Allan R

So for the longest time now I've been toying with the idea of buying a new car with a NAV system, or buying a GPS Nav system. So I started with the obvious - $$. That sort of left the new car out, since there's nothing really wrong with the one I have now.

So it's down to the GPS. I have narrowed my searching down to Tom Tom and Garmin. Either the Tom Tom 5" 2505 or the Garmin 4.3" 1350 T LMT.

The prices are reasonable, and I don't care about the Blue tooth (if you have more than 1 does that mean you have Blue Teeth??) or Sirius radio gadgets. The features I'm looking at that would help me tremendously are:
> Advance Lane Guidance
> Lifetime Map and Traffic Updates
> Programmable Waypoints
> Distance Log and Route Memory

Side by side comparison: The Tom Tom is bigger and missing Distance Log, but costs 230 bucks on sale. The Garmin is smaller, but is missing the advance lane guidance but goes for only 160 on sale.

So here's what I need to know
1. How many of you use GPS assistance?
2. What brand do you use?
3. How reliable is it?
4. Would you recommend it?
5. What are some of the common pitfalls of GPS units?

If anyone is using either of the 2 that I've identified above, I'd love to hear back on this.

don71

I voted for the Garmin other. I'm not much in to this new stuff but have an older Garmin in the boat. Its mainly used for tracking fuel milage...and marking fishing spots. Works good with no problemos'.

Second...some of the Garmin products are assembled in Kansas, just don't know for sure how much is anymore.

Allan R

Don, Garmin appears to have 5 major offices 3 in the US (Kansas City, Chicago and Salem OR - the last one handles the Canadian market too), 1 in UK and 1 in Asia. I'm guessing the majority of the decision making is made in the US and the satellite offices respond with specific needs and interfaces for their areas. GPS is a big industry throughout the world; I'm surprised there isn't more competition. Not sure who the automanufacturers use; maybe they've developed their own? BTW, never thought about putting it in the boat - what a great idea. For now I just need something that's more reliable than me or my wife looking for road signs.....

sicky olds

lol i use my phone, VZW Navigator and google maps for the win

Dapapadon

I talked to friends and watched for a Garmin on sale. Went to buy one and it was out of stock (Office Depot) and came home with a Tom Tom. They did give me a better discount on the Tom Tom. It's an XL 350 and I'm happy with it. I don't use many of the advance features though. I think you'll be happy with either brand, just get the features you want and a good price.

I don't really care for the windshield mount. Would like to find a dash mount that I can leave in the truck. But that's just me I guess.

Don

kevin.horton

X2 on Verizon...works like a charm.

ddx77

Have to agree with the cell phone nav. I was stupid and bought a garmin before I checked out my cell gps. Now all I use is my cell to navigate.

Not sure what new car you are buying but Honda's gps updates are expensive.

I had a GMC Denali and loved the factory GPS. But again I just bought a new car and...

jensenracing77

i just picked up a 1350LMT 3 weeks before we left on vacation. i was told by so many people to get a Garmin and not to bother with the others that i figured there must be something to it. so that is what i got. i don't know anything about the others but i love the 1350 LMT that we got. just remember, no GPS is a full substitute for a good map. if you go on vacation you want to have an atlas for backup.

an example of how i like it... on vacation we fly by the seat of our pants for hotels. before the GPS we would stop at several places till we found the price we wanted. that takes time. now with the 1350 we got to the town we were going to stay at, punch in hotel/motel and it would give a list of all of them in the area with phone numbers. now we just call 3 of them till we find the one we want then hit go to then we are there. i didn't know it had phone numbers in it till we found it on vacation.

Allan R

I don't want to stick it on the windshield either. I believe that Tom Tom has that, but you can get a dash mount for Garmin.

