Best Aftermarket GPS?
Thread Starter
Earth-bound misfit
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 31,704
Likes: 608
Best Aftermarket GPS?
So now that I've dumped my TSX for a car w/o Navi, it's time to pick up an aftermarket model before I get lost 2 blocks from home. 
Any suggestions? There are so many out there, I don't know where to start. Do any of them have all the maps already loaded? The last non-integrated one I purchased was in the early days of the technology, when it would only hold so much info..I'm hoping they've improved since then.
Anyone researched these things recently?
Any suggestions? There are so many out there, I don't know where to start. Do any of them have all the maps already loaded? The last non-integrated one I purchased was in the early days of the technology, when it would only hold so much info..I'm hoping they've improved since then.
Anyone researched these things recently?
Go Giants
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 70,004
Likes: 1,260
From: PA
People swear by Garmins, but I always liked my TomToms. They all have the maps loaded. You will spend a bit more if you want it to say the street names (text to speech) instead of just "Turn here". Also, hide it when you leave the car..I had 3 stolen in London 
nnInn
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 37,670
Likes: 1,084
That's what the 3 series do.
i have a Garmin and love it!
Check this thread, it has a lot of info:
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...&highlight=gps
Check this thread, it has a lot of info:
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...&highlight=gps
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 926
Likes: 2
From: Chicagoland
I have the Garmin Nuvi 760. Its pretty good for the price, 250.
Used it only twice, but both times, it was good. No signal cut outs as long as it sits near a window.
http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-760-Wid...3941802&sr=8-1
Used it only twice, but both times, it was good. No signal cut outs as long as it sits near a window.
http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-760-Wid...3941802&sr=8-1
fap fap fap
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 4,239
Likes: 7
From: Kirkland
i've used it quite a bit since i got it and i love it.
i just got back from a week long trip using my trusty garmin c530 (older model)... it doesnt have text to speech but has 6 million POI's... some things annoy me about it are that sometimes it tells me a turn way too late... sometimes takes a min or two to start up... recalculates slower than i'd like...
anyway so i decided to get a new gps to replace it... i wanted something with more features but also cheap.
i ended up buying a Sony NV-44 gps... yup, a sony. i didnt even know sony made gps but after reading some positive reviews i decided to try it out... it has text to speech, lane guidance, split screen, 5 million POI's and the other usual stuff... all this for $80 bucks! you cant find all those features on garmins/tomtoms for anywhere near that price. and if bought at best buy they also give you a $10 gift card with purchase.
after using it for 1 day so far i am liking it more than my garmin... its very easy to use out the box (though not as simple as garmins)... only thing i can't figure out yet is how to avoid highways but i still gotta play around with it some more...
anyway so i decided to get a new gps to replace it... i wanted something with more features but also cheap.
i ended up buying a Sony NV-44 gps... yup, a sony. i didnt even know sony made gps but after reading some positive reviews i decided to try it out... it has text to speech, lane guidance, split screen, 5 million POI's and the other usual stuff... all this for $80 bucks! you cant find all those features on garmins/tomtoms for anywhere near that price. and if bought at best buy they also give you a $10 gift card with purchase.
after using it for 1 day so far i am liking it more than my garmin... its very easy to use out the box (though not as simple as garmins)... only thing i can't figure out yet is how to avoid highways but i still gotta play around with it some more...
Last edited by Infamous425; Feb 6, 2009 at 12:01 PM.
Senior Moderator
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 81,385
Likes: 3,068
From: Appleton WI
Garmin hands down. The tom tom the sister in law has cant even come close to the garmin my wife has (both upper models) Her tom tom doesnt come close to picking the fastest or best route.
Thread Starter
Earth-bound misfit
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 31,704
Likes: 608
sorry, dude. There was another thread here in ramblings that didn't get moved, so wasn't sure where it belonged. Oh, and of course I thought car talk was for cars. Thanks..I'll look around.
Thread Starter
Earth-bound misfit
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 31,704
Likes: 608
i have a Garmin and love it!
