This is why I just use the GPS on my cell phone.
A) GPS units in cars are usually limited to the car
B) They make the rings on the window so even if you hide it, people know you have it.
C) GPS units need to be updated manually. Cell phone units are updated automatically if they pull from something such as Google Maps.
This.
We live in Pittsburgh and he’s a contractor, so he goes on a lot of estimates all over the region. Pittsburgh is not as easy to navigate as Buffalo is.
Suction cup mounting sucks, it’s all about the friction mounts that just sit on your dash. Just throw it on the floor when you leave your car if you are worried.
mine was stolen from under my pass seat the other night (maybe a week ago)
First time my car has ever been broken in to. :
was a ~2-3 year old garmin, that never got map updates… so shit was pretty fucked up, but i still used it lol.
Left everything else.
Tore up the whole car, however.
and when I was driving to work that morning after it happened, about 3 blocks from my house, i realized the car smells strongly like his cologne. heh.
So if I pass him somewhere I know who he is -.-
Unless it was a woman wearing male cologne!
Glitch I totally agree with you and To quote a girl I know / “id be lost without my GPS”. Shes lived in Buffalo her ENTIRE LIFE, WTF happend to reading maps? Are we really that lost that we need an electronic device to tell us where to go?
Im not tryin to start drama but I do not know why everyone seems to need a GPS. Yeah it sucks having crap stolen and it feels violating but electronics are just a cash cow on the black market. And like it was said earlier, All they need to see sometimes is just some velcro on the dash or a suction cup mark on the window and crooks for some reason want to look. To eliminate this issue, get a GPS program for a cell phone, everyone never seems to lose track of those.
It’s a fucking lot easier to find an address in the dark with a gps. Especially when you don’t know the area or whatever.
It helps for shortest/quickest routes… saving time from traveling main roads.
I’d much rather have a GPS tell me when I’m approaching an address, than staring at places trying to figure out if they’re odd or even, so I know what side to look on… then looking for the number, and having to turn around 4 times.
Let alone the distraction that shit causes, looking for a # that is…
I’ve had two stolen from my work van in the past two years. Both times I fucked up and left it in the window. The first time, I was loading stuff into my van and left it unlocked and unattended for about a minute. That’s all it took. Second time, van was unlocked but in my view the entire time. Sneaky thieves did it with me mere feet away. Both times were in the city of Buffalo (of all places!)
Suffice to say, my van is never left unlocked and I no longer leave it where anyone can see it. Suction cup to the window is a bad idea too. Much better sticking it to the dash. Thieves actually look for the ring residue when targeting cars I’ve been told.
And I work in people’s houses everyday in all different neighborhoods. I don’t care how well you think you know this area, no one knows where every street is and it is 209847594 times faster than a map.
I don’t understand how they are such a target still.
Many GPS systems are under 100 bucks new.
When they first came out and were 1000 bucks I could see it being a decent target.
But, I had a group of kids smash both side windows on my f150 in the elmwood regal parking lot to steal a 60 dollar panasonic in dash stereo.
I understand what you’re saying.
Ironically, I bought the Garmin from my Aunt, who never even leaves her neighborhood and after 3 months of owning it realized what a stupid purchase she made. As for my husband “needing” it, he was constantly having to run home and print out MapQuest directions in the middle of the day to go on estimates. Then it was useful for when he was on a job in an unfamiliar area and needed to find a Home Depot or restaurant to get lunch etc. So in that case it worked and he did need it.
I only paid $80 for it so it’s not that big of a deal, just an inconvenience.
I checked out Craigslist, and the majority of them were all under $100…so like someone else mentioned, I’m just curious as to why they are such a hot commodity still. I could see cell phones, where it’s easy to hand off to the next guy and cheap to have turned on…but I don’t understand the value of selling a GPS on the streets?
I hate my GPS, its a few years old, it always gives me inferior routes, and the battery doesn’t last for shit. I prefer maps.
smash, grab 10$ crack rock, its that simple
Yeah. That was rather stupid of me to say.
We were lost before electronics…that’s why there are maps. Electronics just make it a lot faster and easier than flipping through piles of paper.
http://www8.garmin.com/uk/garminlock/index.jsp
That really doesn’t help the theft problem but at least its rendered useless.Its built into most of the newer Garmins.
GPS on the cell phone :lol:…Obviously you never travel…
That works great till you’re driving and need to use the phone…and maps? srsly??? Try driving around DC or any city using maps.
I found the problem.
I travel every other week for work and live on my iPhone GPS. Its usually sitting in my car holder so i can see what I need even when I am on a call. It works great even if I am walking around a city somewhere.
I personally can just look at directions and know where I am going a and familiar. I don’t need a box telling me to stay to the left every 10 miles.
I’m waiting for someone to break a window on my car because I leave my iphone mount on the windshield all the time and it looks a lot like a GPS mount. Oh well, I never leave anything of value in the car and have glass coverage. If they want to take a couple burned CD’s and about $1 worth of change they can have it. 
A GPS makes trips more enjoyable. That Adirondack cruise I took would have been a lot less fun if I was constantly flipping through paper maps, notes, and watching every street sign to see if it was my turn. With the GPS I just pre-plotted my route and turned where it told me to. I rarely use it around town unless I’m going somewhere new. Yeah, I got get there just fine with a paper map and directions but it’s so much easier to just key in an address and go. You’re a much safer driver when you can concentrate on driving and not need to pay attention to notes, street signs and maps.