Car GPS recommendations

[culero]

Well I plan on sticking to online retailers I know and trust.  Mainly Newegg.  It's sub $300 on no-name retailers and $350 on Newegg.

I also endorse ProVantage as a supplier. I've bought quite a bit of stuff from them, always great service.

[RATTFINK]

Now that I think about it, I'll look at models with bluetooth knowing her.  And after I made the TomTom post I did a little more research and it seems their software is their biggest problem.

Exactly!

[Fulmar]

$70 difference between the Nuvi 650 and the 660 (bluetooth).  Not sure if it's worth it.  I would think the mic is better on a bluetooth headset than on that GPS unit.

[Maverick]

What is the blue tooth function being used for on these units? Is it to give voice commands to the unit or to interface with some other device?

I'm curious about these gadgets myself and a friend has a nuvi 200 or 300 series. Nice gadget but not always accurate on directions. Seems to really like right turns alot.

[sluggish]

What is the blue tooth function being used for on these units? Is it to give voice commands to the unit or to interface with some other device?

Bluetooth is used to display caller ID info and is also used as a speakerphone.

[uptown]

I use a MAP

[Charon]

My wife and i have older Garmins (320) that work great and were very affordable.

Just replaced the Li batteries in each after only two years (helps with a quicker satellite acquisition) but probably not an exclusive Garmin issue. I guess if you leave the units in high heat (a closed car in summer) it can shorten the life. $36 total for both batteries and a simple solder job (but man, my hands now seem to have the shakes for fine motor skill work).

One of the few technologies that really delivered value -- big value -- right out of the box.

Charon

[NOT]

i got a Garmin Nuvi 260, i like it.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16858108053




NOT

[Fulmar]

Just replaced the Li batteries in each after only two years (helps with a quicker satellite acquisition) but probably not an exclusive Garmin issue. I guess if you leave the units in high heat (a closed car in summer) it can shorten the life. $36 total for both batteries and a simple solder job (but man, my hands now seem to have the shakes for fine motor skill work).
Charon

I used to work at Batteries Plus and the heat can damage the batteries.  Excessively leaving it in the heat will shorten the life, but on those Li-Ion packs 2-3 years is average life.  I've never done a GPS unit myself but I've done countless Ipods and PDA's and I'm amazed how they assemble those units.  Some are 2 minute jobs, others have you sweating and take about an hour when being careful.

[Charon]

I've never done a GPS unit myself but I've done countless Ipods and PDA's and I'm amazed how they assemble those units.  Some are 2 minute jobs, others have you sweating and take about an hour when being careful.

These are fairly simple. There is a plug with 3 battery wires and 2x2 wires for the speakers. All you have to do is resolder the speaker wires and plug it in then reseat the battery and reassemble the shell. It is pretty easy to get to and open. It took me about 15 minutes each but with steadier hands and a little experience it is probably a 5-7 minute job. Saved me about $100 each in service charges to have it done, and didn't manage to ruin anything

I had just noticed that it was suddenly taking 3 minutes or so to acquire the initial fix vs 20 seconds previously. The battery keeps track of the time which when combined with the last location allows it to lock in the satellites quickly. I also noticed you could stop in your route and it would no longer resume when you started out. Still functional, just inconvenient.

Charon

[SD67]

The mic. on my Nuvi is excellent. I can pick up Brianna in the back seat as we are driving.
The touch screen interface is great, the maps are up to date and updates are reasonably priced. The screen is readable in daylight, you can enter you destination as a street address, using the inbuilt database or as coordinates and it has many other functions I have never used.

[Dago]

I have used Garmin and TomToms, and personally I found the TomTom easier to use and with more capabilities for the money.   After using both, including friends and units I have rented with my rental car, I bought a TomTom.  Haven't regretted it at all.   The XL330 going for $199 with 4.3 monitor is a very good buy for a very capable unit.

[Joker]

I have been using a Garmin Nuvi 660 for well over a year now, and I'm very impressed with it. The wider screen is definitely worth the additional cost. The unit is accurate and the calculations are very fast. I use it all the time when driving in an unfamiliar area. With a 4 gig memory card, I have something like 50 CD's worth of music stored on it. Last fall my speedometer broke, and I just used the Garmin's display instead until I could get the car repaired.
I like the way you can type in any address, or search a database of various restaurants, airports, hotels, etc. Amazing.
The dashboard mount that has little sandbags on the base, and it stays put on the dash despite my wild driving.
I have to say that this is one thing I own that I would immediately replace if it broke.
They have a voice activated one now, which would be a significant improvement if the voice recognition works well, but I'm not sure how much it costs.

  Joker

[Dago]

The dashboard mount that has little sandbags on the base, and it stays put on the dash despite my wild driving.
  Joker

I have used that sandbag dashboard mount with a rental Garmin and loved that mount.  Stayed in place, and was easy to stow in center console box when the GPS wasn't needed.

[DREDIOCK]

I also endorse ProVantage as a supplier. I've bought quite a bit of stuff from them, always great service.

I can third or fourth that sentiment.
whichever it is.