What's the best inexpensive GPS out there?

The Garmins are nice and you can get last years for real cheap and they do everything you need. The only problem is sgutting off that Japanese robolady with the speech impediment.

NOTE: ALl GPS' have accuracy problems. SOmetimes you will be sent in a direction that is not yet on their net. I have to go to Target stores to update my software by a download. Ive never seen it on the web , I think there is some proprietary crap involved so you will go into a Store where they sell em.
Dont buy anything through Basspro or Cabelas, they just overcharge you at the gitgo when you can shop at GArmins website or (where I did) FORESTRY SERVICES Inc.

I have a Garmin and I love it. Updates to the speech can be had directly to the Garmin via your computer. Updates are free and can be had in many languages and dialects. i.e. American English, British English, Australian English etc. Updates clear up many of the problems that you allude to. System updates are also available for download when updates are made.

I got mine for $200.00 off on a sale and paid $149.00.

My personal preference is the 4.3" over the 3.5" model. For a bit more, you can get it with bluetooth.

Thank you both. Any love for the TomTom?

You can get a Garmin NUVI 205w for less than $100 at Wal Mart and it will meet just about all your needs. No, it doesn't do Bluetooth or sync with your radio. I forget if it shows pictures from an SD card. It will direct you all over the United States with the built in map pack. I have one. My brother got one after seeing my GPS and he loves it. Completely reliable, easy to pull out of the car when not in use.

the native americans were very fond of them


my GPS

My father has a navman.
I've never had anything to do with it apart from trying to update maps on the net for dad. We had recently switched to Win7 and had major problems trying to update. I took the unit to a local computer store that still had XP and the update was performed easily. Navman seemed to be aware of the win7 issue and were attempting to address that at the time.

I have a friend whose wife got him a Tom Tom. Hes not too happy with it but I dont know why

Jespah, get a unit that you can demount and hide when you are away from your car.

Good point....although most GPS' are portable. NEVER leave the GPS mounted in the vehicle. They are highly prized by smash and grab type folks.

Cases can be purchased for carrying, or they can be simply put into a purse or pocket. Or, as Dadpad pointed out, hidden in the vehicle.

One other thing....when inputting the address for home. (This allows you to hit that button and you will be guided to your address) use a address or intersection close to your home rather than your home address. That way, if the GPS does get lost or stolen, nobody will have your home address.

If you've never used one before and travel a lot, these things are completely addicting. I take a family road trips for one reason or another a few times a year. When the kids get hungry, I take the cheap Garmin mentioned above (NUVI 205) and do a quick search for FOOD -> ALONG CURRENT ROUTE and it starts listing every restaurant along our current route by distance. Or it will find a specific restaurant if we want to eat at an Olive Garden for example. We've found restaurants a few miles off the interstate that we'd never have seen if we had to rely on information signs. It will tell us how far the next rest stop is so I know if we need to pull off for a bathroom break or wait. You get all of this in the $100 model. Plus it speaks to you. ("In 0.5 miles, turn right") On long trips, my kids play with the voice. Sweedish always cracks them up for some reason. There's even several versions of English with different accents.

You can also play Fool the GPS. When the GPS tells you to go a certain way on a certain street, go a different direction on a different street and see how long it takes the GPS to recalculate and give you new directions.

Ha, that's great. My folks have a GPS so I know a bit about them. Theirs is made by Michelin which does not make them any more. Hence they are stuck with a GPS they can no longer update. My Dad bought a cheap TomTom at WalMart and so far, so good but I imagine most things are a step up from the Michelin one we had gotten them.

Check re the unmounting quickly thing.

I have 2 tom toms and they are brilliant.

