My son traveled a lot, rented a lot of cars that came with a GPS. He tried them all and felt that the Garmin was the most user-friendly. Everyone I know that has a Garmin is happy with it. One friend had a Tom Tom. She continued to use Google maps instead. Hope this helps.

We used a Garmin for a short time but felt like it had some deficiencies. It sent us down non-existing routes a few times, one time put us in a dangerous situation.

It is famous for selecting the worst route to a destination, as well. The guy who delivered our boat from Charleston, SC relied on Garmin and we were dumbfounded when he told us the route he had driven.

Be sure to do your homework, read reviews of different models.

I used the Walmart atlas when we traveled from Pittsburgh to Vegas. It showed all the rest stops along the way. I was with a friend who had one of those navigation systems in their car and all it did was recalculated. It was noisy and very disturbing. My walmart atlas was very quiet. lol

Like Rob, we use the smart phone.

We have a garmin. Drives me nuts when my husband doesn't set it ahead of time. He waits till we are in the car and then starts working with it. We usually know where we are going. It is a nice safety net. Mary

We have a tom tom that my husband uses. I do not know any thing about it.

One caveat about using your phone for navigation: it does run the battery down so if you're on a long-ish trip, turn it off for the long highway stretches then back on before you need to make exits and turns. Or keep the phone plugged in while you're driving.

Rhizo, I was surprised to see that you had such problems with your Garmin. I just checked and the Garmin Nuvi 2589 is the top-rated navigation system for 2015. I don't know what we have in our car, it was built in with the car and we love it. The newer ones have so many more features on it. It's amazing.

I have a magellan, and it works, and it's old, and I don't want to pay for anything I don't have to.

But, it does NOT work in Kansas.

Go figure, no matter which direction I enter Kansas... my GPS locks up.

Good thing Kansas is easy to navigate through via interstates. ;)

Moni

I use a smartphone now, but my Garmin Nuvi was my all time favorite tech toy for a very long time. There's also a TomTom around here and we both find the Garmin to be more accurate.
If you have no intention of owning a smartphone, I'd go with a Garmin. Having a navigation device will relieve you of a lot of the stress of driving in unfamiliar areas. For several years now, they have had the option of "lane change instructions". I bought one with that feature for a relative who lives in a large city and she loves it.
You will need to periodically update the maps through your computer.

I use mine even in my own neighborhood at night. I don't have to look for street signs I just do what it tells me to do.

I'm a longtime GPS user, I've had built in ones in my cars for over 10 years. I've had a Garmin that's not quite that old that I use in rental cars when I travel. It's competently taken me where I wanted to go in Canada, in perhaps a few dozen states in mainland US and a few Hawaiian islands, Western Europe, etc. I rely on it without reservation.

Sometimes (not often, more like once in a blue moon) a GPS device can produce a quirky route because of errors in the database it uses. An example, a road in my area is often a good choice to avoid traffic, but the database seems to think the speed limit on it is 25 mph instead of 65 so it avoids recommending it. It's funny how the projected arrival time drops quickly as the miles pass because it recalculates the trip based on your actual movement.

Most of the new GPS devices offer recalculated alternative routes based on realtime traffic conditions, a valuable feature. A similar feature can be had on smartphones using the Waze app.

I rented a TomTom with a car once in Europe when I'd forgotten my own Garmin. It worked fine.

The differences between Garmin and TomTom are probably just hardware features and cost. Check ratings. I wouldn't hesitate to use either one.

I think we have had 3 Garmins over the last 10 years. I keep one in my car and use it for long trips and use my smartphone in town when I am trying to find something close.

Moni, that is so strange that your GPS won't work in Kansas!

We have several GPS units around here but now I use an app on my phone and tablet. Hubby does keep one in his truck and uses it on occasion. I don't remember what brand it is. The top name brands are all pretty good choices. I would make sure they are update able of course.

Make sure you get lifetime map updates. I like Garmin and TomTom. Also make sure it announces street names, so you don't have to look at it.