Way cool description. So far, I have to say that I'm leaning more to Garmin for the options and the pricing. Unlike some of the others who have data plans on their cell phones, I don't have or really want that in a cell. I plan to use the Nav for long trips or to avoid getting lost at home . The map updates, traffic detour updates etc are what I'm really interested in. Another thing I've read on product reviews is that both the Garmin and Tom Tom are pretty easy to use, but the Garmin 5" screens don't have as much reflection as Tom Toms. Do you find it easy to use and would you recommend it?

I appreciate all the input so far, every little bit helps.

CELL DATA PLAN USERS. What would you choose if you didn't have a data plan and weren't planning to get one? I need to make a decision by Tuesday so I can learn how to use this thing for Thurs. Planning to head to Vancouver and I get lost everytime I go there...

jensenracing77

the problem i would have had with the cell versions is that we had no cell reception for 3 days in the mountains.

we did use it for an alternate route one time when we were in a traffic jamb. it worked great but all the other people with a GPS was on the same route we were.

cutlassgal

Nicole got me a Tom Tom for Christmas. I've only used it a couple times, but it works good. I don't stick it on my windshield. Larry has an older Garmin - I don't see much difference between the two.

Allan R

Now that's right funny! Too many people with the same idea...I guess one of the nice things I have going for me is I only want to be on the road from about 9am until 3:30pm. Don't care much for driving into the sun, having the sun in my mirrors, and I really don't like driving at night anymore.

kevin.horton

"CELL DATA PLAN USERS. What would you choose if you didn't have a data plan and weren't planning to get one? I need to make a decision by Tuesday so I can learn how to use this thing for Thurs. Planning to head to Vancouver and I get lost everytime I go there..."

Go to Hertz and rent a car with NeverLost.

Sorry, I travel for a living (Healthcare IT consultant), so if I have to go to a city where I don't know the way, I'll get NeverLost....but, my VZW works just as well.

Allan R

Hahaha...Glad you have that option. I'm retired so I don't travel for a living. I'm not going to rent a car for a week just to get the neverlost feature. So, take a step downnn to my level. If you were some poor schmuck who wanted to get a GPS for his car, which would you choose? Seeing as you're an IT consultant, I expect you have some advanced thinking on which products are good better and best. I only need a 'better' one as outlined originally. Whattaya say?

kevin.horton

I have never seen a Garmin, but have seen/heard a TomTom....they seem to work okay, a coworker of mine had one and she even had a Southern "drawl" voice programmed in it....it would say "take a right right here" in that Southern drawl, then would say "right, right , right, right, right"...in that same Southern drawl....was pretty funny. Of course, she was from Tennessee (Knoxville), so it was fitting.

2blu442

If your traveling during the winter somewhere unfamilar check your references! We've had a couple people try to drive over mountain roads that don't get plowed in the winter. "The GPS system said to go this way!". Best case they spend some cold nights until found. Worst case, they died.

GPS is a cool tool and I use a hand held Garmin at work for simple mapping in the woods. Just be aware the automotive ones may be looking at a map without information about road conditions in the winter. John

Allan R

Very good point John. I'll program mine to 'sniff for open pavement' and set a 'fuel efficient route' to your place. One other thing I've found from traveling with my buddy (has Tom Tom) was the maps are only as good as they are updated. So when you go through construction, the display shows you going somewhere else, like through a field where there's no road , thats why I was looking for one with the lifetime updates on maps and traffic.....

Lady72nRob71

I vote "road map". Do research before your trip as your little silicon brain will tell you to go over gravel roads, private roads, or other places you do not want to be, just cause they are theoretically 'shorter'.
Also I learn a lot more about where I will be if I research ahead. Part of the fun, IMO.
And how can you easily see hundreds of miles of roadways on a 4" screen without frustration and fiddling? Not for me.
Also, paper maps can not break to where they cannot be used unexpectedly. They just don't refold correctly..........

kbgood

Garmin! We downloaded all the Europe maps for our 17 day trip in May and they were great! We ended up driving about 2200 miles in a rental car and the Garmin got us where we needed to be, up over mountains and to all our hotels. I bought the $250-300 one for my dad (Mr Maps I don't need no maps) and he actually followed it and saved hundreds of miles and time running from Texas to Wisconsin and then to Florida by himself, hes a believer now.

