GPS -Can anyone recommend?

I am going to buy one. I don't want to spend over 200.

I also don't want to be unhappy with my purchase-so looking to hear from people who are happy with theirs.

I sell Real Estate so I think that I would like one that has multi destinations, but not nescessarily-as long as it remembers where I am when I get back in the car and I can easily/quickly plug in the next address that is fine also.

In non working hours -I like to get 'lost', explore and take long routes so if I use it I would like a 'scenic' route feature or 'points of interest'. I also am going to get a motorcycle in the spring and I have no clue if you can use a GPS on that or not-so if anyone has any thoughts on that.

Thanks!

Do you get Consumer Reports?  That's a good place to look at to compare things like GPSes.  If you don't ask around...some people you know might have it.  Here is a link with info from consumer reports, but it doesn't seem to have ratings.  However, you might find some good info:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/tires -auto-parts/gps/gps-buying-advice/gps-guide/g ps-getting-started.htm

We personally have a garmin, and it works well enough. 

Get a topographic quadrangle map from the United States Geological Survey of the area. 

I'm old fashioned, what can I say? :)

I travel a lot with my job and I have a TomTom sat nav to help me find my way around.  It sometimes 'hangs' or switches off for no reason... sometimes takes a few minutes for the satellites to find my position... and once, in Ireland, the place I was going to was marked on the map as an open field.   I upgraded it to connect to my mobile phone and download traffic info... that is a timesaving godsend - arguably more use than the mapping facility!!  So my verdict - a few niggles but, on the whole, I find it does what it's meant to and it saves me a lot of time.

I've got a Garmin Nuvi 205, and i love it. I've had it for about 9 months and haven't had a single problem with it. It doesn't have a "scenic route" feature that I know of, but it does have a "points of interest" feature. I've used it SO many times, and can't think of a single time it's gotten me lost. it has even taught me a new route from my current home to where I grew up, no more boring highway ride and tolls for me! 

I actually think it has more features than i've even used, i need to play around with it a bit more while i'm not in the car.

i think it cost me about $125. SO worth it! I think Garmin also makes more advanced models with more features for a bit more money.   

We bought a Tom Tom last year and love it. There is a scenic route option and a points of interest option. You can also look for most popular hotels stores etc. by location. I don't know how much SO paid for it, but it was under $200. Got it at Radio Shack.

I adore my Garmin Nuvi.  Bought it last year and never looked back.  I was pretty fearless before, armed w/ maps and a printout of my destination from mapquest....but now, WOW  Garmin has brought me new found freedoms.

I have a Garmin C340 and a Garmin Nuvi and both have been wonderful.  The Nuvi is thinner and has some cool features (Dr. Nightmare voice).  My advice would be to make sure that you get one that says the directions and street names out loud.   My boss has one that just displays the directions and it's really easy to miss turns.  

Great idea to check Consumer Reports.  When we bought the C340 it was on the Consumer Reports best value list and the Nuvi was at the top, too.

Original Post by devilish_patsy:

Garmin has brought me new found freedoms.

 Same for me!! i used to stress out when someone said "oh, come pick me up here" or "oh, come over to my new house" and i had no idea where the place was. i'm just not good at directions and HATE getting lost. since i've gotten my GPS, i'm like "sure, what's the address!"

i will never go without one again!

Cool-the Garmin Nuvi was one on top of my list. I hadn't heard too much about the Tom Tom but will also check it out although Dr Nightmare sounds like a good selling point on the Garmin

I have checked a lot of reviews online-amazon and others, I believe you have to pay a fee or be a subscriber to Consumer Reports.

I wanted some opinios from sources I could be sure are non biased sources and not many of my friends have one.

Anyone use one on a motorcycle?

I have a little GPS thingy, but I don't fully trust them. One time while on a road trip my friend and I stopped to visit a friend in the San Francisco area, and the stupid GPS made us go all the way around the bay instead of just going across the bridge! We only knew the address so we didn't know that the deal was ahead of time, or else we could have just gone across the stinkin bridge and it would have just re-calculated our route.  My friend who was driving also got us extremely lost while taking the detour around the bay, and it was 2AM by the time we got there... thus my epic grudge.

Original Post by hayleymajayley:

I have a little GPS thingy, but I don't fully trust them....

 I live in a rural area and one time my GPS led me down dirt and gravel roads and I don't drive a truck.  I don't blame the GPS though because, technically, they are roads.

It was an adventure.  Yeah, an adventure!

Hayley- ours did that once I was so mad. Then my husband remembered that he had it set to avoid toll roads so that was why it took us all the way around. So it was the GPS fault it was my husbands!

We have used the mid priced Magellan and LOVE it (her name is "Madge") - accurate, lots of POIs, has only gotten a little turned around once that we know of.

We were given the lowest priced TomTom for Xmas, and HATE it  (he's not worthy of naming).   It's forever taking us bad routes.  Waits until the last second to tell you to turn (he seems to "forget" the 1/2 mile warning a lot), always thinks we are on the access road next to the interstate instead of on the interstate itself.  And don't get me started on POIs.  You can be staring at 5 gas stations and TomTom tells you the next station is 3 miles down the road.

Whatever you decide, I highly recommend you get the kind that does actually say the street name instead of just saying right turn in XXX yards.   Sometimes streets are really close together and you don't know which one it means.  Let's just say our trip into New Orleans was a GPS induced nightmare.

OOH I remembered the other thing I hate about mine! Say I'm going north on I-5. It will tell me my next step is NORTH ON I-5!!! For three steps in a row. THEN, right before the exit it says TAKE OLIVE STREET EXIT. Well, that would have been nice to know two miles ago when I saw the OLIVE STREET EXIT CLOSED USE DEARBORNE ST EXIT back before the Dearborne street exit. EFFING GPS PIECE OF POOP. And yes, I'm aware I could go to the directions list and scroll down to see it but hey, when I'm driving by myself on I-5 in downtown Seattle I'm not too fond of fiddling around with it. I'd rather watch the road!

I just use my iphone for that type of thing... I think it is a lot more versatile. Not only directions, but being able to find places to eat and check out websites / menus / reviews.... and all the normal phone things and then camera and email.

Pretty much a great little tool when you are away from the computer.

Garmin Nuvi 360- bought one about 2 years ago.....its the bomb. I could not imagine traveling without it.

If I am hungry for chinese and want to find the nearest chinese place, it finds it for me, if there is a detour, it finds it for me, it also plays my ipod and all sorts of cool crap.