Looking to buy my sister a GPS for Christmas. She tried going to the SPCA and ended up at First Niagara Center downtown…so needless to say a GPS would be helpful. I have loosely researched but there are so many different makes and models that I don’t know what’s best (never owned one). It’d be nice to hear some feedback from people on here who use them regularly. Anything in particular to look for, certain ones to avoid? Like I said, I have never had one and have only used them in friends cars a handful of times. Thanks in advance!!
Its either Garmin or TomTom,I’ve tested a ton of other brands and they are just plain crap.Some of the newer models have lifetime map updates which is awesome,nobody wants to pay $50 to update maps every year,a bit more expensive but worth it.Typically ones with a 3.5" screen will be $75-$100 and ones with a larger 4.3"/5" screen will be in the $100-$150 range.Both tomtom and Garmin have free map updates for 1 year if you don’t go with one that has lifetime updates . I’ve used both and I cant really say anything negative about either,tomtoms tend to feel a little bloated while the garmins are always straightforward.
I love my Tomtom but I use an app on my iPhone so not much help here
do germin offer different voices? i like the tomtom, snoop telling me to “2nd right on the round about, for real” when i am in the UK
garmin.
easy to use and work well. my parents have even figured it all out on their own which is impressive with any piece of technology.
Lol at pirites parents
I have yet to use a better, more accurate GPS than Google maps on my phone. It does take a lot of battery, but as long as you have a car charger you’re good to go.
Plus it updates constantly.
I’ve had a Garmin for years. I don’t update maps because I guess the roads don’t change often enough to make it an issue. I’ve been sent an a couple wild goose chases following it blindly so please don’t think it’s flawless. Been reliable 99.5 % of the time. Use my phone GPS from time to time and I’m guessing smart phones are going to put a lot of companies out of business. I’ve bought reman. units and they seem to work just fine. Guessing you shouldn’t be in the more than $ 100.00 range?
I recommend a tomtom with lifetime maps included. You get 4 updates per year for the life of the unit. Make sure she removes it from the car, i have had one stolen. I used to have a tomtom without lifetime maps and they rape you on updates if you buy them, and honestly its a pain in the neck to use the torrent hacked updates, its more of a hobby for people than useful for the average joe.
I had a tomtom with hacked maps keep crashing in DC traffic. That ticked me off enough to drive to the nearest target and buy a new one for 170 dollars, lol.
Thanks a lot for the response guys. Looks like I’ll either snag a TomTom or Garmin. I’ll try to see what deals are coming for Black Friday. Google maps on the phone isn’t an option for her since she doesn’t have a smart phone. I really like the Garmin Nuvi 1450LMT from what I’ve researched so far.
Been looking over reviews of various Garmins, including the 1490LMT. Anyone have any feedback on this model? Seems like the lifetime maps and traffic have advertisements that pop up which could be annoying. The other thing that is frustrating is all the different model numbers that Garmin has: 1350, 1390, 1450, 1490, 2350, 2490… I have been trying to compare to me the only main differences are screen size and bluetooth capabilities.