GPS for car/truck

[ccarlson]

Thinking of getting a gps for the car/truck. What is the verdict on the brand to get? I see best buy has the Tom Tom on sale this week for 119. My nephew had a xog a couple years ago that looked good as well. Help point me in some direction and tell me what is good about the model you recommend.

Thanks and I know it has probably been posted on here already but searching for gps on this site brings up way too many posts to sort through. If anyone has a link to a specific thread, let me know.

ccarlson

[hunterjames]

i personaly went with the tom tom xl 330. and that one workes perfict. i went with that one cause of the bigger screen and the voice directions and has quite alot of nice features.

[PierBridge]

Can't go wrong with the XOG especially in your vehicle where there is a constant power source.

I have a Tom Tom and like it but Garmin makes an equally great unit also.

Good Luck!

[landscaper]

Garmin 265wt here

Used it this past weekend in the twin cities it worked great! very happy with it!!

[BoxMN]

My Mom uses and loves the Nuvi. That is one heck of an endorsement, as she is about as technically challenged as they come

[rundrave]

I bought a TomTom at Wally World day after thanksgiving for what I thought was going to be a great deal. I beleve it was the 325XL model. Which I later found out was Walmart specific which is probably why I had so many issues.

I had nothing but problems with that stupid thing. It couldnt find my own house or instersection, when it came time to do the update to the latest map pack is where I had all the issues. I work with computers as software developer, and I couldnt make that thing work.

Their tech support, once you get them on the phone is good but if you have to call, be prepared to wait...hours. Thats no exageration either. They dont offer a free download, you have to call in and have them download it for you, so you are completely at their mercy. I ended up returning it and getting my money back. I wasted more time trying to get it to work and waiting on the phone, then I did actually using it.

I have rode in other vehicles with TomToms and they worked great, but I still havent gone and purchased another unit, this post caught my attention so I will keep an eye on it for recommendations.

[SkunkedAgain]

I've been completely won over by the iPhone. Unless you're need to have the lady giving you turn by turn instructions, the iPhone has GPS built in with Google. I suppose the only thing that would hamper it is being outside of a coverage area.

[shizzy]

I bought a TomTom at Wally World day after thanksgiving for what I thought was going to be a great deal. I beleve it was the 325XL model. Which I later found out was Walmart specific which is probably why I had so many issues.

I had nothing but problems with that stupid thing. It couldnt find my own house or instersection, when it came time to do the update to the latest map pack is where I had all the issues. I work with computers as software developer, and I couldnt make that thing work.

Their tech support, once you get them on the phone is good but if you have to call, be prepared to wait...hours. Thats no exageration either. They dont offer a free download, you have to call in and have them download it for you, so you are completely at their mercy. I ended up returning it and getting my money back. I wasted more time trying to get it to work and waiting on the phone, then I did actually using it.

I have rode in other vehicles with TomToms and they worked great, but I still havent gone and purchased another unit, this post caught my attention so I will keep an eye on it for recommendations.

strange, I have the same unit and never had one issue with it.

[Macgyver55]

I have had a Nuvi nearly since they came out. I did a lot of research and talking to people who had them before buying, and Garmin just seems to be the name that came up most. They have tons of info and seem to be the most user friendly. I've been happy enough with it to have bought both my daughters a Garmin Nuvi for Christmas. Neither one of them even had to read the instructions in order to use them, they are that easy. Wife also has one, and I just recently got a new one with the larger screen. They have gotten even better and now offer several more functions. I'm sure that the others have caught up, but Garmin still seems to be the standard from what I've read. (and experienced)

[ccarlson]

Is there only one model of the nuvi and how much do they run generally?

Thanks for all the input so far. I thought for sure someone would say, "didn't you just see the 20 page thread on this??" Doesn't sound like this stuff has been discussed lately.

ccarlson

[Macgyver55]

There are many models to choose from, the most basic to others that can play mp3s and also have bluetooth for your phone. Price range varies from 100 to upwards of 600 I believe.

[BoxMN]

I am off topic a bit... but...

I've been completely won over by the iPhone. Unless you're need to have the lady giving you turn by turn instructions, the iPhone has GPS built in with Google. I suppose the only thing that would hamper it is being outside of a coverage area.

Agree with you there Skuned! I really like my iphone more than I thought I would. The basic GPS is great, I also tried a $1.99 version that is decent for the money, and can get voice if you pay a bit more.

I also found out that the GPS works even if you are outside of coverage area. The phone itself is a GPS, so the 3G just helps to get it more accurate if you are within coverage.

[18 inch Crappie]

Is there only one model of the nuvi and how much do they run generally?

Thanks for all the input so far. I thought for sure someone would say, "didn't you just see the 20 page thread on this??" Doesn't sound like this stuff has been discussed lately.

ccarlson

Garmin 255W about $129 speaks street names and tells you what way to turn....

[Hafnutz]

I bought a Tom-Tom XL340-S on sale for $100. for my wife. It has a larger screen, talks and tells you what lane to be in. We love it. Touch screen, very easy to figure out and use, amazed at all the street names, that are in it, even in little towns. Best of all you can load it with different voices. Homer Simpson, Clint Eastwood, Snoop Dog and others are available online.

[bucketmouth64]

Originally Posted By: ccarlson

Is there only one model of the nuvi and how much do they run generally?

Thanks for all the input so far. I thought for sure someone would say, "didn't you just see the 20 page thread on this??" Doesn't sound like this stuff has been discussed lately.

ccarlson

Garmin 255W about $129 speaks street names and tells you what way to turn....

That is what I have from xmas. Only issue recently is that the voice cuts out sometimes when speaking. I'll have to call Garmin about it. It has been updated with 2010 info.

[ccarlson]

I ended up picking up the Tom Tom XXL 540s on sale for 149, (originally 300. Probably a discontinued??). Decided on that one because of the nice large screen (5") and what looked to be good features. The Nuvi's looked good too although not as big of a screen in the same price point.

Used it this weekend and it seems to be easy to use and works well so far. Interesting to see what routes it takes me on some of the short cuts I know. Some it did and some it didn't. In any case, as soon as I took the turn for a known shortcut, it re-routed and figured it out.

Thanks for the help in the decision.

ccarlson