Hey all! I am looking to buy a GPS and... Wow are there a ton of options. Does anybody have any good experiences or advice? I remember several people on here recommending tom tom over Garmin and whatnot. Just looking for some general advice.

Truly lifetime map updates (without any dwindling compatibility as time goes on) are probably the number one thing i would like. Easy interface and sharp graphics are important too. And traffic, provided it actually works well, would be a huge plus. Obviously the lowest cost is a benefit, but I want a unit that works well and I'm willing to pay what that costs (probably up to $225, but $110 sounds sweeter, ya know?)

Thanks in advance. Have a great weekend!

 

I've used Garmin units since GPS first became available and find that their navigation algorithms to be superior to TomTom and Google Navigation. When we travel with friends we often have all three going at the same time so we have compared them directly. Garmin is very good a selecting the best route while Google is the worst. The Garmin free traffic information works well in urban SoCal and the unit is pretty good at selecting alternate routes when appropriate.

We haven't done map updates, but expecting compatibility forever is not realistic. Figure on five years of good compatibility and after that the age of your unit will start to affect its ability to be updated.

 

Agree with what is posted above. Garmin seems to have better abilities compared to the others. Garmin 2797 LMT is a good option and you can find one new around $225 shipped and refurbished under $200. It has a large screen. LM = Lifetime maps, basically read as a few years of free map upgrades. T = Traffic. You get alerts about bad traffic as you approach areas with bad or backed up traffic. Good luck with your GPS search. I suggest getting one with Free map updates, Lane assist and Multi point routing features.

 

I have a very basic Garmin Nuvi 42, and my husband has the 2589LMT. The 2589 is awesome and so worth the premium! Much faster, pinch to zoom screen (this is probably the most important feature for him - the old Garmin without it drove him crazy), and you can now enable simplified directions like "turn right at the gas station/traffic light/stop sign" instead of the usual "turn right onto X Street" which I personally find incredibly useful. Plus voice commands and other neat features. I think it was $230, so at the top of your range, but you could easily go for the $200 base model that won't have bluetooth (don't need that in a Fit anyway) and voice control.

 

I had a Garmin and hated with a passion. That bloody thing would send you in the craziest directions. It never made sense. I wouldn't use one of those things, not in a million years.

And to top it off their support is rude.

 

So, what do you suggest as an alternative? Do you have experience with other units for comparison?

 

I've had Garmin marine units and an eTrex 20 for hiking and canoeing. Loved their ease of use. Never had one in the car, but my buddy had a Street Pilot on his Road King. Got us out of trouble more than once.

 

I had a TomTom for several years and liked it very much. Switched to a 5 inch Garmin with lifetime updates a couple of years ago. I thought the TomTom did a slightly better job but I much prefer the larger Garmin screen and the free updates. You can get a similar Garmin on Amazon for under $100 with free shipping.

 

I purchased a 7 inch Garmin nuvi 2797 LTM and I use it with a bean bag mount. Sometimes I have it on the far left of the dash board but most often it's sitting directly behind the gear shift. Works well and is very easy to see. As with any GPS one should have a good idea where they are going because the GPS will not always take the best route.

 

I have been using my iPhone 6+. I actually go the plus with Navi in mind. I sell real estate and I wanted an easy nav that integrated to my EX radio.

Very happy with it. There are a lot of options for apps but google maps has been working for me. In the recent past I had a Garmin.

 

I just got a Garmin navi 2597 to replace an earlier Garmin and it's been working seamlessly. Thank God they don't say 'recalculating' anymore. Nicer voice too, and voice command works well. It's easier to use plus they've made quantum leaps in POI's so finding restrooms, food, gas, etc. is a simple as saying your keyword

One thing to consider: the flagship models sometimes offer a glass screen and HD that allow pinch zoom and the like, but in the real world the matte screens are far better because they don't reflect and you can always see them.

When I first got my Fit EX I was going to get an iPhone and run navigation through the car's display...I'm sure glad I didn't.

 

We have the glass screen and have had zero issues with glare. In fact, the colors and saturation are much better than on the regular touch screen models and I find it much more pleasing to the eye. Also no problems with polarized sunglasses! And none of that maddening unresponsive trying to move the map like on the touch screen - you just pinch, zoom and move around like you would with Google maps on the iphone.

 

i guess GPS cost a personal thing. i spent nearly $1000 on my GPS unit... waterproof, readable in direct sunlight and works with gloves.



it works perfectly fine the few times i used it in the fit.

 

You're likely a lot younger than me. Reflection from the car's display and my cell phone can be a bother, so a glass screen GPS wouldn't be any different. Probably not the same case for you.

 

I've had a Garmin Nuvi for 3-4 years and love it. I also have free lifetime map updates which I do every 3 months, very simple.

 

Did you know that the audio files can be modified to say anything you want? For example, instead of "Recalculating" it can say "You idiot, now I have to figure out another way to go!"

 

That would be pretty funny. My wife would get a kick out of that, because there would then be two people calling me an idiot.

 

I use the app Waze on my iPhone 6. It's the best. Real-time traffic, road hazards, and police alerts, all user generated. It's great. Before I used Waze I was a Garmin guy.

 

I'm pretty happy with my Magellan. It's not perfect, but it works reasonably enough and generally chooses reasonable (though not always the absolute best) routes. It does sometimes get stuck/confused when starting up the car and then needs to be power cycled manually, which takes a minute or so to cold boot and then another minute or so to find and start tracking satellites.

I don't think that any of the major brands are vastly superior to the rest. A lot is simply matters of personal preference.

 

I have a Garmin Nuvi 42, very inexpensive and works fine. It sits in left side, driver's cup holder.

I did not get the map updates, because the roads in my area don't change that much year to year and I would much rather just buy a new GPS every 2-3 years to get the newest features.