VikingBlue

Was somewhat disappointed after reading the thread...I was hoping for a Don Adams/Barbara Feldon discussion, and also discussion of KAOS and Agent 43, who's only half the agent Max is.

Those were the days.

Lady72nRob71

I have the whole dvd collection for Get Smart - always a laugh, esp the earlier episodes...
My favorite line in reference to a motorcycle escort- "This is KAOS - we don't ttthhhhhbbbbbbbbb here!!"

Dapapadon

I think you're missing some of the finer points of the GPS Nav Rob. You're not looking at the whole route on a small screen, just your current location, which direction to turn at the next connection, how far you are from the turn and when you get near it will tell you if you need to be in a specific lane. Mine gives me my speed (helpfull in the 66 w/ broken speedometer) and my estimated arrival time.

I don't use mine for long trips to replace an atlas, don't really take any. I either know where I'm going or have an idea of the route on long trips. But with the Tom Tom I can relax and glance at it every once in a while to see how far I am from the next interchange/turn. What I really like about mine is using it for local stuff. I was tired of leaning over the steering wheel going 40 on a major street looking for my turn. The Tom Tom tells me how far I am from the turn, as I get close it counts down from 400 feet. I've used it in the last 3 months for job interviews, visiting friends (former co-workers) and to pick up a set of wheels and tires I bought from a board member. I used it last month to go look at the 68 Cutlass S I bought and took it with me in a buudy's truck when we went to pick the car up. Thinking about it now, it's the best 100 bucks I've ever spent on an auto accessory. Sure I could get along without it, but I'm getting old and it makes driving to an unknown address easy! Life is good!

Also, I'm still kind'a new to this area. I can be 2, 5 or 10 miles from home. I know how to get home, but I think I can get there a different route. With the Tom Tom I turn it on, hit the "Home" button and head off on my new route. When I get to where I'm not sure I glance at the TT. It knows right where I'm at and which way I need to go.

Did I mention I really like the silly little thing? Sorry I got so long winded.

Don

Allan R

Maybe another time. I also loved the series but I'm tired of going somewhere and 'missing it by that much'. 'Would you believe we shoulda turned left on the second road back? How about right on the 3rd interchange by Vernon? Didn't think so'. Even James Bond had GPS in his car for tracking , so this isn't something new, just more efficient (hopefully)

I do research where I'm going before I leave. But I have had nightmare experiences with the paper maps. I'm up for something new that I can learn to use. Tech has come a long way and IMO it would be a sin not to take advantage of it. Heck, even basic or tech advanced cars break down, so it's only fair to say that GPS may have the same failure as having your map blow out the window or left in a diner..... Have you ever booked a hotel or plane on line instead of getting to the lineup and waiting (with a strong possibility of disappointment?) The GPS is just an extension of the world we take for granted now. If everything was still a paper world, this forum (for example) would not exist and we couldn't talk back and forth the way we do. For many people, change is a frightening thing. I understand and respect that. There are some things I don't want to change either, but that is driven by industry, markets, time and technology. BTW I understand the issue of gravel road travel (not exciting), but I don't believe these maps include 'private roads' as that would be an infringement on land ownership issues.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing your choice for paper, but think about it this way: If you had to use a GPS system which would you choose? The options I provided didn't really take into account that some folks would say Cell phones, or paper maps. I'm looking for the experience of others who have used GPS in their cars to help influence my buying experience.

