What is the best auto GPS for long and short trips?

Question

I've had the TomTom One for quite some time now and it had served me well until a recent trip when I noticed exactly how long it had added as opposed to the Google Maps route (Four Hours!).

It's going out on me now and I'm in the market for a new GPS. I'm a freelance photographer for a local paper, so I do a lot of short trips as well.

My main question: Is there a GPS out there that can satisfy both my need to do many short trips as well as long trips every once and a while?

I don't trust TomTom any longer honestly because the 3rd version "One" that I bought was not only downgraded from my original 1st version, it's already going out on me (Loses GPS lock randomly - can't get it back for hours).

Answer 1

Best bang for you buck is the Garmin nuvi 780. First, it was rated Number 1 in Consumer Reports the last time they reviewed GPS systems. Actually it was tied in first with the Garmin nuvi 760.



I live in Southern Calif. and do a fair amount of traveling. Both within state and out of state. My Garmin is one of the first things I pack. Second being its charging cord. It is easy to switch from Automobile to Off-Road to Pedestrian settings. Automobile tells the Garmin to keep your route street based. Off-road allows you to do fun things like Geo caching (do your research on it) that allows you to travel based on actual position. And Pedestrian adjusts the time for your arrival. Time for arrival is the sweetest addition to Garmin. You input your destination and in my experience, you have a very close approximation of your arrival time.



Regular updates have made the Garmin a better buy for me. I hate buying technological gadgets and have them be obsolete in a week.



There is a new batch of Garmins on their way. Which is great for you the buyer, because it means Price Drop. You get a product with a proven track record at a great price.



I don't have a large disposable income. I do have the time to do research. After two weeks dedicated to finding the best product for my cash I decided to buy the Garmin nuvi 780. (I hate having to include nuvi, but did for the sake of consistency and want to not confuse you). The MSN aspect gives me News blurbs when I am stuck in traffic and the Movie finder has also been an asset.



It is a small device and will help you for your small and long trips. One large bonus of the MSN, is that you can find your destination online and then have it sent to your Garmin nuvi (gwah) 780 when you plug it into its charger. This makes finding your next location and planning a route super easy.

Answer 2

Your question is one that seems to appear frequently. Here is the answer that I gave to the same question recently: Most GPS receivers are optimized for automobile or hiking use. Since I'm a fairly serious cacher, I use a GPS that is optimized for hiking, but can also perform routing functions on the highway (sorry, no voice guidance). The major downside for me when driving is the relatively small screen which makes it a bit harder to see at a glance. However, I like the caching features, including paperless caching with a single piece of equipment. There are GPS receivers from several manufacturers that can perform those functions. FWIW, I'm currently using a DeLorme PN-60w. As far as using an automotive unit to cache, I know it can be done since I knew a cacher who used her auto GPS to find quite a few caches. Unfortunately I never asked what brand/model she used. If you go the automotive GPS route, be sure you can load waypoints, and if necessary enter a waypoint via coordinates (comes in handy sometimes). Also you will obviously need to make sure it operates independent of the cars power i.e., it has an internal battery. One last drawback is that these units tend to be made to be mounted in a car rather than carried in your hand and can be a bit bulky and vulnerable to damage from water, being dropped, etc. when used in the rough terrain or bad weather. So, consider your needs, decide which way you want to compromise as compromise in necessary, and then make your choice from a reputable company. Garmin, Magellan, DeLorme, Lowrance, and if automotive perhaps TomTom as well. You will likely also receive an answer to this type of question from a newlectronix "sock puppet" but I'll let you make your own decision about that. Your price point of less than $150 dollars makes it tough. If you can find something used, perhaps a Garmin 60CSx, DeLorme PN-40 for instance you might be able to hit your price. Those two units are both excellent for caching and have navigation capability as well. New, the price on both has fallen to about $200. I will concede that my answer is slanted toward the caching side of the equation, but I recently used my DeLorme for navigation on a 4800 mile road trip with excellent results both in getting me to my destination and finding caches along the way.

Answer 3

Cada vez que he necesitado un GPS para una actividad en especial me lo he comprado de sitios web y siempre he acertado. Cuando decidimos hacer una excursión a la montaña he comprado un GPS especial para esto, la entrega ha sido en el plazo cosa muy buena y el GPS lo he utilizado desde el segundo día, una compra muy buena porque el GPS es de gran ayuda, te enseña exactamente los opciones de camino y puedes visualizar antes el camino que has elegido, una buena compra de un buen producto.