Portable in-car GPS system recommendations??

[WRXtranceformed]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I asked my manager today if I could expense it and he laughed at me, but I'll definitely write it off for next year's tax return. That one refurbed Garmin I linked still looks like it could be a winner, as does Reed's if I'm willing to go over $200.

[REED]

Garmins are normally what motorcycle guys use. That being said, i would assume they have the best screen lay out, since you can afford to stare at it on the bike.

I know my Garmin also allows you set parameters for your route - no highways, no HOV, no Uturns, etc.

and I know you can chose the type of vehicle you are in truck, car, motorcycle. So that might be another reason it's popular with bikers, I don't really know how your route would be different if you are on a bike, except for HOV purposes?

[Kaan]

Garmins are normally what motorcycle guys use. That being said, i would assume they have the best screen lay out, since you can afford to stare at it on the bike.

I know my Garmin also allows you set parameters for your route - no highways, no HOV, no Uturns, etc.

and I know you can chose the type of vehicle you are in truck, car, motorcycle. So that might be another reason it's popular with bikers, I don't really know how your route would be different if you are on a bike, except for HOV purposes?

the screen is easy to use, you dont have to stare at it to figure out where you are going or need to go... less of a distraction from actually driving.

[WRXtranceformed]

Found the C340 on Buy.com for $193.10 refurbished or $202 shipped in "clamshell" packaging. Does anyone know what "clamshell" means? I'm trying to figure it out but the website isn't saying much.

[BLINGMW]

Clamshell is just that kind of plastic packaging, ya know, that sucks to open:



I guess, vs being in an actual box. I can't imagine how they'd feel that's an important detail to list. :dunno:

[Jeff]

Nuvi 350...strait gangsta! TOMTOM is big and gay...ignore Galawhore. Trust me on this, the only GPS company is Garmin.

[WRXtranceformed]

Or why it would be so much cheaper than being in a box ha.. Finding some factory refurbed ones on Ebay for about $188 shipped.

[Jeff]

New c340 at CC.com is $220... Nuvi 200 is $225

[WRXtranceformed]

Ended up picking up a refurbed Streetpilot c340 on Ebay for $185 shipped. I'll give you guys my impressions once it gets here and I get the chance to use it!

[Evan]

nuvi 750 is on sale right now for $300

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://electronics.hsn.com/garmin-nuvi-750-4-3-screen-gps-w-text-to-speech-5-million-pois_p-4104441_xp.aspx?web_id=4104441&ocm=sekw">http://electronics.hsn.com/garmin-nuvi- ... 1&ocm=sekw</a><!-- m -->

will be gone VERY quickly so order up.

I got one, total impulse buy :p

[WRXtranceformed]

Nice find!!

The Streetpilot has been an awesome recommendation so far, it's really helped my ability to prospect in unfamiliar areas. I've found that the text to speech helps tremendously in a lot of areas. The mounting bracket it comes with is decent, but I really couldn't find any other way to mount it in my car other than on the windshield, so I mounted it as far left as possible so that it's hidden behind the a-pillar and routed the power cord down through the steering column. I hate how people have their GPS like right in the middle of their windshields, so I was hoping I could avoid that.

I've found that this particular one works best when you know the exact address of where you're going. If you just type in the name of a business or wherever you're going, it will pull up all of the local ones but will only get you were you want about 60% of the time. I like how this one gives you trip details, arrival times, and turns to a dark mode at night so it's easier on the eyes (black background, white roads). I don't know what I'd do without this thing now!

[WRXtranceformed]

Oh, and this might seem kind of self-explanatory and silly, but I've found that you really need to realize the GPS is what it is. You can't rely on it 100%. At first I found myself mostly watching it to see where to go, but listening to the audio cues and watching for the streets in areas that you're unfamiliar with helps a lot. The screen kind of becomes secondary after a while, especially with text to speech. I bet with time I could probably get by with just voice cues if I really wanted to.