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eroomlorac

eroomlorac

Poppy the mosaic squibbit
Joined
Jan 29, 2009
Messages
2,758
Location
Farm country, Northern Illinois
Ever since I drove to a show with Kristy, I've wanted a GPS system. I am ready to buy one. I know Garmins come highly recommended. Other than that, I know nothing. Kristy's sat on her dashboard with a sandbag sort of stand. I've seen them in cars mounted on the windshield with a suction cup looking device. I want a good one but I don't need the BEST one. I want one that talkes (I don't know if they all do). I know many of you have them. What do you like, not like? What do you wish yours had that you didn't get on yours? I'm willing to pay $200.00 or so. Preferebly less if i can get a nice one for less. I'm tired of getting lost. I went to visit a friend who lives about 1.5 hours away yesterday. I got there okay but was nervous I was lost even though I wasn't, just in unfamiliar territory. I did make it home okay but I KNOW there was a better way, I just couldn't find my way to the toll way. Any ideas, suggestions would be appreciated. Not only suggestions on which one to buy or what features are nice, but also maybe even WHERE to buy one.
 
I just bought a TomTom XL 335 from Wal-mart for $130. I bought a one year replacement plan for $10. We used it to drive to Cincinatti this weekend. It's AWESOME! The screen size is perfect, it talks to you, tells you what street to turn on by name. It also has lane guidance which is a big plus for me. I'm so nervous about getting in the wrong lane, but it shows you specifically what lane to get in.

And apparently it's on sale online right now for $98..I'm kinda miffed about that! I just bought it last week! *sigh* http://www.walmart.com/ip/TomTom-XL-335S-4.3-Portable-GPS/14660082

It comes with it's own mounting device. It's just a thing that attaches to the back of the unit and you can suction it to your windshield. It also comes with a mount that you can stick on your dashboard.
 
I have a Garmin Nuvi 500 and love it. I got it mostly for geocaching but I use it to get around a lot too. Even to places I know how to get to! hehehe. Its just fun to put in an address and seeing which route it takes me. The one feature I wish mine had is lane assist. When you are flying down the freeway with lots of moving traffic and have a bunch of merges and exits in a close proximity sometimes just telling you which exit to take or stay on isn't always enough direction. If you don't do a lot of freeway driving it isn't too bad but we have missed exits before or gotten off when we were supposed to stay on. Luckily we had the GPS and we were able to navigate back onto where we needed to be.

Oh, mine also doesn't say street names. It just says exit right or left. I don't mind it because I almost always have someone else in the car that can read the screen when i'm distracted with traffic. If you drive alone a lot though I would suggest getting one that says street names.

I would price check on amazon.com and walmart.com. When I was shopping I found them to have the best prices.
 
Garmin nuvi 265WT - so awesome that my mom got the same exact one!

It has:
-Bluetooth, which I use quite a bit to talk on my cell phone handsfree.
-Traffic, which tells you approximate delays in most city and suburban areas and lets you calculate a detour if its awful
-Street Names
-Wide screen, so I don't have to squint at the tiny square ones

I love it!
 
My husband has a Nuvi and he bought me one as well ( not sure what models). They get your there easily, they're easy to use and see mostly and come all ready to go. I have found that on country roads they'll get your close but not always right on. But on the right road, usually just to the nearest intersection though. Mine was about $150 new, he got his used from a buddy at work! You can always check CL and stuff for a used one and save extra too!
 
If you are willing to wait, and willing to get up early, I went on black Friday and got mine. My friend said that best buy had it $20 cheaper, and I said yeah, and I left my house at 5:45, walked into Office max, bought what I needed, went to Petsmart, bought what I needed there, and then went to Office Depot and got my things there and was home at 7:10. I got a good night sleep and never waited in a line. She was in line at midnight and had to rush into the store and grab what she wanted. That was worth $20 to me, lol. Anyway, places like the office supply stores discount the GPS units on Black Friday too, you just have to shop the ads and decide what you want. I saved $100 on my Nuvi 1200 by doing that.
 
