Reasonable portable GPS

[blpatrick]

Could some one recommend a good reliable and reasonably priced GPS. During the holiday weekend I noticed many cars with GPS and several of my inlaws and brother had one. I am considering a TOM TOM or Magellan. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[millsp]

You can't go wrong with TomTom or Garmin. Just bought my wife the TomTOm 720 and she loves it.

[Flashgordon]

I like my Garmin Nuvi 660....but like said, TomTom are very good also.

[FrankOC]

I have the Nuvi 200w, no complaints.

[sarasota2k4]

First, let me start off by stating that this only my opinion. Regardless of which GPS you buy, it is a heck of a lot better than using a map. On the other hand, when people start recommending one brand over another, it brings out the defenses in many people :-)

My personal recommendation is to first find a GPS with "Spoken Street Names." This feature is typically only available on GPSs selling for over $250. Why is this important? This feature allows you to keep your eyes on the road at all times. When it is time for you to make a turn, the GPS will state "Turn left in 200 feet at Main St." versus "Turn Left in 200 feet." If you only travel in rural America, that may be fine, but when start traveling in some of the more congested cities and towns, 200 feet may involve 2 or more streets. Without spoken street names, you would have to look over to the GPS to see what street is listed, as well as back to find the street sign to see if they match.

I road tested both the TomTom and the Garmin and I settled on the Garmin 350 back in April. The 350 works very well and is easy to transport. You can find the larger Garmin 650 (same as 350 but larger screen) at Costco for $299. Good luck!

[apimpdad]

i got the Magellan maestro 3100 for $150 for Christmas, and so far i really like it. there are no major complaints about the unit, except for some of the points of interest are out of date or sometimes (but rarely) completely wrong. but this isn't a big deal to me because i mainly use mine around town and i already know where all of those locations are.

[blpatrick]

Thank you all for your speedy replies. I'll definitely get one with street spoken names. Thanks again and have a happy and safe new year.

[Sanosuke]

I use a TOM TOM ONE XL in my 07 Tundra.

Sanosuke!

[tacocrazy]

I have a Magellan 3250 and it's awesome!! Voice activated control, spoken street names as mentioned above. It's the cheapest voice activated gps out, you can bluetooth your phone to it, and it's small enough to fit in your pocket!!

[blpatrick]

Originally Posted by tacocrazy

I have a Magellan 3250 and it's awesome!! Voice activated control, spoken street names as mentioned above. It's the cheapest voice activated gps out, you can bluetooth your phone to it, and it's small enough to fit in your pocket!!

Thanks.

[conTundra]

I have a Magellan 4000 and am also very happy with it.

[morgaa01]

Hi,

This may not be what you are looking for but I use my phone (AT&T Blackberry 8820 - other phones will work) and a subscription to Telenav (9$ per month). I can use it in my truck for directions- find restaurants, gas stations. In pedestrian mode, I can use it in the woods or in even in a city - used it in both NYC and DC. Plus I like the idea of having one device handle mutiple tasks and I didn't have to change/add anything in my truck - just a different thought....

[Stoneybroke]

I bought a Gamin 660 from amazon in December for my 05 Tundra. I got the beanbag mount to deter thieves, but my wife keeps using it in her 06 Highlander limited. She prefers the Garmin to her Toyota factory unit! $400 vs $1650, go figure!

[vermacelli]

I bought a couple of Garmin 350s about 3 months ago so I could have one in each car. Overall they have worked really good and have good signals in my area. The problem is a speaker went out in one of the units. I shipped it to Garmin under warrantee and today, after 2 weeks, I receive a different reconditioned unit back that is also not working properly. It just can't find a satellite signal and there's no bars on the signal meter so its actually worst than the one I bought. Rather annoying since I have to take time out of my day again to ship it back.

[sarasota2k4]

For all those interested in a new GPS, or any current GPS users, go check out:

POI Factory | new & interesting places for your GPS

It's a great forum for POIs (Point of Interests) and reviews.