Please help me choose a GPS

[Ida]

Our family spends TONS of time on long road trips. We live in North Dakota and have a summer home in North Carolina (backwards, I know, but that's the way it is.) We usually travel to NY,CT, MA at least once a year to visit in laws. So we end up covering about a third of the country a couple of times a year. So far we have done this sans GPS, but I really think having one would be hugely beneficial. So many times we'll watch road signs for an hour looking for a place to stop and eat, or the gas light will come on and we have no idea how far it is to the next gas station, etc. We've always done fine with Mapquest directions and an Atlas, but there have been times we've been stuck in traffic and wondered if there was a good way to navigate around it. I've thought before that a GPS would be useful, but now we are ready to actually do it. We leave for NC on Monday, so will make our purchase this weekend.

 

I started looking for information online and quickly got overwhelmed. The very same product would have very enthusiastic reviews and very negative ones right next to each other and it hardly seemed like they were talking about the same product. This afternoon we went to Best Buy and it was nice to actually fiddle around with a few. The one we were the most drawn to was the Garmin 255W. It's affordable. I don't need my GPS to have bluetooth or an MP3 player. I came back and looked at reviews for that product and it seems that lots of people like it, but then there were people that said Tomtom was better.

 

Anyway, I'd love to hear what you have that you love and why you love it. Thanks for any advice.

[snickelfritz]

I don't know what a TomTom might have that this one doesn't, but I'm pleased.

 

It doesn't do BlueTooth.

 

It doesn't do live traffic updates.

 

It has been very reliable at showing us directions, how much further, etc... to where we want to go. We've used it in Oklahoma (some pretty rural areas,) California, and Washington state.

Edited May 28, 2009 by snickelfritz
replacing the h's that my keyboard leaves out

[SonshineLearner]

I have a gps on my phone. It's been the best deal ever! It does live traffic updates, I can take it when a friend is driving...easily...and it's only been a couple of miles off...once...and I think that's because the address wasn't registered properly?? It's great...and I call it my boyfriend...Dave:-)

Carrie:-)

[hsmamainva]

We have a Garmin and it's GREAT!!

 

I'm not sure of the model number .. we bought it at Costco for around $250.00.

 

It does the live traffic updates and it saved us from a huge traffic jam when we were 3 hours away from home for a baseball tournament.

[missplacedalaskan]

Not the OP.

We have a Garmin...the cheapest model that WalMart sells. It has been great. We can have it look up rest areas, gas, retaurants, etc. I love it. BUT... Hmmm....I like the sound of the live traffic updates!

 

We have used our Garmin all over the east coast and never had a problem with it.

[Ida]

I have a gps on my phone. It's been the best deal ever! It does live traffic updates, I can take it when a friend is driving...easily...and it's only been a couple of miles off...once...and I think that's because the address wasn't registered properly?? It's great...and I call it my boyfriend...Dave:-)

Carrie:-)

 

One of the reviews I read did say that their cell phone GPS was better than any separate one he had used. My cell phone is a tracfone which I rarely use, so the monthly fee for a cell phone with features like GPS costs what I spend in about half a year on my cell. I did actually go on Verizon and poke around. Ocassionally I get cell phone lust and think it would be so cool to have a really souped up one, but it's not going to happen.

 

The GPS reviews also seem to be pretty consistent in saying that the traffic report feature is hugely inaccurate. It's interesting to hear that hsmamainva seems to have found it beneficial. The traffic thing is an extra service I'd have to add on to the one I'm looking at. I figure it would be worth it if it actually works but not so much if it doesn't.

 

Thanks to those who have shared so far.

[SonshineLearner]

Don't you have to pay a monthly fee with a GPS though? I thought you did, so that would make mine within or less than others...

:-)

[hsmamainva]

There's no monthly fee for the Garmin.

[snickelfritz]

Maybe there is if you get the live traffic updates?

 

 

 

Nevermind--Just read what Kelly posted and she DOES get the live traffic updates.