Check this thread, it has a lot of info:
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...&highlight=gps
Check this thread, it has a lot of info:
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...&highlight=gps
Advanced
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 66
Likes: 0
first had a tomtom but after it got stolen I switched to garmin. the screen resolution on the lowest garmin is better than the mid range tomtom. tomtom looks like its a touchscreen, its somewhat blurry. probably an antiglare filter but looks horrible. never had glare issue with my garmin. another thing to look at is that tomtom uses teleatlas maps and garmin uses navtec. the tomtom I had has a bunch of truly uses features and settings, I don't even miss them.
Moderator
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 9,161
Likes: 58
Search Car Talk --- there are several threads re: GPS units already.
Dan had a really old Garmin that we replaced with a TomTom over the summer. As mentioned in another thread (
), the one thing I don't like, and quite frankly don't understand, is why TomTom asks you for the name of the city before asking to enter the street address. Why doesn't that make sense? Well, if you're using a GPS because you don't know where you are (eg: another State) or don't know the proper city name of where you're headed, how are you supposed to enter it? I haven't seen any way to bypass directly to the address screen. Dan's old Garmin had it the other way around: Enter the address and then it gave you a list of possible cities that had that street name (in your State/Province). IMO, that makes much more sense, especially when you're not exactly sure where the city limits are. It's my only beef, and can make things difficult for someone who doesn't know where they're going.
Aside from that, I didn't mind the old Garmin and don't mind the TomTom...they both got/get us to where we need to go. The TomTom seems to be much faster at picking up satellites, but it could also just be that it took so long because Dan's Garmin was so old with older technology. One advantage to the TomTom is that (I believe) the maps are updated and downloaded for free online, whereas for Garmin, you have to purchase them - and they're pretty expensive. The mount that came with the TomTom absolutely sucked (a mount vs. the old Garmin craddle), so we ended up getting the 'alternative' mount which is much better, although it meant an additional purchase.
Dan used his Dad's new Garmin and came back telling me he likes his TomTom a lot more. I don't know what his reasons are, but that's what he said.
Dan had a really old Garmin that we replaced with a TomTom over the summer. As mentioned in another thread (
), the one thing I don't like, and quite frankly don't understand, is why TomTom asks you for the name of the city before asking to enter the street address. Why doesn't that make sense? Well, if you're using a GPS because you don't know where you are (eg: another State) or don't know the proper city name of where you're headed, how are you supposed to enter it? I haven't seen any way to bypass directly to the address screen. Dan's old Garmin had it the other way around: Enter the address and then it gave you a list of possible cities that had that street name (in your State/Province). IMO, that makes much more sense, especially when you're not exactly sure where the city limits are. It's my only beef, and can make things difficult for someone who doesn't know where they're going.Aside from that, I didn't mind the old Garmin and don't mind the TomTom...they both got/get us to where we need to go. The TomTom seems to be much faster at picking up satellites, but it could also just be that it took so long because Dan's Garmin was so old with older technology. One advantage to the TomTom is that (I believe) the maps are updated and downloaded for free online, whereas for Garmin, you have to purchase them - and they're pretty expensive. The mount that came with the TomTom absolutely sucked (a mount vs. the old Garmin craddle), so we ended up getting the 'alternative' mount which is much better, although it meant an additional purchase.
Dan used his Dad's new Garmin and came back telling me he likes his TomTom a lot more. I don't know what his reasons are, but that's what he said.
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 3,138
Likes: 4
From: 808
costco.com I think has the garmin 260 on sale for like $130. I was thinking that's not too bad. Hard to get lost in Hawaii, but I might use it when I travel.
Last edited by Osamu; Feb 6, 2009 at 08:07 PM.
Photography Nerd
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 21,489
Likes: 11
From: Toronto
I just made the 450KM trek from Ottawa to Toronto today and I had both my Tom Tom 930 GO and one of my co-worker's Garmin 760 with traffic receiver. It was really interesting to see the two side-by-side for the journey.
