global positioning units

[Clay]

If someone wants to move this to the right spot, no problem with me. Wasn't sure where to post this. I tried to do a search, but you can't search 3 letters on this site so couldn't do a search on GPS. Tried Global but none of the threads seem to match what I was looking for so, I appologize if this has been done before. Part of the reason that I typed out the full words for the title was to allow someone to find this later with a search.

I'm doing an across country trip soon and want an automotive GPS unit. I have an older handheld that has topo maps in it, but it isn't what I am looking for as far as a unit for the car. Anyone have any links to good reviews or any personal recomendations?

Too many brands and too many models. So far have been looking at the Garmin units. People tend to speak highly of them. I'm lost and can't find my way to the right GPS. Any help would be appreciated.

Rick

[zhoyt]

I have a TomTom XLS and dont care for it. It is super user friendly, but maps arent great and signal is sketchy. I update every week, so I just assume it's a TomTom deal. I have used a buddies Garmin and have to say I liked it better. Not sure about map updates and such on it though.

[grumps]

clay,

i have a garmin 200 for a little over a year and i like it very much. even if you make a wrong turn (which i have been known to do) in a few seconds the voice will come on and say recalculating and give you directions so you may pick up the route again. if i had to buy another one it would be a garmin product.

griumps

[gzacckey]

Everyone will have their favorite. I was looking for a good unit and didn't need a lot of frills like MP3, bluetooth, ... So I went with the Garmin Nuvi 750. It seemed to be at a good price point ($200) for what it provided. I've been using it for about month and it gives accurate directions and has good reception even in my house.

I like the 750 because I can buy Mapsource and create my own routes. If you don't care about that then you can spend even less. The 750 also has an option for walking and cycling.

I think most of the major brands have solid performance models. So it's really about your budget for the features you want. You can look up their reviews on sites like Amazon to get a feel for the performance of any given model.

I use my gps more than I thought i would. For instance I was at Home Depot and they didn't have what I wanted. Rather than just drive to another hardware store I looked up all nearby hardware stores on my gps and called around until I found what I was looking for. Of course it's great for finding new fishing locations.

One word of warning. Most of the time your GPS will get you where you want to go. However, it's always a good idea to do a simple reality check otherwise you may be taking the long way or even the wrong way at times. I haven't been steered wrong yet by mine but I'm sure it will happen.

[Clay]

Everyone will have their favorite. I was looking for a good unit and didn't need a lot of frills like MP3, bluetooth, ... So I went with the Garmin Nuvi 750. It seemed to be at a good price point ($200) for what it provided. I've been using it for about month and it gives accurate directions and has good reception even in my house.

I like the 750 because I can buy Mapsource and create my own routes. If you don't care about that then you can spend even less. The 750 also has an option for walking and cycling.

I think most of the major brands have solid performance models. So it's really about your budget for the features you want. You can look up their reviews on sites like Amazon to get a feel for the performance of any given model.

I use my gps more than I thought i would. For instance I was at Home Depot and they didn't have what I wanted. Rather than just drive to another hardware store I looked up all nearby hardware stores on my gps and called around until I found what I was looking for. Of course it's great for finding new fishing locations.

Actually considering the same unit, just with a few different features in the 780. The 780 is a 750 with some bells and whistles and it can be had at a decent price these days. It's not the latest hottest, but still a current model but can be found discounted. The latest hottest is the 755, they have some new bells, but cost substaintially more.

[fritz]

one of the most important features for any GPS unit is the time it takes to respond to your wrong turns. You want the unit to tell you what corrective action to take as quickly as possible and not waste precious seconds to "recalculate"

[Clay]

one of the most important features for any GPS unit is the time it takes to respond to your wrong turns. You want the unit to tell you what corrective action to take as quickly as possible and not waste precious seconds to "recalculate"

So is there any testing that has been done on which ones are faster than others?

[shorthaul]

I have a Garmin nuvi 360 for about a year and a half---i like it---