That one was a Garmin I believe..it is my Dad's and that one is definitly more pricy. Marshall bought me a Tom Tom and it was much cheaper and is just as wonderful
 
My GPS is the Garmin nuvi 1300T. LOVE that thing. Only thing I have to say about it that wouldn't be positive is that there are 2 places where I live that it has me driving in the middle of nowhere (as if there's no street there), but yet I'm driving on pavement. Both of these road changes were done over 2 yrs ago. Not sure why they haven't updated the maps with Garmin yet. And yes, I have 2010 maps loaded. :) Other than that, and I think that is just a weird little quirky thing, it's been excellent and anytime you miss a turn, it recalculates in mere seconds (2-3 secs tops).

Oh, lifetime traffic and it's small enough to actually carry with you on hikes, bikes and such. Finds eco-friendly "green" routes, 4.3" widescreen, etc.
 
I also have a Garmin nuvi (not sure of model).

I would definitely recommend spending a few extra bucks and getting the spoken street names. It is an "extra" feature, but its nice!

Also, ditch the windshield mount and go on Amazon to get the sandbag friction mount. The suction cups will fall off in extreme temperatures and for $20 it's good insurance to have the sandbag ones. I have one and love it, I even bought one for my mom.
 
fanofdmb84 said:
I would definitely recommend spending a few extra bucks and getting the spoken street names. It is an "extra" feature, but its nice!

Also, ditch the windshield mount and go on Amazon to get the sandbag friction mount. The suction cups will fall off in extreme temperatures and for $20 it's good insurance to have the sandbag ones. I have one and love it, I even bought one for my mom.
Click to expand...

Have to agree with the spoken street names, even IF it says things a little wonky. ;) Mine has it and love that about the unit.

Though I don't totally agree with the suction cup. I have the suction cup mount and it's been around 98 F outside for the past 2 weeks or so around here (which means it's been around 120ish in the car) and it's never fallen or even so much as slipped. Course, that's a good thing considering my dash doesn't really have a place to put one of the sandbag ones anyway...air vent in the center and elsewhere it's just too slopey (sp?) for it.
 
I have to say that I loooove my husband's GPS! And his mom looooves it too. It's not the prettiest one (it's not flat like the new, sleek-looking ones) but it works so well, and its directions are so easy to follow!

He has a Garmin StreetPilot c330 (I looked it up for his mom because she loved it so much).

Here is the link to it: https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=6385#sp330

Unfortunately, it's been discontinued, but perhaps you can find it somewhere. Otherwise, I definitely recommend Garmin!
 
alpayton said:
Have to agree with the spoken street names, even IF it says things a little wonky. ;) Mine has it and love that about the unit.

Though I don't totally agree with the suction cup. I have the suction cup mount and it's been around 98 F outside for the past 2 weeks or so around here (which means it's been around 120ish in the car) and it's never fallen or even so much as slipped. Course, that's a good thing considering my dash doesn't really have a place to put one of the sandbag ones anyway...air vent in the center and elsewhere it's just too slopey (sp?) for it.
Click to expand...

I think it depends on the windshield--my car, for instance, the windshield is too sloped or too curved to hold most of the suction cup mounts. Our Jeep, on the other hand holds it, but it falls off probably once or twice a week. Of course, we also vary in temperatures as much as 50 degrees in a day...so that may also play into it.

And those bean bag mounts will stay in place on any dash, sloped or not, which is why they are really great (the bottom of it is non-skid). I generally take corners way too fast, and mine has never moved a bit. It's also nice because I can throw it under the seat or move it to another car with no hassle.
 
Stackie said:
I just bought a TomTom XL 335 from Wal-mart for $130. I bought a one year replacement plan for $10. We used it to drive to Cincinatti this weekend. It's AWESOME! The screen size is perfect, it talks to you, tells you what street to turn on by name. It also has lane guidance which is a big plus for me. I'm so nervous about getting in the wrong lane, but it shows you specifically what lane to get in.

And apparently it's on sale online right now for $98..I'm kinda miffed about that! I just bought it last week! *sigh* http://www.walmart.com/ip/TomTom-XL-335S-4.3-Portable-GPS/14660082

It comes with it's own mounting device. It's just a thing that attaches to the back of the unit and you can suction it to your windshield. It also comes with a mount that you can stick on your dashboard.
Click to expand...

I think if you bring your receipt in they will give you the discount since it has been so recent a purchase. I might look into this one! Great price and it talks and has lane guidance.
 
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