The Garmin displays more interesting off-highway stuff when you're cruising but I found it a little harder to see the road in more congested area. The view on the Tom Tom is a little boring for long straight segments of the trip because it's quite zoomed in. I wish it would zoom out more or even switch to an overhead view for the long sections to give me a better idea of where I am on the map.
The biggest difference I found between the two units was how they estimated the arrival time. The Tom Tom was dead accurate for time (within 1 minute over four hours) but the Garmin was off by over 26 minutes from its original estimate, even with the traffic system to augment it's time. It's clear to me that the IQ routes of the Tom Tom are more realistic.
I also found the voice guidance is more natural on the Tom Tom. The Garmin was a little more robotic, but still clear enough to understand. Perhaps a downloaded voice would make it a little better. Other than that, the general usability of both units were quite good.
The Garmin displays more interesting off-highway stuff when you're cruising but I found it a little harder to see the road in more congested area. The view on the Tom Tom is a little boring for long straight segments of the trip because it's quite zoomed in. I wish it would zoom out more or even switch to an overhead view for the long sections to give me a better idea of where I am on the map.
The biggest difference I found between the two units was how they estimated the arrival time. The Tom Tom was dead accurate for time (within 1 minute over four hours) but the Garmin was off by over 26 minutes from its original estimate, even with the traffic system to augment it's time. It's clear to me that the IQ routes of the Tom Tom are more realistic.
I also found the voice guidance is more natural on the Tom Tom. The Garmin was a little more robotic, but still clear enough to understand. Perhaps a downloaded voice would make it a little better. Other than that, the general usability of both units were quite good.
I just made the 450KM trek from Ottawa to Toronto today and I had both my Tom Tom 930 GO and one of my co-worker's Garmin 760 with traffic receiver. It was really interesting to see the two side-by-side for the journey.
The Garmin displays more interesting off-highway stuff when you're cruising but I found it a little harder to see the road in more congested area. The view on the Tom Tom is a little boring for long straight segments of the trip because it's quite zoomed in. I wish it would zoom out more or even switch to an overhead view for the long sections to give me a better idea of where I am on the map.
The biggest difference I found between the two units was how they estimated the arrival time. The Tom Tom was dead accurate for time (within 1 minute over four hours) but the Garmin was off by over 26 minutes from its original estimate, even with the traffic system to augment it's time. It's clear to me that the IQ routes of the Tom Tom are more realistic.
I also found the voice guidance is more natural on the Tom Tom. The Garmin was a little more robotic, but still clear enough to understand. Perhaps a downloaded voice would make it a little better. Other than that, the general usability of both units were quite good.
The Garmin displays more interesting off-highway stuff when you're cruising but I found it a little harder to see the road in more congested area. The view on the Tom Tom is a little boring for long straight segments of the trip because it's quite zoomed in. I wish it would zoom out more or even switch to an overhead view for the long sections to give me a better idea of where I am on the map.
The biggest difference I found between the two units was how they estimated the arrival time. The Tom Tom was dead accurate for time (within 1 minute over four hours) but the Garmin was off by over 26 minutes from its original estimate, even with the traffic system to augment it's time. It's clear to me that the IQ routes of the Tom Tom are more realistic.
I also found the voice guidance is more natural on the Tom Tom. The Garmin was a little more robotic, but still clear enough to understand. Perhaps a downloaded voice would make it a little better. Other than that, the general usability of both units were quite good.
Photography Nerd
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 21,489
Likes: 11
From: Toronto
Based on route accuracy, I would have bought the TomTom if I didn't already own it. One minute vs 26 minutes is a big difference, and that was just after 4 hours of driving. Who knows how far off the Garmin would be for a longer trip. The route wasn't exactly complicated either, just three highways and a handful of side streets. I don't think my driving should affect the outcome because I was on cruise control 95% of the time at 115 km/h (in a 100).
I'd give the TomTom 930 GO a 9/10 and the Garmin 760 an 8/10. Both are great units with minimal flaws.
I'd give the TomTom 930 GO a 9/10 and the Garmin 760 an 8/10. Both are great units with minimal flaws.