Ding ding ding ding! We have a winner. Don, I think you're among the few who really understands the intent of this thread. The GPS systems I'm looking at do all the things that you've described, and more. Like you, I'm getting older and it's way easier for me to listen to the TT or G directions, even in my home City. I recently took a trip to the newer Southwest corner of the City. I knew the address, did a mapquest search and printed the page. Still, I was highly uncertain and almost got lost several times. I've travelled with a buddy using GPS in his truck to unfamiliar territory, and I was impressed. I like the sense of confidence it gives. Some of the nicer features I'm targeting in my GPS system are advance lane guidance, lifetime map and traffic updates, and programmable waypoints which are definitely not features of a static paper map. I'm so glad to hear that you like using your TT. That gives me a boost of reassurance. Jensenracing also added some interesting info I was not aware of that would make traveling a lot easier. What model of TT do you use? Thanks!

OldsManNJ

Motion X GPS app on the iPhone is the best GPS I have used to date - I have had Garmins, tom toms and a Magellan - the iPhone works better than all of them - and just so you know - the iPhone app only uses cell towers if there are no satellites available - so cell reception is not important for GPS use on the iPhone. I would think android phones are the same - they use the GPS chip to report GPS location not the cellular location.

Dapapadon

Mine is about a year old and has it's flaws. (It's an XL 350.) Like sometimes it will start telling me about a turn too late. I'm making the turn half way through the verbal and it ends the verbal. And I don't get verbal lane change info on freeways. Everything on the visual works great. The biggest number in the bottom center of the screen is my distance to the next turn, interchange or exit. I tend to go by that. And like it not talking a lot. It does tell me to "Turn around when possible" when I really screw up.

I would like to see an "Explore" feature. Say I'm traveling down a freeway on a long trip and want to do a little sightseeing. Maybe hit a button to show me local points of interest and stuff. Then when I'm done hit a "resume" button and it would take me back to the original planned route. Mine may do this. To be honest I've never read the book. It does have the Points of interest.

Oh yeah, I originally bought mine because I have the hardest time going east or west out of Portland (Oregon). I'd get where I was going and back, but really hated the thought of making the trip. Now with the TT trips are fun, rather than stressfull.

Don

442much

I won a Tom Tom 630 at our company Christmas party. It works pretty good. Haven't really "dug" into it, but I like the fact that I can speak the address and it starts to plan the route.

Shizzy

I have a Tom Tom and use it daily in my daily. I have taller tires on my truck so I mainly use it for the MPH function as I know my speedometer is a little off. I also use it on the way to work every morning. It then tells me how many minutes I have until I get there. it sure eases the blood pressure when you are stuck in traffic and you know you still have 18 minutes to spare.

I also use it in my Cutlass for the same reason as my truck. the speedometer is wrong and its just easier to stick it to the windshield and know for sure I'm going the speed limit.

Allan R

After hearing back lots of interesting information, I bought Garmin. 1350LMT Just finished registering and checking for map updates. Piece of cake! Took about 30 minutes to download and update. Just takes a little time and practice to learn the screens.

This unit looks like it will be really easy to use. Going on a long trip Thurs and I've programmed the route already, so I'll see how it performs. I'm as excited as a kid with a new 72 442 W30!

Also bought my son an FM transmitter/docking station for his IPOD so he can listen to his tunes on the car stereo in the dead zones. It will charge the IPOD even when the radio's off, seeing as it's plugged into a always on hot outlet. He's really good about not playing stuff I don't like when we're both in the car.

oldzy

Garmin of course.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0X1peEgTqw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcPk6KKyfVE

I memorized these two lyrics above a while ago. LOL

marxjunk

Ive had a Magellan, a Garmin and 2 Tom Toms, i travel for work and rely on them...the magellan sucked and the Garmin wasnt much better,,,Im In KC Mo..Garmins headquarters is 15 minutes from me, and i find it ironic/stupid that i was always lost in KC with the Garmin...

TOM TOM all the way, i turned down a free garmin from my employer and bought my onw TOM TOM...no doubt, my next one will be a TOM TOM...

