Posted on 03/25/2015 10:18:15 PM PDT by EinNYC
I have a Garmin GPS in my car, about 3 years old. I think it's the 1490MT. It has led me to wrong places. It has not told me to turn until it's too late. It gives me a great deal of trouble trying to find a business. It will list a bunch of the stores of a chain except the one I want, for example. I recently updated it on my computer, so that's not the problem. I am just totally fed up with this thing and want to first smash it with a hammer and then scatter the resulting pieces all over the highway.
Are there better models of Garmin out there, or TomTom (with which I have NO experience)?
I’m losing my mind over the stupid, insulting replies people here are giving you! You don’t deserve it. I suggest getting on Amazon and reviewing the nav systems with 4 stars and tons of reviews.
Good luck!
Where I live, we appear to have a different definition of "nice neighborhood" than you.
Find out who the OEM is for the Honda GPSes. They are extremely accurate.
Traveling 50K miles a year, I’ve used Magellan and have had no problems. My GPS is 10 or so years old and can’t be updated, but I have so many addresses in it, I won’t get rid of it.
Yes. It stays neatly folded in my glove compartment.
Kidding aside, I don’t understand the fascination with live navigation. I know where I’m going before I get in the car and the trip terminates near the destination. If I can’t find the destination, it’s always due to incorrect info provided to me...the same info I would have plugged into a GPS.
I would like a GPS for terrain maps & recording trails & whatnot, but I could never embrace another distraction (and theft target) in my car.
Besides, people are dangerous enough on the road with radios, makeup & cell phones (hands-free or not). At least when someone is lost they slow down to a near stop when looking around vs. driving into a lake because the GPS said ‘go straight ahead’...my question would be ‘why’ need a GPS in the car to begin with. But that’s just me. Money better spent elsewhere.
.02
There are several FREE navigation apps for my Iphone that give spoken directions. I imagine the paid apps are even better. Even Garmin has an Iphone app, but the last time I looked it was grossly overpriced, especially compared to free apps.
This technology is constantly improving & the landscape constantly changing. Frequent updates to the apps & maps are necessary. The internet connected phone accommodates this necessity very well. The integration with other apps such as your contact list & yellow pages type apps make navigation even easier & more error free.
Why anyone would pay hard earned money for a separate GPS navigator is beyond me.
Dashboard navigators such as Garmin are being put out of business by the smartphone apps & navigators built into the car. These products wont be around much longer, just like cassette, 8-track, & CD players. Upgrades & support will decline. I would not invest in another obsolete product when you can get so much more for your money from a smartphone.
I have a Tom Tom in my Jag since it is an older model....2006. I call her the Bitch in a Box.
Yeah I figured you probably did. Kinda reaching for straws on that one. Wow. What a pain in the ass. Many years ago I had Tom Tom but Garmin started leading the pack in some key features so I switched to it.
Best of luck with it.
When I'm behind the wheel, I am all business about driving. I don't do cell phones, personal grooming, etc. That is why I appreciate the GPS voice, "Turn left in 50 feet". It allows me to keep my eyes on the road and the jerks on either side of me instead of having to look away to glance at the GPS screen. Maybe my Garmin was just outdated and maybe they're better now.
What constitutes a “nice neighborhood” to you?
I have already looked over Amazon for GPS units. Last night, my internet service was pretty much down, which impeded my search. I hope to resume that tonight. Again, thank you.
The Garmins I have had are great. Yes, some occasional hiccups but by and large they work extremely well. Keep the maps updated. My unit now warns of school zones and congested traffic ahead.
I haven't noticed that it fails in hot weather, but I don't park where it is in the sun, and NJ doesn't have that much hot weather. With LiOn or Nimh batteries, I'd expect that an overwarm condition would be monitored to prevent fires. So, don't leave it on the dash if you are in Arizona.
I prefer a separate GPS, as I don't want incoming calls to shift away from the map. So I live with the limits of a map & search engine on the local device, rather than on a server farm.
Every now and then, I do find it hard to find points of interest, as it doesn't have as potent a search engine as googles. For example, I never could find the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission through the TomTom search.
In reality, not, because usually the hi-way route is faster than taking streets which are shorter in mileage.
One characteristic of a nice neighborhood, in my opinion, is that it be a neighborhood in which my vehicles are NOT in danger of having their windshields smashed by thieves.
Smart phones aren’t for everyone and that, contrary to some here, is just fine. What works for someone else, may not work for you.
On the flip side, using a smart phone for navigation, as many here suggested, isn’t always ideal, either. So a stand-alone GPS in a car can be a good solution for smart phone users . I have built in navigation in my suv and use that instead of my smart phone or a stand alone GPS. Again, different people, different needs.
My mind was blown with some of the rude comments here this morning. Best of luck and please let us know what you end up getting and if it works well or is a dud.
Well then, in reality they are not shortcuts.
That is funny, considering how many seem to be addicted to smartphones and cannot function without them.
Nothing but net!
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