GPS Units..

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Hey Y'all,



I've just started looking for a GPS Unit for my truck and one that I could take out and put in Nancy's van with little trouble. I have done little research and admit I don't know a darn thing about these things.

If any of you have one of these units how about telling me about it? With my ridiculous sense of NO direction I just want one that's relatively easy to use so I can stop using maps.

I also don't want one that's a million dollars, or even $499.00. I saw some cheaper than that this past weekend in all of the ads but didn't know what to believe about those ads..

Any information greatly appreciated.



Thanks, Uncle Billy

 

[Bruce Freeman]

I have only seen in action the tom tom unit and in my opinion it's not even as good as mapquest. While in therory it's a good product but for some reason it never selects the most direct route.



BF

 

[Mini]

The unit will take you down the path that you set up in your settings....it may not seem to make sense, but if you play with your preferences (or settings) it will make more sense.



I use the Lowrance iWay500c. Love it. The newer models are smaller and lighter with additional features (bluetooth is one I would love to have).



They are invaluable when you travel alot. Mac still wants to ask for directions at the rental car counter to the hotel after we land....but no need really. Once the unit locks in (which can take a while if you are a good distance away from your last lock on point.



I did get to see the newest TomTom in action when we were in Foxborough, MA a couple weeks ago. We went to dinner with the TomTom rep and he had it dialed in. Nice unit, light weight and with XM or Sirius Sat radio it can get traffic reports and re-route you around them. I think the newer Lowrance can do that also.



The Lowrance units also work on the water.....completely waterproof. I am hoping to have mine mounted on the Ranger in the spring. I want to take advantage of the built in MP3 player while on the water. I wont use it for much other than that and as a backup to the two units mounted on the boat already.



Mini

 

[Jim in VA]

Uncle Billy - I bought my wife the Garmin StreetPilot c550 for her birthday this year. She loves it. Not being overly gadget minded, she needed something straightforward but still had the features. The c550 fit the bill perfectly. Its very easy to use with a touch screen and easy-to-see display. In fact, its a major selling point in that you can see the screen even with sunlight glare. Other nice features include bluetooth and MP3 player capability (although we don't use the latter).



The reason I came to know of them is that I travel quite a bit for work. When I rent from Avis, I always get a GPS unit to help navigate. The units that Avis rents are the Garmin c550's. They've worked great in Atlanta, Orlando, Austin, Chicago, Southern CA, and (of course) the Mid-Atlantic. Using them for the past year in rental cars convinced me that they were good units (and you know rental customers are not easy on equipment!).



A quick online search shows that Circuit City sells them for about $399 complete with windshield mount, plug in cigarette lighter chord and case for the unit. Walmart is having one of those "today only" sales where its $298 (a steal! - and I believe you can still return to the store if you don't like it, but you'll need to double check). Bass Pro used to sell them too for under $400, but don't know if they still carry them.



BTW, if you want, I'll bring the wife's GPS with me on December 1, and you can check it out there.

 

[Ken Sabin]

I have a Tom-Tom 901. Luv it ! Its worked for me couple times (6 or 7). I havent had it too long, I think i got it mid summer. I also will bring it on Dec 1 to Bill's !

 

[Jack Long]

Billy, I bought a Garmin c330 at Walmart friday for $128, and it works great, wish I had bought two of them. My wife even liked it, and she has trouble with the tv remote.

 

[Eric Aasen]

Garmin units are pretty nice. We had a c230 in my wife's car. It got stolen about a month ago (I left the doors open!) So, I bought her a Garmin Nuvi 200. It's pretty good. Less than $300 and she never gets lost. I've even used it a few times myself. I have no experience with the TomTom but I heard they are not bad either.



NoCAL

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Lowrance 600c for me. Real happy with it. Satallite overlay is too cool!!



TOXIC

 

[Rick Hale]

Uncle Billy,,

Lots of good units out and more coming out every day. $130 to $1000

About a year ago I got the TomTom one for the wife -- she loves it -- Got her ( alone) to places 300-600 miles away -- door to door no prblem. And at night. And as most wives -- she still can't watch a dvd on our TV without help.. LOL..:wub:



Have fun and a safe holiday young man



Rick

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Thanks for the input and suggestions guys. Jim and Ken, I'd love it if you would bring those units to Bill's on the 1st, if it's no trouble that is. I have a BestBuy, Circuit City, Tweeter real close by and a Bass Pro Shop not to far away so if it's any trouble at all, just leave them at home and I'll go look in those stores. There were a bunch of them on sale this past Thurs., Fri., Sat., and Sunday but I didn't have a clue what to look for. And having let this sort of technology leave me behind, I'm not sure what BlueTooth is in relation to these GPS units?

So I'll listen to y'all and look for sales. I'm not in any hurry.



Darn it Ken, I can't find a TomTom 901!



Uncle Billy

 

[Eric Aasen]

Bluetooth in a GPS is a waste of money. It makes it so your cellphone can work through the GPS. Unless you're a heavy cell talker while driving save the money and just get a basic unit with US coverage. The instructions are very easy to follow. You should have it up and running right out of the box. Also get you one of the aftermarket mounts. The suction cup that comes with it doesn't hold up if the sun hits it. I finally bought my wife a "friction mount". Just a mount for the unit with legs filled with sand that sits on the dash. It works much better than the suction cup either on the window or when mounted to the dash. Let me know if you have any other questions. I've set up 2 of them and am pretty comfortable with what they can do.



NoCAL

 

[Mini]

bluetooth may be required for use as a handsfree device in your area. it could save your life, or better yet someone elses.



also it may be able to play music from the mp3 player and still get voice instructions therough your stereo. nice feature.



mini

 

[C C]