In the past when I've needed some specific information, you folks have been most generous in offering your time and assistance. So, I'm going to the well once again, and asking for some more of your personal knowledge.

I've been considering the purchase of an automotive GPS unit. Faced with a bewildering variety from which to choose, and having no personal knowledge of their usage, I am asking what your favourite brands and models are.

I've gone on line and read many reviews, of many different brands and models. Presently I'm numb with all the specifications and features that were presented. Having never used one of these units, many of the specifications are unfamiliar, and I don't know how relevant or necessary they all are, in every day usage. Ultimately, I'm looking for a good, middle of the road devise, that is competent, and easy to use without a lot of unnecessary steps to manage.

I would greatly appreciate any advise you could offer, for your favourites, or even those you dislike, Thank you in advance.

Gard

   Some friends, tried to talk me into one of those GPS.... Things! After watching them use one for a day or so, I simply told them I would pass. They had used theirs so much, that they could hardly get from the kitchen to the bathroom, without it!! We were all going to the grocery store, this is from the same house to the same store they have shopped at for years..... Punch it in!! Grocery store to the Best Buy.... Punch it in! Best Buy to Lowes..... You guessed it, punch it in! By the time we got back to their house, I was ready to PUNCH THEM IN!! The two of them in the front seat arguing with the GPS, arguing with each other, wanting to argue with me, because I wouldn't argue with them...... Only thing I had to offer them was a loaded handgun so they could end their GPS misery!!  Those little GPS units are controlling peoples minds. They are built in Communist countries! It's a way for the Communist to control your mind! Don't do it, don't buy one, or you'll be wanting take out the dog or walk the trash, or have dinner in the bathroom and take a shower in the kitchen!!!

No Gard, I can't help you with this one, sorry. (spoken in a monotone robot voice!!)

It's not the brand but the actual model that you are looking at that is important because the features and functionality vary.  We have used a Garmin for several years and used the Magellan in some rental cars and both are excellent.  The Tom-Tom is also a very good device.  To me the big issue is the user interface, how easy to enter a location, and the mounting location.  These vary by model by within the same line.  Rural locations can be problem as they may be off by miles.  I like to see them and how they operate before buying.

My sister and my aunt both have one and so does a good friend of mine.  They bought cars that have them built in.  When they came out to visit it kept telling them to take a road that really doesn't exist.  It's on the city maps, but if you go out to look at it, it is sand dunes and misquite.  It also doesn't have the ability to tell you what is a "nice" dirt road and what is a "must have 4wheel drive" sand trap.  (I TOLD my aunt not to take her mini van down that way, but the gps said turn right.......)

With all that aside I think the one my friend has is the tom-tom and it has come in handy when we type in a store name or address.  If it doesn't put us right in the parking lot it gets us close enough to find what we are looking for.

Gard,

Sent you a PM

My husband, father, and mother all have Garmins.  They are great for taking on vacations.  We travel quite a bit and you fly into a strange town and just hook it up and find anything you want.  I will warn you that, although the GPS WILL get you to where you are going, it might not be the best route.  When I took my filly to Charlottesville for surgery, it literally took me "over the river and through to woods".  I landed at their door step, just not in the easiest fashion.  Fortunately, I WASN'T pulling the horse.  I was in my Beetle and it was kind of scary in that!  When I got there (about 1/2 hour behind my horse) the folks at the hospital said not to use the GPS directions, but to get the directions off their website.  Using their website, it was two turns off the Interstate, instead of all through Charlottesville and over a mountain on a dirt road.  Sometimes the Garmin will send you one route to a place and another route back.  Whenever we try to go north of here (NJ, NY, PA) , it wants to send us by way of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.  I can't figure out how driving 30 miles the wrong direction to get to the Tunnel can be efficient, not to mention the TOLL.  We always just jump on 64W until it gives up and gives us the routing that way.  It has never tried to send us HOME using the Chesapeake Bay Bridge!

I got my husband one of the older Garmin models, with the scroll bar, a couple of years ago.  Definitely go for the larger screen and the touch screen.  The scroll thingy is a pain.  My mother's and father's both have the larger touch screens and they are much easier to use.

Have you considered a Blackberry?  Most new Blackberries come GPS enabled, have a free basic mapping system (everyone but Verizon) and all have an add on program that is equivilent to a TomTom or Garmin.

This solution is for driving only, not for off road adventures!

Phone, email, internet and GPS all in one small package.

PM me if you want more info. 

They are pretty nifty toys..

Some of my thoughts on them...

The built-in maps become too out dated to use in a few years. (Actually, They're out-dated the day following their release)  A disk to load a new map costs about $70 (Garmin). 

MapQuest.com  is continually updated.

The turns announced by name is absolutely a requirement for me.  Think "Which left ?? " when the streets are close together.

