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Car GPS navigation
Old 01-29-2008, 11:22 AM   #1
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Car GPS navigation

I first saw one about 12 years ago in a rental car in FL and wanted one then but they cost $4K+ at the time, more than it was worth given the limited travel that we do.

Picked one up for $230 and immediately saw how this device would vastly improve our marriage. (I love her dearly, but she can't read a map or Mapquest directions in a moving car.) "It would be so much more helpful dear, if you would tell me which street to turn on before we got to it".

Ever had that conversation?

Anyway, this thing may make it a lot easier to see more stuff in DC or Baltimore, since usually the first thing I do upon crossing a city line is get lost.
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Old 01-29-2008, 11:33 AM   #2
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Ever had that conversation?
Never. Just like we never have one about asking directions.

Whatever you do, be sure you take the GPS out of the car when you park it. Even go to the trouble of wiping the window smudge off where the little suction cup was (if you have one).

GPS's are known for growing legs and walking away while you're not looking. The smudge on the windshield is a telltale sign that it might just be worth smashing a side window just in case you hid it under the seat.
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Old 01-29-2008, 11:36 AM   #3
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Yep be really careful about leaving any signs that you have one. We recently purchased one and love the darn thing. Makes traveling in areas you are unfamiliar with a breeze. Strange though I still carry a map.
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Old 01-29-2008, 11:38 AM   #4
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I LOVE my Magellan 760 Roadmate It takes a couple minutes when I plug it in on opposite coast (put in CA address - it tells me I have 3,435 miles to go - because it still "thinks" it's in NJ...but recalculates before I get out of the rental car lot!) Like a cell phone, how did I manage before this gizmo?
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Old 01-29-2008, 11:44 AM   #5
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I have had a Garmin for about 4 years. Can get to be a crutch though - so easy to let it direct you rather than planning and executing the route yourself.

Does save on the "discussions" with the DW!
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Old 01-29-2008, 11:47 AM   #6
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I really like my Garmin and I use a beanbag mount. No suction cups for me!
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Old 01-29-2008, 11:51 AM   #7
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I have had a Garmin for about 4 years. Can get to be a crutch though - so easy to let it direct you rather than planning and executing the route yourself.
I get real lazy when travelling out of town knowing I have the Nuvi with us. Usually I get away with it. Where it has failed me is in areas with complicated intersections with overpasses, bridges, etc. It doesn't know if I'm on the topmost highway or the ones below. Major confusion.

OTOH it has gotten us out of a few jams, and really helps the DW find specific addresses in her work as a realtor.
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Old 01-29-2008, 12:04 PM   #8
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Another nice thing about the NUVI is that it plays mp3 files. I have about 400 songs loaded on mine so I don't need any CDs in my car. That wasn't a factor in my decision to get it but I really like that feature now.
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Old 01-29-2008, 12:05 PM   #9
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Can you request them in a rental vehicle while on vacation??
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Old 01-29-2008, 12:18 PM   #10
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Can you request them in a rental vehicle while on vacation??
With Hertz you can not sure about the other companies.
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Old 01-29-2008, 12:33 PM   #11
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We use our cell phone and Verizon Navigator for $10 a month. Works great for us when on a trip. I swear the voice gets an "attitude" when announcing "recalculating route" if you miss a turn!
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Old 01-29-2008, 12:44 PM   #12
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Yeah, love that 'recalculating' I have a garmin street pilot , have noticed the data base seems to be outdated, is it possible to update it via internet ?
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Old 01-29-2008, 01:11 PM   #13
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Yeah, love that 'recalculating' I have a garmin street pilot , have noticed the data base seems to be outdated, is it possible to update it via internet ?
Try this for map updates => Garmin: Map Updates

I love my nuvi but the relationship between betty (my nuvi) and my SO is strained at times. My SO has come around quite a bit, but still refuses to let me use the nuvi in situations where she supposedly knows where we are going. I myself have absolutely no sense of direction, so I leave betty on almost everywhere I go. I think the voice name was karen (a sweet australian accent that I downloaded from the internet), but I have defaulted to calling her betty which was the name of my original gps (garmin ique 3600).

I also have a beanbag friction mount. I just tuck it under the seat when I leave the vehicle. It's pretty well hidden and without the telltale rings on my windshield there is no reason for a thief to look any further (at least that is my hope).
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Old 01-29-2008, 02:19 PM   #14
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I too have a Nuvi with a beanbag. These things are great in cities you don't know well. You can MapQuest directions but then if you get off track you are lost. With a GPS you can detour any which way you please and then get right back on track. I like to have a paper map as backup and so I can get a birdseye view of where I am going -- it is nice to be oriented in the place sphere.
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Old 01-29-2008, 02:20 PM   #15
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Bean bagger too! Since in CA its against the law to have a window mounted cup thing. Anyhow the beanbag is really easy to hide.
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Old 01-29-2008, 02:37 PM   #16
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Whatever you do, be sure you take the GPS out of the car when you park it. Even go to the trouble of wiping the window smudge off where the little suction cup was (if you have one).
Yes indeed. BIL had one - for about an hour. One police department was giving away small microfiber towels to wipe the smudge off the window in an effort to reduce the thefts and raise awareness.

Anybody had issues with the bean bag mount sliding off the dash? I'd be concerned about that and breaking it.

The one I bought was the Garmin nuvi 200. Not much in the "bells & whistles" department but that's okay. It's not like I'll be using it every day. More like twice a month.

Even though no updates are available it doesn't "know" of our address and we've been here over five years now. That's a little disappointing, I expected a more current map than that.
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Old 01-29-2008, 02:43 PM   #17
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I swear the voice gets an "attitude" when announcing "recalculating route" if you miss a turn!
I bet the designers had a ball kicking around what to have it speak when a turn is missed. "Make a U-turn you *%$#* moron!" I'll have to look around and see if there are any "easter eggs" in the software that make it do that.
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Old 01-29-2008, 02:44 PM   #18
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Walt, the bean bag is so heavy and sticks so well I cannot see it slipping off unless you get into some kind of hard accident.
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Old 01-29-2008, 03:14 PM   #19
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..............Anybody had issues with the bean bag mount sliding off the dash? I'd be concerned about that and breaking it..........................
My beanbag was super sticky when new, then started sliding around. I smeared clear silicone caulk on the base, let it cure, then it got back its grip.
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Old 01-29-2008, 05:37 PM   #20
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I have a Garmin StreetPilot c530.....love it!

I never knew about the bean bags! I just now ordered one from Amazon to use it in my rental car in FL in a couple of weeks. Thanks for the heads up!
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