GPS Recommendations?

[BoomerD]

The factory Navigation system in my Ford Expedition has been screwing up lately. It worked fine when we lived in a place where I knew my way around...but now that I'm in a new state, I keep getting "Focus Error" every time I try to use it. (disk operated) It plays CD's just fine, so I'm not sure WTF is going on.

ANYWAY, I probably won't spend the money to get that fixed...but do want a good, easy-to-use GPS system that my wife can figure out how to use properly.
Is Garmin still the "go to" for GPS systems?

I know Tom-Tom was popular a couple of years ago, but haven't heard much about them in a while.

Thanks.

 

[A5]

Tomtom and Garmin are both fine. Just get something relatively recent with lifetime map updates. Don't bother with a traffic model, since neither is good at it.

 

[Radeon962]

Garmin Nuvi 50LM refurbished from walmart.

 

[mrrman]

Im partial to Tom Tom...they just had a sale on for $100 off on the top Model but now thats over

 

[OBLAMA2009]

i got garmin and am very happy with it. dedicated gps's work a lot better than the ones on cell phones. they pick up the signal immediately/reliably, are a little more straightforward to use, and the maps are visually more attractive. ive never used tom tom but for sure you cant go wrong with a newer $200 garmin. i noticed that costco has several nicer garmin model in stock right now, i didnt pay attention to which ones, but you might look there for a good deal.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2409093,00.asp

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Garmin >>>> Tom Tom in the US. Both will work fine, but there's a reason Garmin's #1 in the US. Navteq > Tele Atlas

 

[TuxDave]

I'm still using my Garmin Nuvi 350 and it's still excellent. We're talking about 6 years of use!

 

[lxskllr]

Bump for a question. Is Garmin a good choice for an old woman? My mother wants a gps for xmas, but she's terrible with tech, and she really shouldn't be driving, but that's another issue :^D

So... What I need is something EASY. Cool features aren't as useful as plug and play ease, easy to see, and clear, understandable audio directions are more important than fancy tricks. Still Garmin?

 

[thecapsaicinkid]

Personally I could never go back to a standalone device after using Google Navigation.

 

[TuxDave]

Bump for a question. Is Garmin a good choice for an old woman? My mother wants a gps for xmas, but she's terrible with tech, and she really shouldn't be driving, but that's another issue :^D

So... What I need is something EASY. Cool features aren't as useful as plug and play ease, easy to see, and clear, understandable audio directions are more important than fancy tricks. Still Garmin?

Yeah even my mom uses Garmin. Having a standalone GPS definitely has its advantages over Google navigation in areas where data reception is poor or not available. I took a couple trips to Vancouver BC and my gps made getting around really easily since it requires no data for POI and no data for routing. I still take my standalone for any trips I take. You don't know what the reception situation will be so better safe than sorry. I'll be a sad man when my Garmin breaks.

 

[lxskllr]

Yeah even my mom uses Garmin. Having a standalone GPS definitely has its advantages over Google navigation in areas where data reception is poor or not available. I took a couple trips to Vancouver BC and my gps made getting around really easily since it requires no data for POI and no data for routing. I still take my standalone for any trips I take. You don't know what the reception situation will be so better safe than sorry. I'll be a sad man when my Garmin breaks.

Great. Thanks a lot :^)

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

With a Garmin GPS, I find that it's necessary ot have Google Maps in conjunction. Those devices are slow and stupid. I don't remember being able to search for restaurants at a specific city I chose. It would only search starting from closest, and I'd wait til it hits 40 miles out. But given how slow that CPU is combing through all the POIs, it's a waste of time.

In the end I'd use Google Maps to search for the restaurant, get the address, and then punch it in the GPS. With that said, the navigation on the GPS was great. I think if you get a model with traffic info you should be set. Plus, it's nice to not have to worry about smartphone battery. I typically like using my car nav despite it lacking traffic. It's just better integration into the car, and leaves my phone as a separate tool so I can still call via BT if i need.

 

[TuxDave]

With a Garmin GPS, I find that it's necessary ot have Google Maps in conjunction. Those devices are slow and stupid. I don't remember being able to search for restaurants at a specific city I chose. It would only search starting from closest, and I'd wait til it hits 40 miles out. But given how slow that CPU is combing through all the POIs, it's a waste of time.

In the end I'd use Google Maps to search for the restaurant, get the address, and then punch it in the GPS. With that said, the navigation on the GPS was great. I think if you get a model with traffic info you should be set. Plus, it's nice to not have to worry about smartphone battery. I typically like using my car nav despite it lacking traffic. It's just better integration into the car, and leaves my phone as a separate tool so I can still call via BT if i need.

My six year old Garmin let's you search for poi centered around any location. There is a button on the bottom labelled "near" which you set and all your searches center around that new point.