GPS systems

[anoki]

Just curious if anyone has one.....what type did you buy? why? What do/don't you like about it?

Thanks,

~kathryn

 

[Sterling]

I got the Tom-Tom for hubby for Christmas this year. It was between that one and the Garmin and hubby tried both and liked the Tom-Tom better. We've used it a few times and it's pretty neat. I've read and heard say the the Tom-Tom is a little more accurate than the Garmin, but just by bits and pieces in little things here and there. Only thing I don't like about it is that it measures by yards instead of feet...that took a little while to get used to.

 

[Feather]

google just put up a new satillite that is much approved over the older ones for public use. A newer line of GPS systems will use this link. Want to read signs along the road with your GPS?

 

[Leeana]

Huge GPS fan here! I have a GPS in my car and a GPS in my truck (it came with it

). I have a Tom-Tom ..i bought mine at wal-mart and i got my truck from my brother and he left his GPS in it and its the exact same as mine so.

At work, my other brother has GPS in all of his semi's ..they really are worth their weight in gold.

They are really priceless and so accurate ..really helpful. I feel safe to go places by myself with it, no fighting with a mapquest print out. I still print out mapquest directions when i go somewhere incase the tomtom quits or goes out. But it shows everything ...streams ...rivers ...lakes in the backyards ..rail road tracks.

What do i NOT like about it? Well ..it does go off from time to time ..it will go off for a few minutes and power back on if the signal is lost which is why its handy to have mapquest with you just incase. I bought a special window mount for it that keeps the rattling to a minimum (i think i got it at best buy?) and it helps keep it from rattling loose. I think mine was just like $190.00 at wal-mart. My brother paid more near $300.00 for his back in the day ...

Here is mine fro the passangers seat ...you can kind of see it off to the side somewhat ..

Its nice ..on the right side it tell you ..

~ The arrow shows which way you will be turning next

~ The miles below that is how far until your next turn or how far you have left on that road

~ Current speed

~ Current Time

~ Approx Arival Time

~ Miles Left

When you get to your destination and you are getting ready to go home, you do not have to reset the directions ..just click "Home" and its alread pre set.

 

[Charley]

Ours are both Garmins. Very happy with them. I call mine "my best friend". I have no sense of direction so I need to use mine just about every time I drive. And if I miss a turn it recalculates and gets me there anyway. I like that I can change the voice and that I can press a button so it will repeat what it just said since I'm not always listening to it.

I don't like when it takes me to a store that is no longer there or is not built yet....it happens more often than you think....Or if a new subdivision has not been entered yet. We do update our maps about every six months.

I don't like that they make your car a target for thieves. So now I pop it off the dashboard and put it in my purse. I do like that it is small, has a cover, is easy to take out of the car, and easy to hook back up.

 

[SHANA]

We have a Garmin. Love it, especially if you miss your first turn, it will recalculate and give you a second option to get to your destination.

 

[Kathy2m]

We have 3 they are all different, my hubbys is a Garmen mounts on the dash seems O.K. then we have one that I use with my laptop, Its called co-pilot I like it alot. My son just installed his old one in my truck it is a stereo/cd/dvd/nav system. Its made by eclipse. It's not as user friendly, but like them all it just takes a little to figure out. I have learned to ask people if I can get to their place by a nav or map quest. Sometimes you cant. I went to pick up some horses and asked her for directions just in case the nav went out, she told me the nav wont get me to her place. I tried to give it her address and it would not take it.

Good Luck, Kathy

 

[Sonya]

Hubby has a garmin named "Cecilia". I don't remember which model she is, but she is awesome. Accurate down to the dime...will even show what lane you are in if you zoom in real close. We've never had any issues with her loosing the satellite and we've really been "out in the boonies" with her....no cell phone coverage but she does just fine.

 

[Just Us N Texas]

I have a Garmin. I love it, especially since I have no sense of direction. When I screw up and turn left instead of right, or just plain miss a turn, it turns me around and gets me back on track. You do need to keep them updated, because the landscape is forever changing! New roads, subdivisons, stores, and etc.

 

[sfmini]

I have a Garmin Nuvi 260 and love, love, love it.

She does get disgusted if I ignore her, and says in this really digusted voice, reCALCulating!

She got me here to this almost unmarked hotel in a driving rain, in the dark this morning. Dropped me right in the parking lot. Didn't see the sign until I got in the parking lot.

It also has buttons you can push to search for nearby businesses, like food, gas, lodging, shopping, hospitals.