I had a Garmin for 6 years and it worked really well. It was stolen out of my car a few weeks ago. I plan on replacing it soon.

Ford Sync. But if I'm in the wife's car, WAZE or Google Maps on the smart phone, plugged in to the USB port so it can be heard through radio speakers.

I just sent TomTom and Garmin away last Friday via FreeCycle Network.

We used WAZE when walking throughout Toronto. Very accurate.

Map updates aren't essential unless you frequently travel to addresses in new housing or industrial developments or other areas with newly laid out roads.

I sold a car a few months ago that I'd had for >10 years that had a built-in GPS system that had never been updated. I used the GPS regularly, stretching over a wide ranging geographic area. In over 200K miles of driving with it, there were only a few occasions when I found a destination address unavailable and I needed to use my phone or refer to Google maps in advance. What was funny was there were also a few occasions when freeway transition roads or roads in other areas were relocated. Sometimes a move of as little as 10 feet to one side or the other would disorient it and make it suggest I return to the road, but it would always recover when the road's path returned to the coordinates that were the same as what it had in its database.

Tom Tom on my iPhone works very well. If I have to go around a direction "she" realizes it and easily gets me back on track. So much better than having a passenger's help or comments

I had a TomTom for about 7 years and had no problems with it. Just this year I switched to a Garmin Nuvi and I like it just as well. The only reason I switched was that I had to pay for every update for the TomTom and updates are free with my Garmin .

I dislike using my phone for a couple of reasons. It's more distracting because it is not positioned on the dash as my Garmin is, and it is WAY to small to really see well (for me, anyway), which makes it doubly distracting.

Garmin here too. I find that it works fine.

I test drove a car a few years ago that had a built in navigation system. The second turn I took on the test drive was onto a road that the GPS didn't know about. The dealer said the GPS data could be updated, but the update would cost $400, which was more than our Garmin GPS cost.

With that unit we have never updated the maps either, and a couple of times we've encountered completely new roads. During those times it almost seems like a note of desperation creeps into the voice on the GPS unit. "Please return to the highlighted route"

My DH would be lost without his Garmin, but like others have said, you need to do some research because some of them are real duds.

I have an old Magellan, will not take up dates. I call it Maggie. Friend has one too, she calls it "the &itch on the dash"!

I don't like the one in my car. It garbles the names of streets and isn't always quite sure where it is. OTOH, my Garmin Nuvi, which I used for years before that, was great. It got me to a wedding on a mountain above a city I'd never been to, which wasn't where the paper map would have had you believe. And it always knew exactly when I went wrong and put me right immediately. Even though it's a "handheld" (sits on a beanbag in the car), it synced to my phone, and, I think, the stereo, for hands free calling. There's a button that you wrap around the steering wheel or shifter that turns on the voice command. It was also great for things like finding food when there's nothing on the main drag of the small town you're driving through.

OklaMoni. After entering Oklahoma from Texas the Garmin would not work. It took me awhile playing around with it to discover that I had to program in the new state. I am not much good with technical things.

We use maps. I guess we are old fashioned, but I find that the larger landscape of a big map is superior to a tenny weeny screen that can show only a small area. I like to be able to view at least several hours driving distance. When we get to our destination, we switch to detailed maps of the local area. The way we do is one person drives while the other navigates - works well.

However, I have read reviews of Garmin and like their feature of how to show upcoming exits. The main problem is having current updates. For example, right now at my location, a major intersection of an interstate highway and a US highway is being totally rebuilt. By September, any mapping in GPS units will be in serious error unless updated, and that update may not be available for a sizable period after the new interchange opens. New, local maps will be available soon after opening.

If I am hunting old forgotten features like cemeteries, creeks, and streams, I'll use TopoZone or similar to study the area and print out detailed local maps before I go.

Jemdandy, maps are good! The talking GPS is great for when you're driving without a navigator. I think AAA have the best road maps, and for a driving trip, the AAA Triptik is the best thing ever. The restrooms are clearly marked!

