maps, so if the data signal is temporarily lost it doesn't interfere with the app (I think). We'll see.

 

[tolivac]

The GPS system built into my Toyota Hylander Hybrid works well-but the bad thing is the cost of replacement or update map discs-about $400 and the dealer has to "install" it.The map disc player is in the back area of the car.

 

[countryguy]

The navigation system in my Toyota Venza works OK but not great compared to my Tom Tom. I find that it is slow to react to changes in course and it does not always provide me with the quickest or shortest route and it gets very confused sometimes. The maps are expensive to update - the service department at the dealer estimated about $200. I told him thanks, but no thanks. With my Tom Tom I can download updates as often as I like, daily if I so chose. With the Toyota system it is only as often as Toyota provides the updates. I don't know if Toyota created the Nav system or if they purchased is from another GPS manufacturer?

Gary