Most important... In a car, a wrong turn is relatively easy to correct.  In a tug boat pulling a  horse trailer, a wrong turn is painful if at all possible. 

Friends have a cabin on Arrowhead road in Virginia.  Iron Mountain horse camp is on Arrowhead road too.  But it is on the other end of Arrowhead road.  There is a mountain with many switchbacks and sheer precipices between the locations.  Arrowhead Road is not passable for a large horse trailer.   It is a regular errand of mercy that they run to their driveway to stop a horse rig grinding toward oblivion.  Invariably, the driver is relying on a GPS showing Arrowhead as the shortest route to the horse camp.

I happened to view a TV report of the village buildings along road sides in England being smashed by large trucks misguided by GPS units.  Apparently, the village roads were originally intended for Roman chariots, not 40 ton trucks.  It is not information GPS units give the truck drivers.

In short, GPS is nice but don't rely on it.

We recently used our Tom-Tom for a trip to Jasper, Al from Georgia.  It worked great.  It was most useful for when we left camp and went into town in search of a specific store.  For example, my daughter got sick after a bad Waffle House experience and had to have a prescrition called into a pharmacy.  With the help of Tom-Tom we were able to pull up the closest CVS and give the address and phone # to her doctor to call in the meds.  That was great because like most folks I don't carry an out of state phone book camping with us.  We also liked that we could punch in a certain restaurant and it would tell us have far it was from where we were on the interstate;  great to have if you know which restaurants usually have trailer parking to accomodate your rig. 

We have a Garmin 360 and being the adventurers we are have used it exactly once.It worked great. I do know that most of them give you options for routes, such as shortest distance (over the mountains and through the woods) , major highways, and fastest time. Keep in mind the fastest time is usually calculated for an automobile and might not be suited for pulling a trailer along as my friends found out on a trip to the mountains. Don't buy one with all the bells and whistles unless you have Bluetooth, whatever that is, or some of the other communication devices. I also have had a Garmin handheld GPS that seems to keep track of things very well. Still not as good as the mules. Mules don't need batteries.

I'm looking to buy one. Should I? I was thinking it would come in handy on trail.

I have one in my truck and one time it had me "driving" in a corn field.

Why would you want one of those gadgets, when all you need is a ....COW!!

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/302141

Retendo you know darn well the problems when using a cow. I just Armoralled the dash, and those cloven hooves just can't get a grip. Not only will it not stay up front where it belongs, but now the dash is all scratched up. Do you know how bony their butts are? When they slide back and sit in your lap, there's no padding at all. And the damn noise. Can't hear yourself think. Don't even think about making them nervous! Cow patties look big in the pasture, but on your lap they're huge.

You think dog nose prints can mess up a window? Do you know how much of an area a big wet, bumpy, slimy tongue can cover in one minute? There aren't enough handi wipes available to keep up with that mess. Do you know how hard it is to make a right turn, when all you can see is a shiny nostril with lots of nose hair?

After you go around the corner, they take quite a while to get pointed the right way again, usually after you missed your turn. The cops don't want to hear what they are used for, they just want you to blow hard in their little machine, walk a straight line and call the nearest farmer to see if he's missing any of his herd.

Gateway makes good computers, but they're going to have to get more creative making GPS units.

Gard

 But if for some reason the COW tears up the inside of your truck, the cops get involved when you get lost and the Bovine just don't work out as a good.... Magnet! Then that old cow may just come in handy!.... Just remember this slogan......

              "BEEF, it's what's for dinner!!"

Now just try eating that little TV looking gadget up there on your dash board!!

I'd like to thank everyone for taking the time to help me out with this selection process. I think the best thing to do, would be to ride in my friend's car with his GPS,(don't know what type he has) and have him show me what to expect. With some working knowledge and your examples, it should be much easier to make a choice.

Thank you all again      Gard

The car GPS has a female voice that tells you when to turn etc. It gets annoying after a while and I just mute her.

I bought a garmin GPS unit two years ago for my husband who isn't a electronics junkie but he has managed very well in using "carmine". Its pretty easy to use, you can select a variety of locations such as shopping,lodging,attractions etc...its been really nice when traveling. I went to a show in kentucky in 06, was able to find resturants and shopping locations easily. The problems arise when you are in a city that is undergoing contruction...Carmine will tell you to take "ramp right" but that ramp is closed...so it can usually get you going another way ( altho it might INSIST you U turn and try it again)

I would try to buy a unit with the largest screen possible..ours is small and thats not real bad when there is a passenger but when you are by yourself, makes it tough to read the screen.

I have not updated the map as its 70 bucks to do so...I'll wait and buy a new one in a few years.

Tom Tom, is there any particular reason you bought a "Tom Tom"? If you hit the control button repeatedly, can you get a redneck woman's voice?

Thanks again for your help    Gard