We use Garmin's. Get one that has a free lifetime map update. Read the fine print about the free map updates, when we finally got online to update ours, the fine print said you have to create an account and do something else within 90 days of purchase to qualify for free map updates......ugh! We had the thing for almost 2 years before trying to update.

One of my brothers has a TomTom and it was horrible to try to use.

I have an old Magellan (probably 10 years old) and have no reason to get a new one although I have thought about it. I asked a few trucker friends about the advantages of one the truckers use. I was surprised that they're only about $350-$400 and have more features that many wouldn't use, like routing according to vehicle height, but that could be advantageous to people with RVs.

Yes, you'll occasionally get taken a, shall we say "non best" route but I don't find many problems. Trying to find a house in a new development can be problematic in this case but frankly I've had very few issues with this. For this reason I find the map updates and especially "free" map updates to be a great sales gimmick, but in reality, of very little value. What people don't seem to understand is first, there's not that many changes. Second and more importantly "lifetime" map updates are not YOUR lifetime, it's the lifetime of the UNIT! LOL So what this means is if you buy a unit today with "lifetime updates" (whether free or not), and they discontinue that model tomorrow, there go your "lifetime" updates! But a lot of people get sucked in by sales pitches. To me a GPS unit is good for about 3 years and then if you're a serious traveler who goes to a lot of various places, including new developments you should probably get a new one. Consumer units are relatively cheap and upgrading gives you newer features. For the average person, most any unit will serve you just fine for a long, long time.

I find the navigation programs on smartphones to be laughable. I live in an established neighborhood. My house has been here for 40 years and from most anywhere within 30 miles or more it's usually no more than a few turns to get here yet 4 out of 5 people using smartphone apps will get lost. I can count on it. And of course they won't listen to me when I tell them to follow my simple directions ("DUH, I have GPS!!"). No it's not "GPS" it's it's a map app but I digress. Sometimes they are sent to the opposite side of town. I can usually count on people being late when they rely on their phone apps. Unless they're close friends, people who are coming for non-important reasons are told that I don't give the address anymore because people get lost and don't show up so if they want an address I'll give them a non-existent one that will get them to the corner and they contact me when they get there and I guide them the rest of the way. I won't wait for them. If it's late, I go to bed or if something else is going on, I leave to take care of errands or business. When they rely on something that takes too long, they're SOL. Again I digress!

My last comment, other than getting a unit like many/most truckers use, I wouldn't spend too much on a GPS. I do like a larger screen, I think that's helpful. Keep in mind that GPS units are not much different than texting while driving. Your eyes are off the road, punching in info while driving is no different than texting and just as dangerous but you don't hear about it very much. That's a big frustration for me.

brushworks reminds me, I love that the GPS talks to me. I can look at the street names and turns, while it calmly tells me. Great stuff. That, and how it can be updated constantly, is why I won't use maps any more. I'm old school taught and can absolutely use a map (military career officer father made sure I knew how, and ROTC reinforced it).

This is a shout out to the map users, maps can be behind the times since they're only printed yearly at best, while apps that are updated moment by moment stay current. Consider trying a new way? Just a suggestion.

I thought about getting one years ago and checked them all out. The problem I have is I can't see the small screen with my glasses on which I need for distance. I print out directions and maps before I drive anywhere or use the big maps. In 1991 I dove cross country from CA to FL, southern and northern routes, just using maps.

I don't travel much ... but use the Rand McNally Road Atlas, large book with many pages that was part of the stuff that my kids stored here after their Mom's death, almost 11 years ago. She used it in her RV travels to FL about mid-Dec., then across the south to TX, on a route where she met a number of friends developed over her upwards of 10 years doing it following early retirement, then returning about mid-March.

Gets me there ...

... and back.

Cash laid out - 0.

Updates, free or otherwise, aren't part of the deal: just buy a new book.

Maybe I should charge the kids storage on the stuff.

"Kids"?? The youngest hit 50 last fall - or it hit her.

ole joyfuelled