by SnakesInTheTower 10 Replies latest social entertainment
I start my new courier job soon. Great benefits, full-time, company car provided. For a small monthly fee ($25/wk) I get unlimited personal use also.
My future supervisor during the interview highly recommended that I get a GPS unit. He stated that I might get last minute route changes and it would come in handy for rerouting. I will be driving day and night, so screens have to be readable during both times.
Any recommendations on what you are using? Thanks for any advice.
Snakes (Rich )
My phone has a GPS unit on it so that's what i use. But it's not as reliable as my TomTom. They charge you for updated routes, but there is a free user defined roads feature to add new roads.
Since your job depends on updated roads, If you did choose to buy a tomcat, i'd just pay for the road update subscription, not sure how much it costs though.
Good luck.
I loved my Garmin Nuvi so much that I bought a second one for the second car when they were discontinued (for newer models).
I think that most Garmins, Magellans, TomToms are comparable. The important thing is to make sure you have one that announces the turn-by-turn directions outloud so that even though the map is there, you know it's time to turn.
I would simply look for a sale on Amazon or at BestBuy and make sure it has that feature. You can type in addresses and don't need anything so fancy that it gets complicated. But if you like gizmos, they (most big names) make some that are also bluetooth for your phone. I don't care for too much in one package.
I've used a Garmin, TomTom, the built in GPS in our Mercury, and my phones GPS.
TomTom wins.
The Garmin was too complicated for a lot of people. I didn't have a problem with it, but it was kind of a pain because it took so many clicks for a simple task, which the tomtom could do in like 3 presses. Simplicity is nice when you're trying to adjust stuff while driving. (Probably not safe, but hey, you WILL do it and when you do, it should be easy!)
The built in mercury GPS was stupid, calculated dumb routes, the voice was annoying and she'd constantly give you a big long speech about how the map data is incomplete whenever you got off a main highway. VERY annoying. Plus since it was bulit into the car they had some stupid safety thing so you had to pull over and put it in park to pick a destination.
My phone is great, but it's my phone and the GPS software just isn't quite as good as tomtom. I put my phone in a close second.
TomTom has plenty of voice options, so you can have an authoritative sounding british guy giving you directions. The routes are fast and great, if you encounter a road block you can tell the tom tom to go around it in 2 button presses. It's just good.
Another thing the TomTom does, which I don't recall the others doing, is it tells you which lane to stay in. So if the highway is gonna split off in a few hundred yards and you gotta stay in the left lane to remain on route, the TomTom will tell you to stay in the left lane. Instead of just yelling at you to get back on track when you are in the right lane instead. (Yeah road signs do this for you, but it's a nice feature anyway.)
I've used Tom Tom, Garmin, and Magellan units. I have to say, I like Garmin best.
However, I really don't need a dedicated unit as much anymore, since my Android phone does the job. Plus, the advantage of the phone's GPS is that it pulls Google Maps down in real time. I get the latest maps for free, which can be useful.
Whichever one you decide, make sure it comes with free lifetime maps. Check dealnews.com for amazing deals on GPS units (and lots of other stuff). These deals change daily, so check back often to catch exactly what you're looking for, cheap.
Tom-Tom gets the worst reviews, Garmin gets the best, Magellans are close to Garmin. All are still pretty good, though. I have a Magellan, because I got a sweet deal on it, but the maps are old and whenever I go somewhere there are new roads, it's more confusing than helpful. Many of the Magellans have all the AAA guide books built in. In mine, this information is also old, so if I want to - for example - see what concerts were happening in 2004, I'm set. But for AAA information and reviews on tourist destinations, it's awesome.
Hey Rich!!! Congratulations on the new job. Very happy for you!! :-)
I have a Magellen and the others in my family have Garmins. When I was shopping for mine, about 2 years ago, my head exploded with all the models and options evolving by the minute it seemed. So eventually I said screwit, and just to Costco and bought my Magellen. It's a low end model, slightly strange at times, but I tell ya, it came through against the Garmins on one test out in the CA desert. My Magellen seems to be better at letting you know about when to turn and gets very concerned if it thinks I'm going the wrong way.
However, I hear the Garmins work really well and are simpler, especially around the city. I was wondering about the phone option as well. would it be better to invest in a phone that has all the bells and whistles and you've got both, a new phone and new GPS? I have an iPhone now, and what they can do is amazing, and upgrading all the time. So I rely on the installed mapping program 90% of the time now when I'm looking for places when I'm driving.
Seems like along time ago since we all met in Toronto doesn't it!!! Now that was a crazy time. lol. :-)
I have a Tom Tom XXL - big screen, clear instructions and really reliable.
I have the Garmin nuvi 2350 LMT. It is a good standalone GPS.
My GPS - don't try this at home!
