best basic GPS

[hammer1]

Since my wife gets lost on a regular basis , i have decided to buy her a GPS for the holidays ( christmas:me, Hannuka:her )
all i want to get her is a basic, no frills GPS...
the more i look, the more confusing I become.
any sugestions?
A

[brokenparts]

garmin V... you can find them on ebay for cheap! auto routing, available updated metroguides, topos, etc.

[Beowulf]

sounds like you want a basic NAV system, not a basic GPS system.
-B-

[NMuzj100]

Originally Posted by Beowulf

sounds like you want a basic NAV system, not a basic GPS system.
-B-

Agreed.

A good review of reviews from Consumersearch

Consumersearch on Auto GPS

[alvarorb]

I'd recommend the Garmin Street Pilot i Series.
The least expensive retails for $300. It features audible turn by turn directions.




http://www.garmin.com/products/spi3/

I think it's a good unit for the price.

Regards

Alvaro

[hammer1]

is the Street pitlot considered a GPS, or a navigation type unit.
Since she does mostly highway, and street driving, i would think a nav item would make more sense.Do the Navs lack something i might wish I had? and do the GPS's also act as nav's, just with more bells and whistles?
thanks for the input, keep 'em coming.

[e9999]

my impression from looking around is that most middle to high level portable GPSes can serve as a Nav system with the proper software -although the audible outputs may be limited to beeps- but the main limitation is the tiny screen which is not very desirable for single-occupant car use.

[NorCalDoug]

I had a Garmin GPS V for a few years and loved it. (got stolen... theivin' bastards)

It works very well, but the screen is too small for some to read, plus, there's no audible directions, for those who might want/need that sort of thing.

The GPS V does have turn-by-turn, so that's real nice.



The Street Pilot suggested by Alvaro is very nice as well and would likely be something that would work well for her. It's what I'd suggest.

[dbarrett]

What ever happened to a good old fashion map. I recently had to use a rental car with a nav and gps while I was in LA. I spent more time fuking with and looking at the thing then where I was going. We just had the same discussion with a friend of ours with a new hi-end Lexus with onboard navigation. The thing is more of distraction than a help. Teach or show your wife how to use a map. And with the internet and map quest you can get detailed directions to where ever you are going. One ADVANTAGE of a map-you have to pull over to look at it. If your wife is anything like mine, she needs ONE less destraction in the car not one more. A cell phone in a car is bad enough.

GPS-great for the unpaved and unmarked

[hammer1]

Originally Posted by dbarrett

What ever happened to a good old fashion map. I recently had to use a rental car with a nav and gps while I was in LA. I spent more time fuking with and looking at the thing then where I was going. We just had the same discussion with a friend of ours with a new hi-end Lexus with onboard navigation. The thing is more of distraction than a help. Teach or show your wife how to use a map. And with the internet and map quest you can get detailed directions to where ever you are going. One ADVANTAGE of a map-you have to pull over to look at it. If your wife is anything like mine, she needs ONE less destraction in the car not one more. A cell phone in a car is bad enough.

GPS-great for the unpaved and unmarked

i wanted to say this in the original post, but she reads them sometimes.
I agree, but a map to my wife is just a piece of paper. she would get lost backing out of our driveway, if she didnt keep hitting the stone wall at the bottom.

[e9999]

Originally Posted by dbarrett

What ever happened to a good old fashion map. I recently had to use a rental car with a nav and gps while I was in LA. I spent more time fuking with and looking at the thing then where I was going. We just had the same discussion with a friend of ours with a new hi-end Lexus with onboard navigation. The thing is more of distraction than a help. Teach or show your wife how to use a map. And with the internet and map quest you can get detailed directions to where ever you are going. One ADVANTAGE of a map-you have to pull over to look at it. If your wife is anything like mine, she needs ONE less destraction in the car not one more. A cell phone in a car is bad enough.

GPS-great for the unpaved and unmarked

I don't think that's true.
With a NavSys, you can set the address in when stopped, get the voice directions going and never have to look at the screen again. Less distraction than fumbling with a map while driving....

[Bob_Garrett]

I have a Magellan Roadmate 300 that uses the same software as the Hertz NeverLost system in their rental cars. My wife (who is anti-gadget) even likes it. Good display, visible in the brightest sunlight, audible directions and automatically reroutes you if you detour off the route. Display also shows the current road you're on and the name of the next road and how far to it. Stores up to 80 mb of data internally and has a memory card slot for more storage if needed. Has a provision for external antenna, although the only time I've lose signal is in tunnels. Only downside is it does require 12v (no battery).

It's really nice when traveling by myself, as it allows me to focus on traffic and not have to be thinking about looking for the next turn or exit.

[Timoss]

I have tested most of the units out there, and for what you say you're looking for--on-road (not offroad) turn-by-turn navigation with an idiot-proof interface--I'd prolly recommend the Garmin Streetpilot series. There are others that work fine, too, but none better, IMO.

Timoss
88 fj62 TLCA

[Heffenoche]

I've been following this thread for the same reason as Hammer1. I just ordered a StreetPilot C320 from Costco.com for $269.99 and free shipping. I thought that was a good price and a much better return policy than most places.

[e9999]

do these "street nav sys" dedicated car systems typically have the ability to do breadcrumbs etc out in the boonies? and download topos?

[Timoss]

Originally Posted by e9999

do these "street nav sys" dedicated car systems typically have the ability to do breadcrumbs etc out in the boonies? and download topos?

I would say not typically--that is, most nav systems marketed for auto use can't--but some models can indeed do one or both of those tasks.

Timoss
88 fj62 TLCA

[concretejungle]

Timos,

I am also in a similar situation. My parents told me they would get me a GPS for christmas, so i'm searching.

What do you suggest for a multi-use unit? here is what i would like:

*moveable between the cruiser and the car
*street directions
*able to be also used for off-road trips
*leave "breadcrumbs" or some sort of route tracker

[Timoss]

Originally Posted by concretejungle

Timos,

I am also in a similar situation. My parents told me they would get me a GPS for christmas, so i'm searching.

What do you suggest for a multi-use unit? here is what i would like:

*moveable between the cruiser and the car
*street directions
*able to be also used for off-road trips
*leave "breadcrumbs" or some sort of route tracker

Sorry for the delayed response--haven't had time to go MUDding recenlty. Anyway, there are still a lot of variables, like price, to consider. And it depends on how far you want to lean toward one use or the other (offroad vs. onroad). For instance, units like the Garmin 60 fit most of your criteria and are affordable, but it is more of an offroad unit than a street nav one (it has a small screen, no touchscreen, and no voice directions, all features geared toward easy street nav). On the other hand, most street nav oriented units don't do offroad well, either because they lack trackback or topo capability, or both. The only unit available right now that does onroad AND offroad quite well is the Lowrance iWay 500 or 600. It has all the street nav oriented features (large touchscreen, voice prompts, etc.) and 24k topo of the entire U.S. preloaded (as well as ocean and lake charts for the entire U.S.). It's not perfect--very bulky, no internal battery, and very slow to calculate routes--but it's prolly the best COMBO unit available as of now (short of a laptop plus USB setup). Otherwise, I might suggest getting two units--one for street nav and one for topo offroad... Or wait a couple years for more comprehensive units to appear...

Timoss
88 fj62 TLCA