I Shoot with a Camera
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 23,087
Likes: 3,703
From: Vancouver BC
I've said this before, and I'll say it again... I've owned TomToms, Nuvi (1), a Sony (shit)... and have borrowed an off brand call Becker... and to be honest? I think people rave about Garmins... but haven't really used anything else... I really didn't think the Nuvi 680 was that great (it was returned). I think a lot of it is marketing... and also simply people saying how great they are... (by people that haven't tried others). I'll admit, the Nuvi was FAST in picking up satellites, fast re-routing, pretty clever routing around traffic... but that's about it. I hated how there was a delay... so in other words, if you were crossing an intersection, and you're in the middle of the intersection, and looked down at the Nuvi screen, it would show that you're just about to cross... it bugged the hell out of me... That particular model didn't have the option to make the keyboard "qwerty" format... it was ABCDE... etc etc... across the screen. Who da hell type that way??!!! Can you imagine if you're keyboard on your computer was like that? 
With the TomTom... it had All the good stuff I mentioned with the Garmin AND you had the option to change the keyboard format... I also liked how you can view the directions ahead of time... and if there were ANY part of the route you don't like, you can simply take it out and it would re-route accordingly... where as the Nuvi 680 has ONE "reroute" button and if you hit it... and it just reroutes whatever it wants...you don't get to choose. I didn't like that either. I hated how the Nuvi voice sounded really robotic... another thing that bothered me.
but then again... that's based one ONE Garmin model... so
Sony was shit... so I'm not even going to go into it.
my friend's Becker was actually really good... it was a cheap model from a couple years ago... not a whole of of POIs but it picked up satellites rather fast.... and rerouting was VERY fast... I was impressed... but it's a company that caters more to the European market... and probably on available online... BUT I hear they are somewhat related to Navigon.
With the TomTom... it had All the good stuff I mentioned with the Garmin AND you had the option to change the keyboard format... I also liked how you can view the directions ahead of time... and if there were ANY part of the route you don't like, you can simply take it out and it would re-route accordingly... where as the Nuvi 680 has ONE "reroute" button and if you hit it... and it just reroutes whatever it wants...you don't get to choose. I didn't like that either. I hated how the Nuvi voice sounded really robotic... another thing that bothered me.
but then again... that's based one ONE Garmin model... so
Sony was shit... so I'm not even going to go into it.
my friend's Becker was actually really good... it was a cheap model from a couple years ago... not a whole of of POIs but it picked up satellites rather fast.... and rerouting was VERY fast... I was impressed... but it's a company that caters more to the European market... and probably on available online... BUT I hear they are somewhat related to Navigon.
Last edited by is300eater; Feb 7, 2009 at 03:47 AM.
Hold the onions
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,009
Likes: 3
From: San Diego
+1 Garmin nuvi 200 but I want a higher end one since the prices have been going down alot. Mine does the job tho and it always gives the right ETA. It constantly recalculates the ETA depending on how fast I'm driving which is great. You can add a whole lot more POIs on a Garmin but then again there's alot of sites online to get POIs from.
Pro
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 656
Likes: 21
I did this to mine:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLhkCxBkGfo
Also, Magellan Bluetooth support is pretty crummy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLhkCxBkGfo
Also, Magellan Bluetooth support is pretty crummy.
'Big Daddy Diggler'
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 11,016
Likes: 4
From: Yonkers NY
Magellans are great for their mods, but Garmin takes the cake for ease of use, big colorful and easy to read graphics, and i never had a garmin unit crash as many times as my maestro did. Tom Toms are great when you buy the cheapy units, but the Garmins are better imho.
Advanced
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 75
Likes: 0
I got my Tom Tom One 3rd Edition about a year and a half ago for $99. Fantastic unit. But if I were to spend $170+, I'd go with a Garmin. The more expensive Tom Toms feel like they are taking on fanciness to a low end unit, where as an expensive garmin genuinely feels nicer. An expensive TomTom would be like an Acura Integra, its a luxury car, but, come on...is it really? In comparison to say an Acura RL.