Any GPS users/ experts ... or even rookies... need advice...

[TC]

I got one in 12/06. Got a great deal, Loved it. It is a nextar. No problems until a few months ago. It was not coming on easily. So I plugged it up today to get it ready for my dad to use. Well it would not come on and once it did it lost a file needed, and it will cost more to repair than a new one. can get the same model for 150 but not sure if I want to go thru this again if this is an issue for this model

OK anyone have any advice on GPS? brands, models? what to look for what is easy to use and has the best features?

anyone with personal experience?

thanks

[Shellie]

Got a garmin. It's great.

[panhandler]

My brother bought a Garmin and has already had to pay to update it. I bought a TomTom with FREE lifetime updates. I am really liking it.

[free]

I have a Garmin and love it...It needs an update so I called the company and they are mailing me the update CD for free...It's the only brand I've used so I can't comment on others.

[Billy n NC]

I call my one of my daughters at work. They tell me where I am and how to get unlost. sorry LOL

Hijack over. continue on.

[dolfan]

I generally just know where I am and where I'm going. Maps are still maps, too, so I just grab one, unfold it and look. No downloads, no lost files.

[Mister Ed]

But mine is probably different than what you are wanting. I have had a Garmin GPS-3 Plus for about 9 years and have had no trouble with it. It is the pilot model for aircraft navigation with moving map display and very reliable. Great for highway travel also but doesn't have voice street directions. (don't need 'em up there). Just letting you know that Garmin is an alright brand. I know a lot of pilots who use them.

[one love]

I have a garmin and love it , I have had no problems. I bought 6 tom tom's for our buisness and the garmin is better in my opinion.

[RamboPreacher]

Garmin.
or Garmin
or even Garmin.

I have owned half a dozen GPS's over the years. The only ones that I have now are Garmin. I have a 2720 in my truck and a 340c in my car.

There are less expensive GPS's available, but usually there is a reason for that price, including an earlier generation of satelite reception technology (much slower). an easy test for this is two-fold, depending on circumstances:
1. if the GPS has been off since it was manufactured or the last location it had was somewhere not close, as in a different state or country - go outside with no obstructions to the sky and turn it on (even on the dashboard in your car) - it may take a while to self-locate. but it should not take longer than a few minutes. my garmins take between 2 and 3 minutes.

2. If the GPS has self-located, and you are at the same location it was last turned off, or within a "city" area (10 mile radius or so), when you turn it on, it should self-locate within a minute. my 340c takes about 20 seconds. my 2720 takes about 40 seconds or so. (neither one of these are "current" models!)

The one thing that I have personally found is that with Garmin, a "refurbished" model carries the same warranty, and is less expensive than a new one. the two I currently own are refurbished. the 2720 is over two years old and works perfectly still, and is only slightly slower than the c340.

In fact the 2610 that I had previously to the c340, I ended up giving it away since it still worked - I wanted to upgrade/change to one that would run on battery power. (the 2610/2720 - are 12vCar and 12vAC adapter only) - and that 2610 (5 years old, I think) is not only still in service, but the maps are upgraded to the most recent (Garmin is great about providing this opportunity - I believe you can upgrade maps free for a year after purchase if there is a release in that time, and there usually is.)

you will find that newer GPS systems also have "bells and whistles", and larger screens as well. I personally choose one with no bluetooth, and no MP#/video capabilities, since I would never use those capabilities. I Thought I wold miss the larger screen of the 2720.2610 in my car with the c340, but I have found that I don't miss the screen size of the 2720 in my truck at all when i am driving the car.

a couple other options is traffic monitoring. I haven't researched much into that because it isn't available in my home city, and don't wnat to pay a monthly subscription to something that I will only use a couple times a year for long trips. However, if your city is supported, traffic jams/avoidance might be a good thing.

along with that, some also offer weather check/monitoring as well. again, not available for me, so I haven't done much research there. there is even a service to allow satellite transmission to your Garmin of traffic camera images!

[Paully_44]

my only experience is the GPS that is on my Blackberry. Works great and I am getting dependant on it when traveling.