[Annie G]

We have had a TomTom for two years but I don't think the brand matters. Since we've bought ours, several family members have bought their own and I've learned which features are important to me.

1. Does the GPS actually say the road names when you need to turn? Dd's just says 'turn right' and she doesn't always have the luxury of looking at the unit to see if it's the street she's at or the one 50 feet down the road.

2. Does it have several 'voices' to choose from? The one my parents have only has a couple to choose from and they have a difficult time understanding the voices, but the one on mine is clear and loud enough for them. I hope to fiddle with theirs next month and see if I can find a voice that will work for them.

3. Does it quickly recalculate the route when you make an unexpected turn? Sometimes a GPS will tell you to go one way even though you know a different route is better. Mine recalculates to accomodate the changes I made. One dd's GPS just tells her to turn around even when there are clearly other routes. If I run across a detour, I need mine to recalculate on the fly.

4. Over time, the estimated travel time should be fairly accurate. I really rely on this when I'm going to airports, shows, etc.

 

I think any name brand will be reliable...but find out which features are 'must have's' for you. Have fun...they are awesome and make trips much easier.

[Krista in LA]

We have a TomTom One and it does it's job just fine. Dh travels for work a lot and he has found it very helpful to get from the airports to wherever he is going and back to the hotel. I don't know how he did without it.

 

I keep thinking that someone needs to make up more voices for the things though. I would love a snarky voice that instead of saying, "Make a u-turn ahead," would say, "You turned the wrong way, you fool. Turn around!" Or even some positive affirmations like, "You are doing a great job, haven't missed a turn yet." We always joke around with things we want it to say.

[orangearrow]

We have a TomTom One and it does it's job just fine. Dh travels for work a lot and he has found it very helpful to get from the airports to wherever he is going and back to the hotel. I don't know how he did without it.

 

I keep thinking that someone needs to make up more voices for the things though. I would love a snarky voice that instead of saying, "Make a u-turn ahead," would say, "You turned the wrong way, you fool. Turn around!" Or even some positive affirmations like, "You are doing a great job, haven't missed a turn yet." We always joke around with things we want it to say.

 

 

Go to the TomTom website and you can download NEW voices onto your GPS!! They have Mr. T (and he does say something like "Turn around, you fool!") and Captain Picard, Sean Connery... a few others that I'm not remembering!!

 

We have a TomTom and like it a lot. We've had it for a few years now.

[KatherineNaomi]

We have a TomTom One XL-S that we got refurbished from Amazon for $99. I really like the large touch screen, text to speech, and user interface. It recalculates the route very quickly also. An extra bonus is that you can download voices and icons. We currently have an X-Wing as our vehicle icon and Yoda giving directions. ;)

[Krista in LA]

Go to the TomTom website and you can download NEW voices onto your GPS!! They have Mr. T (and he does say something like "Turn around, you fool!") and Captain Picard, Sean Connery... a few others that I'm not remembering!!

 

No way! I'm going to have dh do this as soon as he gets home from his lastest trip with it. Thanks.

[Deidre in GA]

for all the reasons you state, a GPS would greatly enhance your road trips. i've had a Garmin since 2004 - just before the great gps price drop. though it's old it's still a workhorse and has many features i would miss on a newer gps. it's longevity is a testatment to Garmin's quality. i had a great site for GPS reviews but i can't find the bookmark right now. this reviewer did comparisons between routing with different models and manufacturers. Garmin consistently came out on top with more effective routes. the differences are apparently a matter of what maps a company has license for and the algorithms they employ for routing. i think Garmin matched well with google.

 

i wouldn't want to take any trip without a GPS however, continue to take maps as a back up. anything can break. electronics can be dropped. i stepped on a connection cord once and the Garmin was out of commission until i replaced it. whatever you choose, i suggest getting a bean bag dashboard mount. this is usually an extra but some states ban windshield mounts and, more importantly, the tell-tale ring windshield mounts often leave is a heads up to thieves that a gps may be stashed in the car. a BB dashboard mount works great and stashes without a trace.