Was skimming through the channels today and noticed HSN had a Garmin GPS for sale that does traffic updates. Just looked it up on their site and it sounds like it does what you want. They have several other brands and models of GPS but this is the one that caught my eye and made me think of your post here:

Garmin nüvi 265WT 4.3" Widescreen GPS with Lifetime Traffic Updates
Item: 565-374

Event Price: $159.95
or 4 payments of $39.98
HSN Price: $249.95 | You Save: $90.00 (36%)


Garmin nüvi 265WT 4.3" Widescreen GPS Features:

* FM traffic receiver — receive lifetime NAVTEQ traffic updates (in many cities)
* Wide 4.3" touchscreen LCD — see more of the roads ahead at a glance; bright screen is easy to read even in sun light
* 2D and 3D views — help guide you to your destination
* 6 million of points of interest (POIs) — easily find gas stations, restaurants, ATMs, coffee shops and more; add custom POIs and set proximity alerts (e.g. school zones and safety cameras)
* Voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions — offer spoken street names and distance cues; help you get there while keeping your eyes on the road
* Versatile route options — put you in the driver seat of how to get there; ecoRoute calculates a more fuel-efficient route; fastest time, shortest distance and highway/toll avoidance options
* "Where Am I?" emergency locator — displays your precise location for peace of mind in emergency situations; displays precise coordinates or the nearest address and intersection to give to emergency personnel; helps you navigate to the closest hospitals, police stations and gas stations
* Garmin Garage — personalize your Garmin GPS with a variety of vehicle icons and voices; easy to download and install from Garmin's website; select custom voices or fun animated vehicle icons (from dune buggies to dirt bikes)
* Ready to navigate out of the box — no complicated set-up required; just attach mount and plug it in

Additional Product Specifications:

* Preloaded Maps: City Navigator NT street maps of U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico
* Display Type: 4.3" WQVGA color TFT LCD with white backlight (480 x 272 pixels)
* Route Options: Fastest time, shortest distance, off road, highway/toll avoidance
* Auto Re-route: Yes
* Planned Routes: 10
* Waypoints: 1000
* Speed Limit Indicator: Yes (for most major roads)
* Photo Navigation: Yes
* Convenience Functions: JPEG picture viewer, trip log, world travel clock with time zones, currency converter, measurement converter and calculator
* GPS Chipset: HotFix satellite prediction and high-sensitivity chipset provide precise location
* Internal Memory: Yes
* Memory Card Slot: SD (memory card not included)
* USB Port: Yes; requires Windows XP or later; Mac OS X 10.4 or higher
* Anti-Theft: Garmin Lock
* FM Traffic-ready: Yes (with included FM traffic receiver)
* MSN Direct Compatible: Yes
* Battery: Internal Lithium-ion rechargeable battery - provides up to 4 hours when not plugged in
* Measures approx. 4.8"W x 2.8"H x 0.8"Deep
* Weighs approx. 6.1 oz.
* Model #: nüvi 265WT
* Made in Taiwan
* Comes with a manufacturer's 1-year limited warranty

Accessories Include:

* Vehicle suction-cup mount
* Cradle
* Dash-mounting adhesive disc
* FM traffic receiver with vehicle power cable
* USB cable
* Quick-start guide
* Accessory guide

Just a note that the models without the Traffic info have the same features otherwise.

We have surveying GPS units (Trumble and Magellans)
with great accuracies and which have the Topo map/airphoto interactive feature (like a high res Google EArth). I wish they had a better accuracy Car GPS which would do the same as that one. I pwersonally can do without the annoying broad telling me to get ready to turn. AShe nees to be shut up and Now I have to reach over and shut her off with two key strokes, thats annoying

Lotta GPS's give you crap you really dont need and its often a PITA to button it off.

Oh BFN that's awesome. Found it for less at Amazon. It will arrive soon, yay!

Voice can be turned on or off in the options/preferences. The voices can also be changed if you prefer a male voice. Of course, you would have to divert your eyes from the road to see where the GPS is directing you to go without the voice. In this case, "hearing voices" is a good thing.

I bought the Garmin. It's fab. I've named it Judy.