GPS Recommendations

[Godless]

My brother is giving me his car in a few weeks and I really want to buy a GPS system, because I find it extremely helpful. Does anyone know of any good GPS systems? Specific models would be helpful. I intend on spending between $100-$200 on it.

[Whitney]

I have a Garmin Nuvi...it fits in your price range and will get you where you need to go.  The only issue it has (which I assume is the norm) is if you use the lookup feature it might take you to a Home Depot which is where a Walmart use to be (This happened to me recently but otherwise has worked fine) ....but it works just fine if you feed it an address.

[joeactor]

... I'll second the Garmin Nuvi.

I've got the one with Bluetooth - that will connect to your cell phone and works as a speaker phone - very handy.
There's also an optional traffic module (I don't have that).
It lets the unit route around traffic issues...

My wife has a built in unit, but it's also a Garmin GPS, with a Kenwood stereo (all one unit).
Nice also, but pricey.

The Nuvi is good because you can also carry it around with you.

... and you can also get my Sean Connery voice for it, if you're so inclined ;-)
(pluggitty plug plug)

Cheers,
JoeActor

[Whitney]

... and you can also get my Sean Connery voice for it, if you're so inclined ;-)
(pluggitty plug plug)

I didn't know you did one of the voices...where do I go to get it?

[joeactor]

... and you can also get my Sean Connery voice for it, if you're so inclined ;-)
(pluggitty plug plug)

I didn't know you did one of the voices...where do I go to get it?

Yeah, I tell myself where to go all the time ;-)

They're at www.PigTones.com
You can hear samples too...

Plenty of choices available (I don't get any kickbacks, so choose whichever you like best)

[AlP]

I had a Garmin navigation system when I had a car. This is anecdotal but I liked it. It would occasionally take me by absurd routes but most of the time they were reasonable. The turn by turn navigation is definitely worthwhile. I only wish these systems would tell you which lane you want to be in when you're making a turn at an intersection.

I don't know if this has improved but I found the subscription service where it would receive traffic information and try to route around congestion was not worth it. It tended to lag reality and route me around problem traffic that no longer existed or try to take me routes that it thought were congestion free but actually it simply didn't have data for them and they were equally bad or worse. Tuning into a local radio station for the traffic reports was more effective and I disabled that feature.

If you have an Android 2 phone with GPS, Google announced that!

[April]

I have a Garmin Nuvi and love it.  It has saved me a few times.

[Purplez]

Don't get Garmin Nuvi or any other garmin. I had it. It chooses the worst routes and gets you lost. I sent the terrible thing back. People who love it just don't know any better GPSs. DO NOT BUY IT. I have a TomTom. It is AMAZING! Get it you won't regret! Make sure you get the one with IQ routes  and advanced lane guidance. It tells you to "keep left" or "right" and shows you CLEARLY which lane you want to be in if you're on a major road with many lanes and need to take a certain exit. If you care about spoken street names then  make sure you get a model that has the feature because not all of them do. It finds a signal in less than a second and never ever loses it. I can't say the same for Garmin. The thing caused me to have my first accident since I got my license 6 years ago.

[Squid]

My brother bought me the TomTom One and it's pretty good; it's been pretty accurate so far.

[Godless]

I ended up getting up the Garmin Nuvi 205W: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6858108322
What really pissed me off was that a couple of days after I bought it, it went on sale for $30 less, but I was too lazy to return it and buy it again.

I've been using it for about a month now and I really like this GPS, because it seems really easy to follow and has some decent features.

[LARA]

Cool helpful recs on the GPS guys, I've always wanted one for geocaching.  My Dad did this awhile and it sounded cool.   I'm curious, though,  what's your opinion of say, using a map?  Or am I just a luddite here?       Personally, even if I got a GPS, I'd still keep a good road atlas in the car.

[Purplez]

LARA, map vs. GPS?
lol
GPS is faster, safer, prevents you from getting lost and guess-work, chooses the best routes, avoids traffic, talks to you so you never take your eyes off road and don't kill someone.

[AlP]

GPS is awesome. Paper maps don't run out of power or lose a signal. Having both is better.

[LoneMateria]

My dad does a ton of traveling for his company and he swears by his GPS.  He tells me the only time he has a problem locating a place is when it's a new area under development.  Then the GPS can't find it.  Speaking of GPS my GF's mother got us a Garmin for xmas.  ^_^ w00t we will use it for our trip home.