Avoiding Biggest Mistakes while Buying a GPS for Your Car!

GPS Buyers Guide | GPS Software Hub | July 28, 2008 at 5:08 pm

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If you’re planning to buy a GPS device for your car and haven’t yet been able to make up your mind as to which brand or model you should lay your hands on, this article might be of some help to you. There is no dearth of feature enabled Global Positioning System devices in the market, but if you’re looking for one that’s both worth its price and actually helps you in your road trips then you should probably opt for any of the three trusted names the world over, viz. Garmin, Tom Tom & Magellan.

While there are budget devices like RoadMate 1200 available for a measly $ 120, they are in all likelihood to be found rotting in the glove box of your car after the initial high of moving in a car fitted with a GPS fades away. These garden variety GPS may serve the purpose of basic coverage and directions to nearby destinations, like your friendly neighborhood grocery store you chanced upon guided by your GPS, but is that what you’re looking for in the first place when you decide to buy one?

However if you spend a few more dollars you can get a product that has not only an in built map of nearly the entire US and Canada but can route you to more than a single destination per trip. It can brings to you real-time traffic and weather reports and comes with a Bluetooth device for hands free calling. One such device is Garmin nuvi 760, priced at around $ 350 (surely, not a steep price to pay for such a hi-tech device)

A GPS device is not meant to be dumped alongside the trash in your junkyard. It is meant to be an integral part of your road trips and only make the experience of the same substantially better. So, needless to say spending a few additional dollars to buy a device that becomes your companion for life is zillion times wiser than buying a device that will make a hurried exit out of your car and your life as soon as its limitations come to the fore.

The only catch is that unlike most other items that you buy after umpteen trials and testing, a GPS device has to be bought as such with no demo. Since most of these devices are sealed in packages even when sealed, you’ve to rely on what the salesperson makes you believe. The best bet in such cases would thereby be the various tech friendly sites that give a feature by feature comparison of the various GPS devices alongside their prices.

3 Comments

JD4x4 says:

December 27, 2008 at 4:30 pm

Avoiding Biggest Mistakes? So, what are they???
I suppose the main point of this article is:
- Don’t buy a cheap one because they don’t have complete NA maps & comprehensive waypoints?
- Buy one of the big 3 because they probably have the above, and are more likely to have the commonly requested features?

Could you be a bit more specific maybe? Are these really the biggest mistakes? Or, is not knowing what features are available out there, and deciding which are most important to you really the biggest mistake?

How about links to comprehensive comparison and demo sites.
GPS Software Hub says:

December 27, 2008 at 7:28 pm

1. “not knowing what features are available out there” can’t be a mistake, rather lack of knowledge.
2. “deciding which are most important to you..” can’t be a mistake either and I have mentioned in the last paragraph that proper research is the key in selecting the right one for you. Actually, the point here is (for those new to GPS things) if it’s your first buy, then don’t go for unknown or lesser known brands and get ready to spend a few more dollars as the GPS is going to stay with you for long. So, going for unknown brands and looking for cheap alternatives are the biggest mistakes
Jeff F says:

October 30, 2009 at 10:59 pm

I bought from one of the big three GPS companies. Approx $345 for a unit in 2002, from one of the largest national retail store chains. A similar GPS for the car today is about $125.00. I think part of the problem is that the “fly by night – make the customer pay through the nose” type units, really are there for the sheer JOY of finding your mailbox, whatever. The point I’m trying to make, is I got a false sense of posession, thinking this unit will be around for years. I get good use out of it, then I turn around a year or two later to find out the mistake of messing up its’ SD card. THEY’RE DISCONTINUED, OBSOLETE, NO MAPS AVAIL., NO HELP FROM NOBODY. I am supposed to commit MORE money for something new? Rand Mc Nally makes beautiful road atlases also. – Jeff Frank – OHIO