Get a friction mount for your dash, worth the extra money, and doesn't shift around. If you ignore this advice and get a regular suction cup mount, clean the spot EVERY time you stop and take the GPS out. Thieves are now breaking in to vehicles that have those marks to steal the now very hot GPS systems. Mine rides in a pouch in my purse when I am not using it.

 

[anoki]

Thanks for the input everyone!! I have used one in Moxie's breeder's van, and I did like it. He has the Garmin Street Pilot 550 (which never dropped signal either). I was just wondering if there was a better one out there of equal value.....or better features, etc, etc!

I think I have Mom talked into buying one, but I don't know a lot about them, and she knows even less!

At least I have a bit of something to go by now!!!

~kathryn

 

[sfmini]

It will help a lot with your trip to Kentucky next month!

I know mine also shaved 2 miles off my commute to work. Big help at $4.00+ per gallon!

 

[anoki]

It will help a lot with your trip to Kentucky next month!

I know mine also shaved 2 miles off my commute to work. Big help at $4.00+ per gallon!

EXACTLY what I've been telling Mom!!!! LOL And I told her then we could find out WHERE good shopping is!!!!

I've been bugging her since before Christmas to get one....had her talked into buying one for Dad for Christmas, but she didn't want to get a useless one....

We met up with Moxie's breeder yesterday and I got talking about GPS systems, so he suggested it would be a good idea....so Mom agreed....but *I* have to find out more about them!!!!!

And well since I'll probably be using it most...I want to make sure I get the best one for the money....that kinda thing....

~kathryn

 

[hobbyhorse23]

I really would stick with a Garmin. They're just great! I got into trouble when I didn't use mine yesterday to find a new vet clinic two hours from home and ended up hopelessly lost on one-way streets with the horse trailer. I turned on "Vickie" (my Garmin Nuvi 250W) and she sighed and set me straight in moments! The way she sent me matched the verbal directions the vet clinic gave me when I called but none of the street signs were readable so Vickie kept me from missing my turns or throwing the horses around with sudden stops. I was on their doorstep in minutes.

Leia

 

[justanothercowgirl]

TomTom!

My BIL sells GPS systems and he said definately go with a TomTom. It seems that GPS systems really are one of those things that you get what you pay for, buy something cheap and you get a LOT less. His second choice was a Garmin and they are definately good ones too, it wasn't like they were a distant second-he has owned and used both and liked the TomTom best, the specific model is the TomTom OneXL that I use.

Unfortunately, as others have mentioned they are a hot item to steal these days so never leave it on your dash as you will find your window smashed and your GPS gone. Now they are even telling you not to leave the suction cup for it visible on the dash or window as thieves then assume that you put the GPS in the glove box and break in anyway to search for it.

 

[sfmini]

Sometimes they do get a bit confused. I am on the west end of Columbus in meetings while we hash out the requirements for the new Ohio Medicaid computer system. I checked my Garmin for close food and saw a WG Grinders! Yummm, love Grinders so off I went. To a tire store. Ok, Grinders gone. Darn. So, off for chinese, it took me around the block and back to the chinese place. Guess the shopping center confused it a bit, but it did at least get me there so mission accomplished. Glad I had it or I would have ended up at McDonalds.

 

[Shelley]

We bought a Garmin last year right before our trip to Tulsa.

The darn thing was so mad at us because it wanted to take us through Chicago rather than

Indianapolis and it told us at every exit to get off. We did try to program a stop in Indy,

but no success.

Everytime we got off the highway for gas, etc. it would tell us to "do a U-turn NOW" and get back on the highway. (no wonder I've been seeing so many u-turns on the road lately).

As we got into Tulsa, we knew the way to the Expo Center (as it turns out, that was a good thing), but we thought we'd see if it could get us there. It took us in circles around Tulsa, and even as we prepared to turn right into the entrance by the Microtel it was still telling us to turn left. :-(

We returned the GPS when we got home. I am pretty good at reading maps, anyway.

Shelley

 

[Suzie]

My great brother gave me a Garmin for Christmas last year! We LOVE it. I have to admit we play with ours sometimes. My husband likes to detour just to hear the gal recalculate. (We REALLY need to get a life!).

Seriously, we have used ours everywhere and love it.

 

[gimp]

3 Garmins here. Two are the portable (geocaching) type, and one for the motorcycle. My son also put Garmin's into his work trucks. Since I usually drive alone, it is a god send, especially at night. No more mapquest directions that have to be read with the light on. My son lost two to breakins, so be sure to keep it out of sight ehrn not in use. My motorcycle GPS came with a bean bag that will set it nicely on the dash of my truck as well as nestled in it's mount on the bike.