GPS navigation

[asiancivicmaniac]

Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
No need for it unless you travel daily for your occupation/job.


For some reason my family and I always get lost when we go on trips. When we use Mapquest or Yahoo Maps we sometimes end up with directions that mislead us.

 

[Gary Allan]

I selected "shortest route" on Mapquest to a friends house in upstate NY (260+). It literally takes you on the shortest route. At one point I was on a dirt road and was looking for my left turn. There was no road sign. I took it on the odometer reading. At one point, I got off route due to "turn slightly left on to" type direction ..and followed my nose ..and, after a fashion, drove past the outlet of the back road route that they were going to take me on.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
Speaking of that, I often wondered why someone like FedEx or Big Brown hadn't integrated the scanning of delivery packages and a GPS to route the driver in the most efficient manner. Maybe by now, they have.


They have, a custom made GPS that use mostly right turn to reduce idle.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

I tried the shortest route option once. It may have been the shortest route by distance but the longer route would have been faster. And I find Mapquest directions to be confusing. Usually leads to my sister and I arguing about who sucks at reading directions and who sucks at listening to them.

 

[andyd]

I am right on the edge of buying a GPS for work. My co-worker has a Tom Tom that talks Jamaican and scolds him when he makes a wrong turn

 

[cornfused]

I LOVE my garmin and use it everyday! I am terrible with directions and use it alot, the cheapest one works fine. Plus it gives me an accurate MPH since my tires are oversized and the speedo is about 8 mph off.

 

[GMGuy]

I like it when I go off on a detour to explore an area. Follow my nose to see whats around. Need to get back on track? Zoom out the GPS to see where I am (this would be a pre-routing GPS), and pointmyself back to where I need to get to. No messing around with finding street names, just keep moving.

I still love paper maps, but the GPS makes the on-the-fly driving all that much easier... especially when you can't locate a good local map at the last three gas stations you stopped at...

Alex.

 

[RacerE7773]

Originally Posted By: Barkleymut
I love my Garmin, it is 3 years old and takes a beating and still performs flawlessly. I don't see the need in getting the map updates since no one is building new roads around here.

On a side note I would like it if it had an "anti ghetto" option. I always seem to take a short cut through the worst parts of town.
Same here. We hit a pothole and the RF wheel bent at the bead and broke the wheel cover. Now a legit reason to get a better looking set of aftermarket wheel covers. Still have to get the car aligned first, however.

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: msparks
Originally Posted By: asiancivicmaniac
I can't for the life of me read a map quick enough when I make a wrong turn.


And the stupid GSP, can't see that little road, that will get you around that traffic jam. They keep trying to tell you to go into it.

I wish they had something like google maps. I use this all the time on my blackberry. I can quickly locate where I am, then look down and find a route to just about anywhere.

I also like the fact that google maps is like a map, so I can see things in relation to where they are, not always turing around with the direction I'm going. ei, with google maps, north is always up. with the GPS, up is my direction of travel. I hate that.




Not all true.

1. With my factory GPS's, they report traffic accidents and delays and automatically reroute you around it.

2. My factory GPS's and some Garmins allow you to see the map either in a north up mode or the actual direction you are going and even a neat 3D look.

3. I've never had any GPS's miss that little road to get you around things. Even in the most remote areas you will atleast get a compass view to "steer towards" your destination until coverage resumes.

 

[Razl]

Why I love my TomTom 730:

1. I can keep my cell phone in my pocket while making and receiving calls in the car.

2. Finding my Banks ATM is a piece of cake no matter where I am.

3. I can feel free to explorer the surrounding area in new places

4. "IQ Routes" (this is where TomTom really rocks!) gives the best possible routes becuase it's based on actual average road speeds versus posted speeds. The ETA is dead-on most of the time.

5. I'm able to confidently travel around when on vacation in the US. I even used it in Puerto Rico 2 years ago. I was told the cab ride from San Juan to my hotel out in the west coast was $150 each way. Instead I rented a car for $150/week. PR is notorious for confusing signs and bad roads. Anyways, the GPS was a life saver and we were able to make it to the hotel with no issues. And with the rental car, we were not stuck at the resort like most folks. I would part with my cell phone before a GPS. Then again, my G1 phone has Google MAps with GPS so I'd take the phone over the TomTom.

 

[Razl]

Most GPSs have a re-route/detour option that will give you an alternative route (side roads). If traffic is a constant issue, your best bet is to get a GPS with comptible local traffic guidance so you get the fastest route based on real-time speeds.

Also, the 3-D screen on most GPSs can be changed to 2-D and with North pointing straight up so it's just like a google map in map view. Hope that helps!

 

[rg200amp]

I have a little TOM TOM one. $149.99

Short of my cell phone, its the best electronic I could ever want.

 

[andyd]

I just bought a refurbished Tom Tom One. I like it so far.