His point was don't bother buying a built-in unit. They are expensive and difficult if not impossible to upgrade (maps, software, etc.) and even if possible it would be expensive. He used the analogy of a built-in telephone from yesteryear: quaint but pointless.
There are a whole variety of portables on the market. My wife has a Nuvi. Intuitive, straightforward and accurate.
Have a portable unit is a real plus, esp. if you travel and have to use rental cars...just throw it in your travel bag and plug it into the rental’s cigarette lighter. (you may need to get an adaptor for that, but it’s well worth the small extra cost).
My wife talked me into buying a Nuvi, and it’s turned out to be a great help, esp. when I’m trying to find a new client’s location in an unfamiliar town — it’s surprising how much stress that little box has eliminated...
Oddly enough, I don't really need it for directions so much as I need it for travel time estimates and travel time and route data review after a trip is completed.
I do this now by running my laptop computer with a GPS receiver that simply writes my speed and location to a text file every second as I travel. This has gotten to be a pain in the rear, and more importantly I'm running out of power ports in my truck. I need one for my computer and one for running the GPS unit, and if I have my roof light hooked up I don't have a spare port for charging my cell phone. LOL.