Allan R

Well, the Garmin called shotgun on my wife as navigator. I think she was miffed that it has a womans voice telling me things like "Listen to me honey, not the blonde in the back".

Overall, I'd give the Garmin top marks: at least 95/100. The only place it let me down was around home where I already know there's road construction and can't go there.

On one trip into New Westminister and Port Coquitlam, it even knew about the major traffic disruptions and detour patterns around the Port Mann Bridge (that's a huge new improvement that will have 6 lanes of traffic flowing each way). I tested the nav by deliberately turning the wrong way and it recalculated the new route within 3 seconds! The only time it got lost was in the mountains during a heavy downpour when it lost communication with its satellites.

Overall the screen is pretty easy to navigate, but at times it can be a little frustrating trying to make changes on the fly. Word of advice: Don't make changes on the fly. Stop. Pull over, then tinker with the settings. Or have someone else in the car do it.

3 nice features I liked: setting via waypoints during the trip, the 'detour' feature, and the 'stop' feature. ok 4. The nav screen automatically flips from day to night settings and is really easy to read.

I don't know which speed setting to trust more. The nav says my speedo is out by -2km/hr. I really did like the 'heads up' position of the nav speedo instead of looking down at the one on the car.

I am very happy with my Garmin and plan to use it as much as practicable. I know it'll come in handy driving my 72 around town and on the highway because it will automatically display km/hr instead of the dash mph. I would recommend Garmin to anyone who asks. This of course is simply a reflection of user satisfaction; I'm sure Tom Tom and Magellan have comparible satisfaction statements from their customers too. But, I have lifetime map and traffic updates for life and for only a few $$.

redoldsman

I just bought a Garmin a couple weeks ago and carried it on a trip to Ocean City, Maryland and then back for a few days in DC. Worked perfect. I am amazed at how accurate it is. Two funny parts are (1) it does not know when a restaruant (Panda Express in this case) is in a mall and (2) that 7-11's in Washington, DC do not have gas pumps. I consider it paid for itself on this trip. I programed all the known addresses (hotel, my sister's place, the airport) in before we left. Then it is just a matter of hitting a button.

Redog

What is your daliy driver?

I put in a 2004 Buick Navigation head unit in my Alero. Took some work to get it in and work correctly, but it works great. I love it and it looks factory

I had to get a "to radio" wiring buss for a 2000 Alero and a "to car" wiring buss for a 2004 Buick, spliced them together and checked to see if it worked. It did, so I took the busses to my buddy who shortened all the wires then soldered and heat shrink wraped them and I have a little custom connector. The fall back was I had to rewire the ing wire to a relay because the car did not support the head unit so it wouldn't shut off when the car was turned off. There is a delay on the radio like the newer cars, but it works great.

I had to trim the radio box a bit, just with a razor blade

Here are some pics, old, but still look the same, except that gauge by the gas pedal







And like I said, a lot of wiring

Redog

And like reoldsman said, the GM one will also tell you where something is if you program it that way.

It will show the golden arches, the texaco star, a little slot machine, and so on.

Plus to can key in "Target" and it will give you directions to whatever Target you want. I typed it in once and in the list it gave me one in WV, 465 miles away

Allan R

Interesting, the Garmin will always provide the closest fuel, food etc and gradually show the ones furthest away. My cousin has a Honda Odessy (tech) with factory nav. It works really well and has about an 8 inch screen. Really easy to work with. Also, I like the position of the nav screen up higher, as opposed to looking down to where the radio was. Helps keep my eyes closer to the road ahead.

Redog

Don't get me wrong, it tells the closest too, it's just that the list was over 600 stores and I clicked down instead of up. I know the closest one was .5 miles away

ANd I agree with it being higher up is better. My uncle has a 2008 Odessy with the nav and back up camera. In the Alero the screen is kinda low, but it's still cool to have the snobby ******** in their luxury cars look in and see a factory navi unit in an 11 year old car