What's a good GPS?

[Allanon]

Hey all,

 

I've been looking for a GPS for my car but I have next to no knowledge on what brands are good and what to look for in one. Does anyone have any favorites or tips for what I should be looking for and where?

 

 

Thanks, Allanon

[LoveForPriscillaChan]

my parents have the garmin nuvi and its pretty good; it downloads its data from some mysterious server so your things should always be up to date (as opposed to the one that is built into my car which is based off DVD) and there is no monthly service fee; the good thing about it over the one built into my car is that it shows arrival time as opposed to time left, which lets me know whether i am making good time or not; signal can be an issue (the one built into my car has never had this issue before)

 

of course, i still prefer the ones built into a car because it streamlines everything, and it has a bigger screen

[[LaW]Maverick]

Would you like in-dash? (more expensive, but they tend to work very well and be more feature rich) or portable?

 

Like I just recommended to Soap, I was most impressed with the Garmin Nuvi 660 as far as a portable NAV is concerned. It is LOADED with features and works well--though a few times it's given her some weird routing.

 

For in-dash, I'd recommend the Pioneer F90BT or the F900BT--they're...well, they're incredible: http://news.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/10381/474822.html

 

They're launching this month, and they're sweet, but they're expensive as all get out. They're cheaper than factory systems...and better, but they're a heck of a lot more expensive than the Garmins....

[Gond]

From my research they are all about the same. Even the same complaints & praises on each:) I researched the Garmin, TomTom and Magellan. I ended up with the Magellan cause I got the 4250 for 300 bucks at costco (the 4000 was 400 at Best Buy). I liked the TomTom cause I could get Mr T's voice to tell me "You missed the turn fool!!!" but I couldn't pass up the deal.

 

So far it's good for what it does. I have only used it on one real trip thus far...going to NY in July to use it again.

 

What I noticed (and I think this is going to be consistent in all of them). When I selected to take the "shortest route" to my sisters near Nashville, it took me literally...next thing I know I'm on this windy 2 lane road with no lines stopping for deer while the sun is setting. Ok, there is no "shortest route using intelligent roads" option. The good of that is I just rerouted on fastest time and it took me right to the highway.

 

On the way back I learned to use the trip planner and set more points so it would take me point to point as I wanted to go instead of all or nothing on it's calculations.

 

I do like the speed of the Magellan for recalculating if you deviate from the current route. Usually within 15 or 30 seconds it's redone the work.

 

Basically my moral to the above is you can't just get in the car to go somewhere you don't know how to get to and expect it to be perfect...there is some planning...however, to get you out of an odd spot...works awesome.

 

If I could ask for 1 thing (and this may be available on some models) it would be to be able to create a trip on the PC and then download it to the GPS. Mouse would be much faster than the touch screen.

 

Oh, and my GPS has hung up on me 2 times...once when I was messing with the volume while it was trying to recalculate...I don't play with settings while the car is moving anymore (no, I wasn't driving at the time). I forget the other lockup but it was along the same lines...too many things happening for it to handle.

[[LaW]Maverick]

Building on what Gond said, nearly every single portable unit uses the SirfStarIII chip, so they all have very similar capabilities.

 

Also, I haven't been able to dig up a lot of reviews on them, but ASUS's line of NAV systems have some the best features I've ever seen and for a price significantly less than the comparable models: http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=21

[ZesteR]

"What's a good GPS?"

 

One that prevents you from getting lost. One that helps you find your way. One that... ya catch my drift?

[Allanon]

So basically if I'm looking for a portable (don't think my dash has enough room and would rather save more money anyway) GPS, as long as the model itself has good reviews I shouldn't worry about the brand?

[ZesteR]

plan on going to Canada? get a TomTom, they have the maps for it, no extra $.

[[LaW]Maverick]

So basically if I'm looking for a portable (don't think my dash has enough room and would rather save more money anyway) GPS, as long as the model itself has good reviews I shouldn't worry about the brand?

 

I wouldn't say not to worry--some of them have some bad routing software and some of them have horrible and confusing interfaces. That being said, while Tom Tom gets you some extra maps, from what I've read, the routing around certain areas (Ohio was one of 'em All) is pretty screwy.

 

The Magllans have a GREAT database of POI's, but their interface is kinda slow and rerouting takes a little extra time (someone said theirs takes between 15 and 30 seconds, and my wife's Garmin does it in about 5).

 

The Garmin's are overpriced compared to some of their competition--my second choice was a Magellan 4250, which is sweet--but I ultimately decided on the Garmin for the FM transmitter. It works pretty well, and it's like having a pretty high-end bluetooth speaker phone on your dash (it will play the person's voice through your car speakers that you're talking to)

 

So basically, I worried about routing first and foremost (since they all use the same GPS receiver chip) and features second. I would've bought the ASUS, but since they're new to the game I went with Garmin because they've been around longer. However, if I had to choose one for myself rather than my wife, I might just buy the ASUS as it has killer features and a solid looking interface.

 

Umm...I hope all that was helpful! PS: what kind of car did you end up with?

[Allanon]

2005 Subaru Forester

[Preacher]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/email/wem1631.a...CCODE=WEM1631TT

 

http://promotions.newegg.com/NEemail/June-...top-_-Moredeals

[shoot]

Like the previous posts... signal/reception capabilities are very similar. The real difference is the software and the map. I've had the Nuvi 350 for a few years and I like the interface. It's in the details that make the difference. For example, the Nuvi will tell you whether your destination is on the right or left side of the street. Most GPS will not tell you that (my Mercedes and GM navigations don't). Most GPS will tell you "destination ahead" or "you have arrived at your destination"... The Nuvi will tell you "destination ahead on left(or right).

 

This is very helpful when you're looking for something in a busy street. Imagine coming up near your destination and having to look for the address (odd or even) to figure out which side it's on. Not a big deal for some, but it's definitely takes a lot of rubber necking to find a "reference" address. This could be the difference between being on the correct lane on a multi lane street (3 or 4).

 

btw... many GPS come with Bluetooth hands free capabilities and it's a big plus if you don't have one already. it will also dial searched businesses on the GPS.

 

My 2 pennies.

[NOFX]

a nano-atx motherboard, a usb gps unit and a 7 in touchscreen.

[[LaW]Maverick]

a nano-atx motherboard, a usb gps unit and a 7 in touchscreen.

 

Would cost more than the in-dash units!

[NOFX]

I almost picked up a complete package for $375 off ebay. Some dude had bought everything and then decided it was over his head. I have spec'd it out a few times, you can pick up everything individually for about $450-475. But what I really wanted was an in-dash touch monitor with a auxiliary in. This was pretty hard to find, especially one that would do a decent resolution.

 

Oh, I chose to get a DSLR instead

Edited June 4, 2008 by NOFX