What GPS navigator do you like, Garmin or Tom Tom or ?

[moparwacko]

I use the "Mrs".system. It's always telling me which lane to be in and how much over the speed limit I'm traveling. There are however inherent issues- the "Mrs" can't tell north from south, and I haven't figured out how to mute it. The other problematic bug to this unit is whenever the "system" receives a text, all directions are lost.

 

[Unkle Krusty]

When we were in Horne Lake Caves area, 2 lost souls had used Google maps to get them lost. The road is very rough and gravel. Which should have been a clue. Google maps had lead them astray. They did not have real maps. They were lost and grumpy. Tough. The road signs would have worked much better.

 

[toolmanmike]

When we were in Horne Lake Caves area, 2 lost souls had used Google maps to get them lost. The road is very rough and gravel. Which should have been a clue. Google maps had lead them astray. They did not have real maps. They were lost and grumpy. Tough. The road signs would have worked much better.

Fastest and shorter distance can really be different.

 

[Dipstick]

That's what I have. Do you have it with traffic?

If so is your coverage as spotty as mine?

I don't have the traffic. No spotty coverage in my area, I rarely go long distances in the car that has the Garmin 53.

 

[Sahara]

I’ve only used Garmin, but I have used them for about two decades. Driving in big cities is tough on those of us who come from small towns that have zero stop lights and little traffic. So when I go to a large urban center that I am not familiar with it is nice to have a nice, calm, computer generated voice tell me that in one hundred meters I need to turn right, and the little map show me where future turns are made so that I can get in the proper lane. I freaking love GPS’s.

 

[khryslerkid]

I used a Garmin working as a delivery driver for a pharmacy and would have to make 20/30 stops daily. I could enter all the addresses and click on this one selection and it would automatically put all the stops in order. It would also save the addresses. Just start typing in an address and it would pop up before I was done typing. Each morning before I would leave it would only take 5 min or less to enter the addresses.

I hated the voice choices. Woman's voice sounded like a 60 year old chain smoker. I'd just watch the screen with the sound off.

 

[bandit67]

I liked listing to "LaFonda" on my old Garmin, about the third time she had to say "Recalculating" she would get sarcastic as hell and be totally pissed at 5 or 6 times....

 

[69 Charger]

I have had two Garmins since 2010. The only problem I've had was with the second one when I was preparing for a long trip with a group of Austin-Healey folks through the midwest northern states. Before leaving home in North Carolina, I thought I should update the maps in Garmin, so I got on their system and began the process. At some point, the download stopped, and I was informed that there was not enough memory in my unit to allow the update. O.K., so I began the trip. For the beginning, I didn't need a GPS since the first 300 miles were routes I had taken numerous times. But once I got into new territory, my Garmin told me "No map data available". I only found out when I got home and called Garmin that the attempt to update my unit had wiped out what had been there before. I had to be sure not to lose sight of the tour group in front of me, or I was screwed. That actually happened at one point and caused some anxious moments until I was able to join up again.

 

[padam]

The downfall of using a phone nav system is it relies on a cell signal, no cell service no navigation. The best features are the live traffic updates for construction and accidents, a factor on every trip in Ohio. They even warn of speed traps ahead (sometimes).

The dedicated GPS Garmin is my favorite are horrible to update and don’t have good traffic reporting. They don’t need a cell signal so should be more reliable. Same for built in factory units.

My 2022 trip to Costa Rica got really shaky when I relied on my phone for directions from the airport to the place my daughter was staying. Even though I had downloaded Google maps directions to my phone ahead of time, my phone didn’t work in CR. The phone the car rental company provided didn’t work. I had verbal directions that worked UNTIL there was a bridge out 3/4 of the way to the destination. I had to turn around and try to find an alternate route. The roads are not marked with names. We don’t speak the language. It’s getting on toward evening and I pissed off my navigator so bad she wouldn’t speak to me. Not good.

Eventually I ran into a very nice guy who spoke English and knew where I was headed and gave me good directions. Also, the compass on my IPhone still worked. We got there.

Ever since the I make sure to have my critical info on paper.

I was just on a trip from Arkansas back to Ohio. I planned my route ahead of time using Google maps, because I didn’t want to take the common route through Memphis and Nashville. My Garmin would not work properly because of a power issue, but once I got the proper route into my phone (Apple Maps) it worked fine. The drawback to the phone is the battery will die quickly so it has to be plugged in.

 

[themechanic]

Garmin RV lets you choose route based on the vehicle type. Like, Car, RV, etc. I never had any issues with downloading updates at home on wifi.

A map in the glove box is also necessary.

 

[mrhemi]

I have used a Tom Tom and maps for years. No experience with the Garmin.
I agree that the phone is not the best as it relies on cell service which can be flaky in my travels.

 

[Sahara]

Yeah, we have thousands of miles of zero cell service up here. I like Garmin but only use it when I go south to the big cities. There’s only like three roads up here, kinda hard to take the wrong one.

 

[Demonic]

Fastest and shorter distance can really be different.

Truth. Since I run service for work and haven't hit the lottery yet, I use Google maps on my phone nearly every day. Even on a route I know, if there's a chance of traffic and an alternate shorter distance, I'll turn it on. It's great at finding delays and suggesting alternates. No subscription, no account, updates are automatic, or delete the app & reload. Why spend money on a device when I already have a phone?