Recommend me a GPS

Title says!

Need a GPS. Budget $200 shipped or under. Let's leave smartphones out of this for the moment.

GO!

I have what I'm pretty sure is a Garmin 265wt that I never use anymore thanks to my smartphone... yours for $100.

I'm really happy with my Garmin nuvi. I have one with the traffic feature, and I'll be damned if it doesn't work pretty well. Gotten me around a few back ups. And it seems a little "smarter" than some. If you go off the prescribed route, it doesn't just keep telling you to go back where it said you should be. It recalculates and finds the route that makes sense for where you are. It's great if you want to stop over at the Starbucks a couple blocks over without resetting everything.

Here's a refurb for $119. Looks like a deal to me.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002YNRUCM/ref=asc_df_B002YNRUCM1624936?smid=A207G8FGT0Y15F&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395129&creativeASIN=B002YNRUCM

I don't use GPSs, I have a smart phone that does x10^8 more. Plus it was free when I resigned my contract. (Droid Incredible)

Is Lifetime Map updates anything i should care about?

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: Title says! Need a GPS. Budget $200 shipped or under. Let's leave smartphones out of this for the moment. GO!

RossD wrote: I don't use GPSs, I have a smart phone that does x10^8 more. Plus it was free when I resigned my contract. (Droid Incredible)

Well that's gone just swimmingly!

We have a Garmin also. It's a few years old now, not sure if they still make it. I believe it's the Street Pilot C550 model. It's the same one you get if you rent from Avis or Enterprise. I think we paid around $100 new for it. Not the fanciest thing out there, but it gets us where we need to go. We've relied on it to get our nannies too and from, and they're from out of the country so they don't know the roads around here at all. They've never gotten lost yet. Sometimes we scratch our heads at the route it plans, but you can change criteria, and it will always get you there.

And if you want some extra fun, set it to read in kilometers and speak in Portuguese or Swedish. It'll make your trip that much more exciting!

In reply to 92CelicaHalfTrac:

Go with whatever sub-$200 Garmin Nuvi is out there. I still prefer my old Nuvi 250 to the google nav app on my phone.

+1 on the Garmin.

I think we have the C330(?) and it works ok for the price( about $150 maybe 3 years back )

Get the lifetime map updates (I wish I did)
Get the traffic updates. Not always accurate, but it has saved me a few times.
Get the biggest screen you can find for the price you want.

fast_eddie_72 wrote: I'm really happy with my Garmin nuvi. I have one with the traffic feature, and I'll be damned if it doesn't work pretty well. Gotten me around a few back ups. And it seems a little "smarter" than some. If you go off the prescribed route, it doesn't just keep telling you to go back where it said you should be. It recalculates and finds the route that makes sense for where you are. It's great if you want to stop over at the Starbucks a couple blocks over without resetting everything. Here's a refurb for $119. Looks like a deal to me. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002YNRUCM/ref=asc_df_B002YNRUCM1624936?smid=A207G8FGT0Y15F&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395129&creativeASIN=B002YNRUCM

I just ordered this one. Looks like i may have some hoops to jump through to get the updated maps, but for the price, i'm cool with that.

Thanks all!

Hrm... this one doesn't have lifetime maps. Oops.

My Garmin Nuvi just crapped out after about 4 years. Completely fried, no way to rescue it, and no reason to: Map updates are $100 per year and the repair was a $125 minimum. If I didn't have an iPhone, I would just buy another sub $200 Garmin. The only feature I would look for is spoken street names. Mine just said 'turn left in 200 yards" and they now say "turn left on main in 200 yards". That really helps IMHO!

I agree with the Garmin recommendation. Have used a few different brands over the years and found Garmin gives the best routing and directions. I have an iPhone, but none of the free apps compare to true navigation. The larger screen is much more practical too.

I was just debating this very question, but I want it less for street use and more for when I'm out fishing or in the woods.

Does anyone geocache? I'm thinking whatever is good for that would be good for what I have in mind.

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: no smartphones .

RossD wrote: smartphones!

Well that's gone just swimmingly!

I know I totally ignored that*. But it really makes sense unless you're buying a GPS for someone that doesn't have a cell phone. Free updates on the phone, only one thing to plug into the cig lighter, doesn't have to be left on the dash to be stolen, and the phone gets the internet, streams music, has mp3s...yeah its a computer. I also tether it to my netbook for internet when I'm not at a real computer.

*Edit:

RossD wrote:

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote:

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: no smartphones .

RossD wrote: smartphones!

Well that's gone just swimmingly!

I know I totally ignored that. But it really makes sense unless you're buying a GPS for someone that doesn't have a cell phone. Free updates on the phone, only one thing to plug into the cig lighter, doesn't have to be left on the dash to be stolen, and the phone gets the internet, streams music, has mp3s...yeah its a computer. I also tether it to my netbook for internet when I'm not at a real computer.

I was really just being facetious, no worries. :)

But the main thing is that i don't have a smartphone, and with more of my monthly income going out the door shortly with the purchase of this car, i'm trying to keep my monthly expenses static. Right now my phone bill is $40, and i have a phone that... makes phone calls.

But down the road, this GPS will go in the Jeep, and yes, i'll be getting a smart phone with all those things. Before the "real" roadtrip, i'll need something to stream Pandora with, right?

Check the details of the "lifetime" map updates. Some of them assume a pretty short life.

I'm on my first car-type GPS, a reconditioned Magellan Roadmate. Cheap from several sources. It may be low-end, but I like it so far.

Santa Claus brought me a Garmin 255w, I think it was, back a couple Christmases ago. I like it!

slantvaliant wrote: Check the details of the "lifetime" map updates. Some of them assume a pretty short life. I'm on my first car-type GPS, a reconditioned Magellan Roadmate. Cheap from several sources. It may be low-end, but I like it so far.

It seems on this particular model because it's a refurb (due mostly to crappy firmware when it was released in late 2009), i can register it and get one free map update. That's plenty for me!

My smartphoe (Droid X) has a great GPS app, but I don't use it much. I use my Garmin Nuvi 255w. Reason is that I want my phone free for playing music, surfing (not while I'm driving, of course!) or being, you know, a phone. The Garmin can sit on the dash and just be a dedicated GPS. Plus, I've yet to find a dash mount for my phone that I really like.

To the OP, find the cheapest major-brand GPS you can. It's pretty hard to go wrong with any of them these days.

I have an El-Cheapo that I reprogrammed with Igo Primo and OpenStreetMaps.org. Infinite free maps updates (hell, using OSM I can add my own tracks).

cost $50.

Tom_Spangler wrote: My smartphoe (Droid X) has a great GPS app, but I don't use it much. I use my Garmin Nuvi 255w. Reason is that I want my phone free for playing music, surfing (not while I'm driving, of course!) or being, you know, a phone. The Garmin can sit on the dash and just be a dedicated GPS. Plus, I've yet to find a dash mount for my phone that I really like. To the OP, find the cheapest major-brand GPS you can. It's pretty hard to go wrong with any of them these days.

I bought the official Sprint mount for my EVO 4G and it's great.

With google's navigation, really no need for a separate GPS unit.

Stay away from the TomToms. They have a nasty habit of wiping out the memory if you go to download the updates like the device continually tells you to do. Hours on the line with tech support will be of no help.