What kind of GPS system should I get?

Question

Hi All!

My husband and I are looking to purchase a GPS system for our vehicles, and I want to know what brand is the best/easiest to use.

It seems like Garmin and Magellan are pretty popular, but I wanted to get some opinions and maybe some testimonials if you happen to own one of these brands.

Also, if there is a particular model that is good please let me know.

Thanks in advance!! :)

Answer 1

I have an Alpine PMDB100 portable navigation system. I like Garmin and TomTom a lot, but i don't know i like this model a lot. It looks great and is very easy to use. But it really matters what your looking for. If you want something that's very small and compact go with the garmin, but if you don't care and want something that looks good get the Alpine, hope it helps.

Answer 2

id get anything Garmin, i have garmin in my phone and it works flawlessly, very accurate, and i highly suggest it

Answer 3

i would say that the garmin nuvi would be your best bet. we have "tom tom" and it sucks. we have had alot of problems with it, especially with the battery. my friend has the garmin nuvi, and he loves it. i borrowed it on my 9 hour trip to montreal and it was awsome. garmin has been around for a while and they have a good name for themselves. i think they were one of the first in car navigation systems (although im not sure) so they probably are one of the best. i have been planning on buying one for quite a while and have not heard anybody say anything negative about the garmin nuvi and i plan to buy it in the future. all i've heard about them is praise. i'm not very good with tecnology, but the garmin nuvi was very easy for me to use and i loved it. it was point on and didn't give me any problems, whereas the tom tom i used took me to a different place entirely that i wanted to go the one time.

Answer 4

Go for Garmin.  They are the easiest to use and have good customer support.  TomTom's support isn't as good from what I have read, and I found the TomTom I tried to be less intuitive to use.  Magellan's customer support is a disaster.  They don't update maps often, use script readers instead of real techs, and are a hassle to deal with if you need a repair.  Their support used to be good, but each time the company changes ownership, the support goes farther down the toilet.

Answer 5

I would recommend you to select a make and model of GPS with the top 3 GPS manufacturers in North America

Currently Garmin is the most popular GPS manufactures with great product and excellent customer service and offer models ranging from $149 to $999. Next will be the TomTom GPS products, they are #2 in North America but #1 in Europe and they offer very good product price ranging from $149 to $549.

Last but not least is the Magellan GPS product, Magellan have a great history and one of the first to offer a turn by turn color touch screen portable GPS unit known as the Magellan RoadMate 500 and MRM 700. They have an excellent product and price range from $149 to $499.

You should know what features and preferences you would need.

so here are some of the feature your may consider:.

- touch screen

- Text to Speech announce street names

- bluetooth hands free is nice for hands free calling

- maps preloaded or free maps to load

- give & or receive voice commands ( voice command is expensive and not very necessary )

- large screen 4.3"

- Traffic information

-  not sure if you may need an mp3 feature

So I would recommend the following GPS units that have all that you are looking for.

Garmin = Latest Nuvi 880 which is voice command, 4.3" touch screen , have volume control, bluetooth handfree feature, preloaded NA map, Traffic information, MP3 player, audio book, games and a bright display and with all these features, the only model that have all of the features you are looking for with Garmin products is the Nuvi 880 price at $999.95.

If the price is to high, the best value would be:

Garmin Nuvi 760 NOH pretty much everything the Nuvi 880 have at a very reasonable price of $339 for NOH and $599 new both with full ONE Year Factory warranty

TomTom = Latest TomTom 930 which also have voice command features, map share where one can correct the mapping software as you find errors and share with everyone else, North America and Europe maps, 4.3" touch screen, have volume control, bluetooth handfree feature, preloaded NA map, and great display and with all these features, the only model that have all of the features you are looking for with all these features and priced at $499.95.

Also consider TomTom 920 or 720 at about $399-$499

Last but not least is the Magellan Maestro 4250, this unit also have limited voice recognition feature, NA mapping software, AAA Tourbook and saver guide, Bluetooth hands free feature, route optimization trip planner feature, routing option that includes least use of freeway, Traffic service with a 4.3" display and price at $399.99

Consider the Magellan CrossOverGPS NOH for only $199, it offers Text to Speech, Full NA map coverage and traffic option. This Magellan model is a low cost solution that offer you tons of feature.

You can find all these units and compare them at Auto Nav 2000 Plus, Inc website or just log on to http://www.autonav2000.com/

And if you are wondering which unit is best for you and do not wish to buy all 3 and return two units and pay a 15% restock fee with most retail stores, you can rent these GPS systems at GPS4Rent or http://www.gps4rent.com/ and compare the products for yourself.