Best / Affordable Navigation System
08-22-2008, 06:40 AM
#21
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Originally Posted by aklucsarits,Aug 22 2008, 06:36 AM
IMHO, the best deal in a GPS unit today is the Garmin Street Pilot c580. You can get it for $170 from Amazon.com. It is an older model that lacks the slim form factor of newer units, but it's perfomance and features are unmatched at anywhere near this price point. It has text to speech, real time traffic, real time weather, and gas prices. The speakers on this model are excellent. I can hear it fine driving the S2k with the top down on the highway. And if you go to Garmin's website, you can download the latest 2009 map update and POIs for free. I bought a c580 in May for $230 and I thought that was a bargain at that price. For only $170, it's an absolute steal, and you will not find a more feature-rich unit anywhere near this price.
Andrew
Andrew
Yeah, those older gen models are still very nice.
I've used 4 different Garmins, a tomtom, 2 Magellans, 2 pioneers, and an LG and Garmin was the best. period.
There's a reason why they're #1.
Dan
08-22-2008, 08:04 AM
#23
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Garmin has very nice maps.
Magellan has VERY VERY good point of interest capabilities. If you want a moving map go with the Garmin. If you want to find stores, restaurants, etc, go with a Magellan. The drawback to the Magellan is when you zoom out the maps start to suck.
Magellan has VERY VERY good point of interest capabilities. If you want a moving map go with the Garmin. If you want to find stores, restaurants, etc, go with a Magellan. The drawback to the Magellan is when you zoom out the maps start to suck.
08-22-2008, 09:20 AM
#24
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I tried Garmin Nuvi 200, then got tired of it yelling "Make right" all the time (no street names); and got the Nuvi 260W, which says the street names. Very useful feature...
Things to consider when buying a GPS:
1. Clean simple graphics (Garmin is the best IMO)
2. Loud? (Both Garmins were clearly audible with top down at 75mph)
3. Battery life (Do you want a chord hanging around each time you make a 1-2 hour trip? Garmin lasts 3-4 hours before you need to plug it in)
But other manufacturers have interesting advanced features as well. But for a good basic GPS unit, it's hard to beat Garmin Nuvi line.
Things to consider when buying a GPS:
1. Clean simple graphics (Garmin is the best IMO)
2. Loud? (Both Garmins were clearly audible with top down at 75mph)
3. Battery life (Do you want a chord hanging around each time you make a 1-2 hour trip? Garmin lasts 3-4 hours before you need to plug it in)
But other manufacturers have interesting advanced features as well. But for a good basic GPS unit, it's hard to beat Garmin Nuvi line.
08-22-2008, 09:56 AM
#26
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I've used the Nuvi 350 for 3 years now and it's never let me down.Can't believe how cheap they are now. 
http://www.taaffephoto.com/item_deta...item_id=114723
http://www.taaffephoto.com/item_deta...item_id=114723
08-22-2008, 01:59 PM
#27
I picked up a Tomtom XL for 250 from Best Buy. I used it on a trip from TX to WA. My favorite feature is the automatic zooming as you speed up or slow down. The automatic updates and user corrections is a nice feature too. I don't think it the POI's are as robust as the Magellans but it does a great job of getting you where you need to go.
08-26-2008, 06:08 AM
#28
I was thinking about getting a GPS for the once or twice a year I travel on vacation. Was about to pull the trigger on a Garmin 6XX and came across this ad on fatwallet for a FREE Garmin Nuvi 200.
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-...31034/?start=0
Instructions on first page are pretty straight forward. I signed up on-line. Received the card about 7 days later. Made 1 purchase. About a month later, the Garmin shows up from Amazon.com. Amazon must be fulfilling the promotion.
Unit came with up-to-date maps. Box included Unit, power cord, window suctions mount.
For FREE, you can't go wrong.
http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-...31034/?start=0
Instructions on first page are pretty straight forward. I signed up on-line. Received the card about 7 days later. Made 1 purchase. About a month later, the Garmin shows up from Amazon.com. Amazon must be fulfilling the promotion.
Unit came with up-to-date maps. Box included Unit, power cord, window suctions mount.
For FREE, you can't go wrong.
08-26-2008, 10:17 AM
#29
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Having just used my Garmin NUVI 200 earlier today I really am amazed at how bad it's routing can be. Routing was supposed to be one of it's strong points but it seems to think a street with a 45mph speed limit would be just as fast as a highway with a 55mph limit.
Again, I think about the strong points of my Magellan 4210. When you programmed in a destination (address, intersection, point of interest) it right then and there gave you a choice of preferring fastest route, shortest route, avoiding freeways or preferring freeways. That was really nice because you could in a sense, quickly tell the computer, "I don't like that route, try again." It really was only let down by a poor map display when you zoomed out. If you tried to see all of Atlanta you would only see the freeways, not any of the major surface streets. All the interface screens were nicer than the Garmin. The address entry was also much nicer. Like the Honda system it would highlight the letters which were valid when typing in a street or city name. Because you typed the street name in first it would show you the range of valid street numbers. All in all it was easier and nicer to use than the Garmin. I gave my Magellan to a technically illiterate friend of mine and bought a Garmin as a replacement. Though I really do like the better map display (and it is much better) the rest of the unit is inferior.
