I'm in the market to buy a GPS for my car... any suggestions?

[brainshrub]

I'd like to keep the cost under $800. It must be able to signal me to make a turn, and also quickly find street addresses.

I've been to several stores in my area and all the units I've seen have pros & cons. I do NOT want to use this for hiking or outdoors use, this is just to help me quickly find clients in the SE.

Any suggestions or advise?

[Renew Deal]

1. I have done a lot of GPS research.

I have the Garmin eTrex Vista. It is a great little GPS. I have used it for the road but it is not ideal. It is a good handheld device.

Check out this: Magellan RoadMate 500 and Magellan RoadMate 700

It was in a rental I got. It has a voice that talks to you. Very nice.

http://www.magellangps.com/en/products/roadmate.asp

Make sure you buy it online for the best price. If you buy it online you can get the best price with no shipping and tax. That means you can get a better device for the same money. Amazon is really really good on the price.

I would compare the 500 and the 700. I don't know what the differences are. They are solid devices. Best Buy caries some of these. You can check them out there. Circuit City might have them also.

I will try to help you.

[brainshrub]

2. Thanks!

I'm tingly with excitement. I spend about 2-3 hours a weeks being lost. I want one of these soooo bad.

[Mrs. Venation]

3. Donate $750 To A Good Charity

and use the other $50 to buy a good road atlas.

[brainshrub]

4. You don't live on the road.

I spend several hours a week being lost on the back roads WITH a good atlas already. I'm sick of wateing fuel & time.

Plus, my job is to help the working poor. The better I am at my job, the more people I can help.

[Mrs. Venation]

5. No, I Don't

But I see hungry and homeless people every day, and I know that the money you plan to spend on a device that's nice to have, but not necessary for your survival, can feed or clothe many people if funneled through a reputable charity.

You've survived this long without a GPS system. Buy some good road maps, plan your route ahead of time, and admit that your desire is not a necessity, but a luxury.

[brainshrub]

6. It's a necessity

I've been at this job for a month. And during this month I have been in nearly two accidents b/c I was looking at maps. (My other colleagues have been in accidents)

I'm not talking about an executive back-massager or an overpriced shirt...but a tool I need to save time, money and gas.

You may not be a self-righteous little snot, but your post reads like it.

[Mrs. Venation]

7. I Am Neither Self-Righteous

nor little. Whether or not I am a snot is debatable. What I do know for a fact is that GPS systems are relatively new in the marketplace and that people have been successfully navigating without them for decades.

As I said, plan your route in advance, using good, up-to-date maps. A GPS is, in my opinion, a luxury that you have justified to yourself as a necessity. Plan and drive carefully, and use your extra cash where it will benefit more people.

If you're determined to make this frivolous purchase, at least admit the truth to yourself. It's a luxury. Your life does not depend on having a GPS system in your car. The lives of homeless and hungry people do depend on receiving food and shelter. It's your choice; you gotta live with it.

If I didn't support charitable organizations that assist homeless and/or hungry people, I'd have no bone to pick with you. I do support these charities, and I do provide direct assistance in the form of meals, clothing, etc., to the people I see on the streets.

How do you help?

[brainshrub]

13. I just re-read my post

and I think my last sentence was uncalled for & inflammatory.

I was peeved at your post, but I shouldn't have insinuated you were "a self-righteous snot."

That was immature on my part, I apologize.

And for the record: I screen people who want to attend a technical-training school. I go to their homes, tell them about the school and if they want to attend I act as their guidance counselor to walk them through the process.

[Mrs. Venation]

14. It's A Funny Thing About Message Boards

You ask for opinions, and you get them. Sometimes you don't like what the other person said. That's life.

The value, however, is in trying to objectively evaluate the opinion that you disagreed with. Was there a valid point? Did the opinion make you take a step back and rethink your plans or opinion? There's always something we can learn from others; sometimes the lesson we learn is that the other person is an unreasonable flaming jerk, but not always.

I appreciate what you do for a living. I maintain, however, that being paid to assist people is not an altruistic act. Putting the needs of others ahead of your own desires is altruistic; that is where we learn the value and the joy of selfless giving.

I accept your apology, while acknowledging that I can, indeed, be a snot. My former partner says she learned how to be a professional piss-ant from me.

I am a woman of firm principle and with deep empathy for people who are less fortunate. In my 52 years on this planet I have learned there are many pleasures and luxuries I can live without. I have also learned that I cannot live with myself if I indulge my desire for frivolity at the expense of another person's survival needs. It's that simple.

[LuLu550]

8. My suggestion is not to do it

if you are a criminal...they can find you!

[Renew Deal]

9. That's half true.

They would have to know the unit number that you have. You can always pay cash for it if you are paranoid.

[LuLu550]

11. Me, paranoid???

not on your life! :tinfoilhat:

[Zorro]

10. Magellan Roadmate 500

Probably fits your budget if you get it online.

The Roadmate 700 is a bit niftier with all US maps on a 10GB disk, but is a little out of range of your indicated budget. There have also been some QA issues with its initial release, with reported hardware problems (loses power, etc.), so I'd wait until the second spin of that design comes out.

[GregW]

12. Garmin Street Pilot III

A bit more than $800 ... but the best.

On edit ... SPIII no longer available. The 26xx line replaces it ... but all are north of $1300.