GPS Advice????

[FishDaddy]

My youngest daughter is doing a lot of driving these days and wants a good GPS for Christmas. She's been using her mom's Tom Tom but it seems marginal at best. I know from nothing about the current crop of driver units (Though I'm seasoned in their use for off-shore sailing and navigation).

What would be a good GPS unit for a 17 year old driver?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Dick

[dv3]

get her a road map and teach here to read it ...lol

[FishDaddy]

Originally Posted by dv3

get her a road map and teach here to read it ...lol

Heheheheheh....I taught her to read road maps when she was 10 and she's always been my chief navigator on road trips. But, it's hard for a teenager to read maps when you're trying to find street addresses, especially in the cities.

Dick

[Jnicho]

I've owned a few...and as an aviator I find most anything Garmin is hard to beat.

[Doug1]

I haven't used any of the new generation car GPS but check this out

http://www.gpsmagazine.com/buyers_guide.php

[Phishnoob]

Dick my buddy at work has the Garmin 265WT. This is 200 bucks from Amazon, CostCo or Tiger Direct. What is awesome about it is the bluetooth. A girl can leave her phone in her purse and the Garmin loads up the address book and a conversation in the car is totally hands free with hopefully eyes on the road.

The 265 adds the bluetooth over lower levels, the W is the wide screen, and the T is traffic alert which might be better if you lived in a city that had more infrastructure to report all that.

[Phishnoob]

Originally Posted by Phishnoob

Dick my buddy at work has the Garmin 265WT. This is 200 bucks from Amazon, CostCo or Tiger Direct. What is awesome about it is the bluetooth. A girl can leave her phone in her purse and the Garmin loads up the address book and a conversation in the car is totally hands free with hopefully eyes on the road.

The 265 adds the bluetooth over lower levels, the W is the wide screen, and the T is traffic alert which might be better if you lived in a city that had more infrastructure to report all that.

And it's touch screen - very cool. I agree, that after 2 years of research this is the best bang for the buck out there right now. It is also small enough that you can take it out of the car in your purse if in a city and needing extra navigation once on foot. Good luck with the shopping (HO, HO, HO!)

OOPS! Posted under Perry instead of my login - DUH - Cynthia

[Doug1]

I concur that a navi that will link and expand the phone is a great feature

[fchidsey]

I have to say I use a tom tom for the car and I hate it.I use a garmin on the boat and have for the last 15 years. I just had to upgrade because the lithum battery died in the old one and it would not aquire sats. the new one is designed for a marine application but I would not hesitate buying one for the car if i were in the market.

[quader94]

ive delt with a few gps'. ones that are build into stereos are horrible. both stock and aftermarket. i have a tomtom and its never let me down. except one time i was drivin up to the mountains and we were on a road and it told us to turn into a cliff??? and ive uesd a garmin with the traffic alert.. When i drove to pittsburg it told me to get off the highway, we drove around a block and was told to go back on. so theres a few flaws in that.

so they all have flaws but tomtom or garmin will be a good choice

but for $200 the one Phishnoob said seems like a good deal

[FishDaddy]

Originally Posted by quader94

i have a tomtom and its never let me down. except one time i was drivin up to the mountains and we were on a road and it told us to turn into a cliff??? and ive uesd a garmin with the traffic alert.. When i drove to pittsburg it told me to get off the highway, we drove around a block and was told to go back on. so theres a few flaws in that.

Driving over a cliff would make a mess of a good day. That's why I've always stressed to her to orient herself with the paper map before starting out.

My Rand-Mcnally Travel Atlas is our friend but I always pick up the latest free state maps at the Interstate Welcome Centers when crossing state lines.

Dick

[Loverotties]

Garmin makes the best(like Nikon in camaras).Tom-Toms frezze up now and then and Megelin are 2nd best.I have 3 Garmins My wife has one and I have two!My new one does everything except brew my coffee.(gives stock qoutes,price of gas,dopler and alot more).It depends on what she needs but go to Garmin's web site and you can see all the kinds and features to figure which model is for her.

[VWD]

I have used Tom Tom for a few years, I love it. Kristine like her Garmin. I myself will take tot tom over the Garmin.

[cutietwo]

My family has a nuvi we've had it for a couple years now it works wonders. and it's touch screen. if you are going out of country you just buy a separate card for whichever country you are going to and wa la, it can lead you around Germany.

[whatevva]

Dick, another vote for Garmin. I've been using a high end model for several years and I love it. It does give quirky directions every once in a while, but it always gets you there