GPS systems
 

We're looking to buy a GPS for our trip cross country. Which models are the best?

I have a Garmin Streepilot 2620, which is probably not made anymore as I got it 2 years ago. It's a portable that sits on my dash with a counterweight to keep it from falling off (mostly works, but if you stop suddenly it will fly off). This model has full maps of the US and works pretty well but it's far from perfect. It's maps are dated, and its "phone book" info (restaurants, etc.) is sometimes very dated - e.g. it has many retail businesses that closed or changed hands 5+ years from the day I bought the unit.

You can plug my unit into a computer to update it. There is a map update available for the 2620 from Garmin but I have not yet tried to install it to see if it updates this old info. I had a cable die on me twice (turns out it was a blown fuse in the "cigarette lighter" power cable) and Garmin sent me replacements promptly at no charge, no questioned asked, even though the warranty had expired.

Probably my biggest beef with the Garmin Streetpilot 2620 is that it overheats after long use and/or in a hot car, and when it does it will stop working - frightening if you have become dependent on it! This happened to me in Hawaii a few weeks ago - I foolishly left the unit on the dash while inside somewhere and when I came out, it was basically locked up, unusable. Later when it cooled down it was fine. My step-father has exactly the same unit and it did the same thing to me on a trip to Maine, so it's not just one unit that is defective.

If you can buy a GPS unit at a place like Costco, you can try it out and if you find big flaws in it at some point, return it for a full refund (they have a very generous return policy, beyond 30 days).

There are many, many answers to your question. Depends on what you want to spend and what extras you want to have.
Magelland and Garmin are two of the renowned providers of automobile gps systems.

I recommend taking a look at the gpspassion site forums to narrow down what you want, then take one out for a test drive. Amazon.com is pretty liberal with their refund policy if you save all of the packing materials and don't damage the item.

I just bought the garmin nuvi 350, look on the Amazon web site, there are many reviews of the different types. Amazon was cheaper than costco for this one

If you could, and probably cannot unless you subscribe, look at the GPS reviews on ConsumerReoprts you'd find that the Garmin and Magellan models are consistently rated as the best overall.

Thank you for all of your information. We were leaning towards Magellan, only because we used one when we rented a Hertz car and liked it. We're looking to spend around $300 or so, so I know that will limit us.

I also have a Nuvi 350 and really love it.

I've used both and think Garmin is the more user friendly. We have the StreetPilot C330.

Go to your local Circuit City and test drive them. Our local store had 6-8 models on display, including the TomTom.

Then go on line and look for the best deal (usually much better than the store) plus no tax and some offer free shipping. ((b))