Oh, one last thing. The Garmin takes much longer to start up. Both take about the same time from off to satellite lock but the Magellan lets you start entering in addresses much sooner.
If you search for 4210 on slickdeals.net you can read more about my experiance with both.
Again, I think about the strong points of my Magellan 4210. When you programmed in a destination (address, intersection, point of interest) it right then and there gave you a choice of preferring fastest route, shortest route, avoiding freeways or preferring freeways. That was really nice because you could in a sense, quickly tell the computer, "I don't like that route, try again." It really was only let down by a poor map display when you zoomed out. If you tried to see all of Atlanta you would only see the freeways, not any of the major surface streets. All the interface screens were nicer than the Garmin. The address entry was also much nicer. Like the Honda system it would highlight the letters which were valid when typing in a street or city name. Because you typed the street name in first it would show you the range of valid street numbers. All in all it was easier and nicer to use than the Garmin. I gave my Magellan to a technically illiterate friend of mine and bought a Garmin as a replacement. Though I really do like the better map display (and it is much better) the rest of the unit is inferior.
Oh, one last thing. The Garmin takes much longer to start up. Both take about the same time from off to satellite lock but the Magellan lets you start entering in addresses much sooner.
If you search for 4210 on slickdeals.net you can read more about my experiance with both.
08-27-2008, 06:37 AM
#30
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I just bought the new Garmin 850 a couple of weeks ago for $650. In addition to text to speech where it speaks street names, the 800 series can accept voice commands. It's a great idea for safety. Unfortunately, in the S accuracy is frustrating. In our two uber quiet luxo barges the accuracy is very good but they already have factory Nav systems. I bought this for the S2000.
Features that the higher end or newer Garmins provide (700 or 800 series)
==> Multiple waypoints - plug in say, 10 places you want to go and the Garmins will sort them in optimal order and take you to each one. I use it all the time to force the unit to use very specific routes.
==> Where's my car - The unit saves the position where it was last unplugged from the mount allowing you to navigate back to your car in big parking lots or a strange city.
==> Where am I - Hit the icon for this feature at any time for a list of Hospitals, Police, and Fuel stops in your immediate area including phone numbers. Select one and navigate there instantly. This is a nice safety feature.
Features unique to the new 800 series Garmins.
==> User replaceable batery - nice if you're going to be walking around for the day. The battery is tiny and it's easy to pack a spare for another 3-4 hours of navigation.
==> Voice Commands - Nice when it works but in the S2000 it's frustrating.
==> Front mounted speaker - I thought it would be louder than the rear mounted speakers on other Garmins. Not really.
Things that suck
==> FM transmitter- Using the FM transmitter in the Garmin to broadcast nav commands over the car stereo is great when it works. But, the FM transmitter is weak and easily overpowered by even a weak commercial broadcast. And, you lose the ability to listen to music.
==> Route memory - If you make a pit stop and shut off the car, our two factory nav systems remember the last route entered and assume you want to continue when you restart the car. The Garmin forces you to tell it where you want to go every time you turn it on.
==> Low life scumags - Your car will become a victim if you leave a portable nav on the windshield. It stands a good chance of a break-in if you even leave the telltale suction mount marks on the windshield. Police depts across the country are plagued by a huge increase in vandalism associated with these easily stolen devices. Get a friction mount. Remove everything from the car when you leave. I bought a little case for mine that holds everything.
Good luck.
Features that the higher end or newer Garmins provide (700 or 800 series)
==> Multiple waypoints - plug in say, 10 places you want to go and the Garmins will sort them in optimal order and take you to each one. I use it all the time to force the unit to use very specific routes.
==> Where's my car - The unit saves the position where it was last unplugged from the mount allowing you to navigate back to your car in big parking lots or a strange city.
==> Where am I - Hit the icon for this feature at any time for a list of Hospitals, Police, and Fuel stops in your immediate area including phone numbers. Select one and navigate there instantly. This is a nice safety feature.
Features unique to the new 800 series Garmins.
==> User replaceable batery - nice if you're going to be walking around for the day. The battery is tiny and it's easy to pack a spare for another 3-4 hours of navigation.
==> Voice Commands - Nice when it works but in the S2000 it's frustrating.
==> Front mounted speaker - I thought it would be louder than the rear mounted speakers on other Garmins. Not really.
Things that suck
==> FM transmitter- Using the FM transmitter in the Garmin to broadcast nav commands over the car stereo is great when it works. But, the FM transmitter is weak and easily overpowered by even a weak commercial broadcast. And, you lose the ability to listen to music.
==> Route memory - If you make a pit stop and shut off the car, our two factory nav systems remember the last route entered and assume you want to continue when you restart the car. The Garmin forces you to tell it where you want to go every time you turn it on.
==> Low life scumags - Your car will become a victim if you leave a portable nav on the windshield. It stands a good chance of a break-in if you even leave the telltale suction mount marks on the windshield. Police depts across the country are plagued by a huge increase in vandalism associated with these easily stolen devices. Get a friction mount. Remove everything from the car when you leave. I bought a little case for mine that holds everything.
Good luck.