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Fed up with Garmin GPS -- any suggestions?
3/26/15 | Me, myself, & I

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)?


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KEYWORDS: gps
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Are there FReepers who have experience with great GPS units?
1 posted on 03/25/2015 10:18:15 PM PDT by EinNYC
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To: EinNYC

Yeah. My iPhone is excellent.

Before that, my Android phone had GPS capability that was just as good as my old Magellen unit, except that the Google map that the phones use is more up-to-date than the Magellen, and they wanted $85 to download an update to the unit.

I think the stand-alone GPS units are on their way out.


2 posted on 03/25/2015 10:21:04 PM PDT by Steely Tom (Vote GOP for A Slower Handbasket)
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Comment #3 Removed by Moderator

To: Steely Tom

I do not have a smart phone. So, I wanted to have a standalone GPS in my car.


4 posted on 03/25/2015 10:22:47 PM PDT by EinNYC
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To: EinNYC

Sorry I can’t help you. I own 2 Garmins, have lifetime updates for both and have been very satisfied with both. 1390 and a 2455.


5 posted on 03/25/2015 10:24:00 PM PDT by South40 (Hillary Clinton was a "great secretary of state". - Texas Governor Rick Perry)
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To: EinNYC

I-phone or android with Waze app.


6 posted on 03/25/2015 10:25:47 PM PDT by P-Marlowe (Saying that ISIL is not Islamic is like saying Obama is not an Idiot.)
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To: EinNYC
Get a life beyond technology. Learn to depend on yourself. Sorry that was not the answer you wanted.
7 posted on 03/25/2015 10:27:17 PM PDT by Fungi (Evolution: no science, no truth, no nothing. Full of faith, faith in the "god" of chance.)
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To: EinNYC
I use Google on android with no problems. Great app. For backup I use Sygic.
Google stores all my map data very simply which is a huge plus. And they know
where I shop, live, take a nap, and even when I $hit.
8 posted on 03/25/2015 10:27:24 PM PDT by MaxMax (Pay Attention and you'll be pissed off too! FIRE BOEHNER, NOW!)
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To: Fungi

You want him to give up his car?


9 posted on 03/25/2015 10:32:49 PM PDT by TexasGator
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To: MaxMax

Please see post #4.


10 posted on 03/25/2015 10:36:43 PM PDT by EinNYC
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To: EinNYC

I’ve had a Garmin for about 8 years. No problems, other than the map is old because I refuse to pay the $80 for an update.

I had a TomTom, and I will never buy one again. The touch screen would not work if it was at all warm, I had to hold it in front of the AC vent for a long time to get it cool enough to work. About a year after I bought it, it quit working all together.

So given your experience, it looks like a gamble either way with those brands.

I use my Android (work) or iPhone (personal). They both are excellent. Voice recognition for inputting addresses just cannot be beat.


11 posted on 03/25/2015 10:37:12 PM PDT by Jotmo (Whoever said, "The pen is mightier than the sword." has clearly never been stabbed to death.)
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To: EinNYC
All right, I'm going there: I assume you're a man. If so, you should always have a rudimentary understanding of where you are. Before you enter any new location, you should ALWAYS know the lay of the land. North, south, east, west: that should be second nature.

And you should ALWAYS know how to get to and from your destination. Even if it's somewhat vague. Geography should be second nature. It's hard-wired in the male brain, actually. Don't eschew it. Embrace it.

Throw the GPS away. Deep inside, you know you don't need it.

If you're a woman, however, ignore this. You shouldn't be driving...

12 posted on 03/25/2015 10:39:05 PM PDT by Flycatcher (God speaks to us, through the supernal lightness of birds, in a special type of poetry.)
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To: Flycatcher

If you’re a woman, however, ignore this. You shouldn’t be driving...

Nice


13 posted on 03/25/2015 10:41:03 PM PDT by freedom6178
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To: EinNYC

I like my Garmin. I occasionally have problems similar to the ones cited, but overall, the Garmin GPS is a boon and much preferable to Mapquest, foldout maps (do they still make those?), or a map atlas.


14 posted on 03/25/2015 10:41:15 PM PDT by luvbach1 (We are finished. It will just take a while before everyone realizes it.)
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To: Jotmo

As I have mentioned, I don’t have a smartphone. So I can’t use your probably excellent solutions. I just want to keep a GPS in the glove compartment and connect it when I have to find my way to an unfamiliar place, or find a better route to somewhere I’m going. I’m just so fed up with my current Garmin, with it wasting considerable amounts of my time refusing to find a location unless I have an exact address to type in, it often won’t even list the intersection where a store or something is located, and not telling me to turn until I’m right on the corner to turn, making me miss the turn sometimes. Only to hear that odious “Recalculating” warning.


15 posted on 03/25/2015 10:42:10 PM PDT by EinNYC
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To: EinNYC

The few times I use my Garmin, it is acceptable.

My main issue is it has trouble routing me via major roads. It tries to route me via shortcuts, even though I have set it for minimum time.

I need an update also. Is there a cost associated with update?


16 posted on 03/25/2015 10:44:34 PM PDT by entropy12 (Real function of economists is to make astrologers look respectable.)
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To: TexasGator

Wrong premise.


17 posted on 03/25/2015 10:44:43 PM PDT by Fungi (Evolution: no science, no truth, no nothing. Full of faith, faith in the "god" of chance.)
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To: Flycatcher
If you're a woman, however, ignore this. You shouldn't be driving...

Well, a flycatcher IS a type of bird. Perfect to be spewing such a bird-brained remark.

As it happens, I have an excellent map sense. However, in an urban environment, and having to frequently find unfamiliar locations, it is essential to have a GPS which works well. Much safer also, with not having to divert one's attention to look at maps.

18 posted on 03/25/2015 10:45:08 PM PDT by EinNYC
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To: freedom6178; Flycatcher

The crew for the first Mars landing will be all female.
They figure women drivers cam hit anything.


19 posted on 03/25/2015 10:46:46 PM PDT by entropy12 (Real function of economists is to make astrologers look respectable.)
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To: Steely Tom
I think the stand-alone GPS units are on their way out.

My Garmin and other brand trail units are far more reliable than my Android 4.1 phone with GPS app. The dedicated units simply always work. It is not uncommon for the phone to lock up a few minutes after enabling GPS. Sure, this could conceivably be fixed with software or a different phone model, but these issues are moot for the dedicated GPS units which never fail. While in tricky terrain I am not willing to even depend on the phone as a backup. Instead, I take a real old dedicated unit. BTW, I use free open-source maps on the Garmin. These tend to be updated every couple of months. Same maps can be used on the phone, for that matter.

20 posted on 03/25/2015 10:47:18 PM PDT by steve86 (Prophecies of Maelmhaedhoc OÂ’Morgair (Latin form: Malachy))
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