GPS advice needed

[JBillyGirl]

As I do every year, I am scratching my head trying to think of reasonably priced gifts for my Dad. This year, to my surprise, I'm seeing a number of GPS devices on major sale for less than $100, and this piqued my interest. I ran the idea past my mom, and she groaned a bit and said, "Make sure it's a good one if you do get it, so he doesn't spend so much time and energy fussing at it," as apparently he's done before.

So I ask the collective wisdom: do you know of any GPS devices out there that are reliable, simple to use, and likely to be reasonably priced? Thanks in advance for any ideas.

[peacock2121]

I have a cheapo one. I don't even know the brand name. She calls Penn Ave "Pennsylvania Ave". Some of her pronounciations are really bad - she says Tappan Zee Bridge in a way that I had no idea what she was saying. She has never let me down in being able to get me to my destination. She can do it to the yard.

I heard some where that all of them use one of two maps to get their locations from, so I don't think it matters in being able to get him from here to there.

The bells and whistles will come with the more expensive ones. I think you can actually get real time traffice alerts and such on the more expensive ones.

The hard part will be learning how to use it. Any bells and whistles you get him will make it even harder.

[Bob Juch]

No, I don't. I would not ever buy a cheap one.

You get what you pay for with GPS devices.

If I were to buy one, I'd get the Garmin nüvi 760 at $250 on the net.

[BigDrawMan]

i'd listen to bob on this one

[wintergreen48]

No, I don't. I would not ever buy a cheap one.

You get what you pay for with GPS devices.

If I were to buy one, I'd get the Garmin nüvi 760 at $250 on the net.

Two of the Young Ones have been using this with great success; the third one will be receiving it for Christmas. They really are great to use, and very easy, pretty intuitive overall.

[kayrharris]

Mine came with the car. Garmin is the one I'm most familiar with otherwise. It is supposed to
be accurate and user friendly.

[AlphaDummy]

Sorry...I am of no help whatsoever; the only time I played around with a GPS, it pretty much channeled Cheech and Chong.

<cue "Waiting for Dave">

"Now look here, you're probably wonderin' how to get here. Well, you take any freeway and get off at the Wilmington cutoff. You go ninety-seven miles straight 'till you come to a north and a south - you don't wanna go south, you wanna go north. Head on straight north 'till you come to the Tastee-Freeze. Make a right and go ninety-seven miles straight 'till you come to the Standard station, go right in that Standard station, walk up to the man, and say..."WHERE THE HELL AM I ?????"

(And now, back to our movie - "The Jackson Five Story", starring...The Osmond Brothers!)

[Beebs52]

There's always consulting a map in transit. I know. I know. I'll never be a target for a GPS system. As long as it doesn't rely on Mapquest I think you're okay.

[kayrharris]

Sorry...I am of no help whatsoever; the only time I played around with a GPS, it pretty much channeled Cheech and Chong.

<cue "Waiting for Dave">

"Now look here, you're probably wonderin' how to get here. Well, you take any freeway and get off at the Wilmington cutoff. You go ninety-seven miles straight 'till you come to a north and a south - you don't wanna go south, you wanna go north. Head on straight north 'till you come to the Tastee-Freeze. Make a right and go ninety-seven miles straight 'till you come to the Standard station, go right in that Standard station, walk up to the man, and say..."WHERE THE HELL AM I ?????"

(And now, back to our movie - "The Jackson Five Story", starring...The Osmond Brothers!)

[sunflower]

I won a Garmin Nuvi 205 (? - or 250? I can confirm later) in a raffle and since my car is equipped with navigation, I gave it to Rob. He did a lot of research and it's rated one of the best in its price point. I think it's around $150 although that was in August, so maybe it's come down. He's picky and he loves it.

I will never love one more than I love the Acura system in my car...but then again, I can't take it with me on trips or whatever.

[traininvain]

I bought a Navman from Radio Shack for about $100, I had to return the original one that I got because it kept "locking up". I've had no problems with the new one. No bells & whistles, it tells you when to turn but doesn't call out the street name, which is no big deal to me. The touchscreen can be troublesome, but I've worked out it nuances.

[JBillyGirl]

Thanks for the advice, guys. (Sorry, I've been away from the board for a bit.) I will definitely NOT purchase a low-end GPS device, and I'm not sure I'll get one at all, but now I have some more info to go on if I do. Garmin seems to be highly regarded here and elsewhere, so I may stick with that brand if I do get something.

[cindy.wellman]

Thanks for the advice, guys. (Sorry, I've been away from the board for a bit.) I will definitely NOT purchase a low-end GPS device, and I'm not sure I'll get one at all, but now I have some more info to go on if I do. Garmin seems to be highly regarded here and elsewhere, so I may stick with that brand if I do get something.

It might be helpful to know how he would be using it. Would it be used for driving, or for camping or other outdoor activities? Perhaps it would a combination of those things. Being able to transport the device conveniently would be important for someone who uses it outside their vehicle. Plus, the type of maps you get would with the different types of GPS units can vary wildly depending on what the use would be.

What a thoughtful daughter you are!

[dimmzy]

What a thoughtful daughter you are!

It's probably just that she knows that men WILL NEVER ASK FOR DIRECTIONS!

That's why God invented GPS. She knew it was needed.

Seriously, we've become a GPS family: I suggest, like Bob, a Garmin with voice that tells you the name of the street not just the distance where you'll be turning. My nephew said that one with traffic alerts is really great if you're doing a lot of long distance travel or through cities with traffic jams.

[peacock2121]

Mine works just fine.

I don't get why all the bashing of the cheapo versions.

Mine even gives the street names.