WHICH SAT NAV ??

[darrell_5099783]

can any one reccommend a good stand alone car sat nav.. i have only used one, garmin i-3 and found it to be great. i only borrowed it for a day.. we are thinking of touring france next year and was hoping to get one this year to use it for the rest of our holidays in this country..a few people say tomtom is better, others say garmin.. as anyone had dealings with both and which would they chose..also what about eurpoeam maps ? do i have to buy them separate.? download them for a price.?

any info anyone as would be gratefully appreciated..

ps.. we dont want to be spending loads one 1.. preferably around £200 is possible

thanx daz

 

[Damian]

Darrell, like most things, what may suit one person may not suit another.

Personally I have the original TomTomGO, and find it does what I need it to do. I like the layout, the ease of use and the style of it.

Whatever you buy, the mapping wil be about 2 years out of date, as the map providers dictate the accuracy of the maps, and do not update on a day to day basis, as you can imagine, an impossible task.

Suggest you visit somewhere like Halfords and have a look at the various types , but,a word of warning,dont buy from Halfords, unless you want lots of problems after their 28 day refund policy, should anything go wrong.

As with all sat nav systems, they do NOT replace your interpretation of the information they are giving you, and should not be seen as the complete answer to route finding. You still need to use common sense, and preferably, before following a route given, check it out to ensure it meets your needs, by using the browse facility.

I know the TomTom range come with Major Roads of Europe as part of the package,as well as the more detailed UK mapping.

Other maps are available for purchase from TomTom.

 

[KiwiPete]

Darrell, like most things, what may suit one person may not suit another.

Personally I have the original TomTomGO, and find it does what I need it to do. I like the layout, the ease of use and the style of it.

Whatever you buy, the mapping wil be about 2 years out of date, as the map providers dictate the accuracy of the maps, and do not update on a day to day basis, as you can imagine, an impossible task.

Suggest you visit somewhere like Halfords and have a look at the various types , but,a word of warning,dont buy from Halfords, unless you want lots of problems after their 28 day refund policy, should anything go wrong.

As with all sat nav systems, they do NOT replace your interpretation of the information they are giving you, and should not be seen as the complete answer to route finding. You still need to use common sense, and preferably, before following a route given, check it out to ensure it meets your needs, by using the browse facility.

I know the TomTom range come with Major Roads of Europe as part of the package,as well as the more detailed UK mapping.

Other maps are available for purchase from TomTom.

I have the navman 620, which has always been really good.

It doesn't matter which one you use adegree of common sense is still required.

 

[cris_408518]

I'm now using a Garmin nuvi 350 that is a satnav and travel aid as I spend a lot of time working in Europe as well as caravanning, fits in my shirt pocket at about the size of a pack of playing cards.

Cost though is about

 

[Jeremy_5088972]

Try the forums on http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/

 

[Val & Frank]

I have the navman 620, which has always been really good.

It doesn't matter which one you use adegree of common sense is still required.

I used a Navman for the first time this last weekend. We went on the Newcastle/ Amsterdam ferry. In the docks at Amsterdam I just put in Dresden and it took me to the exact junction that I required to go on to Prague in the Czech Republic. I would buy another if this one went bust.

Before we left I printed out the route from www.viamichelin.com just to be on the safe side, the two matched perfectly.

Frank

 

[Jeff-Pontypridd]

For under

 

[DavidW1]

I have had a Navman 630 for over two years - they were pricy originally but have come down now along with all the rest and are price competative now I believe. The mapping has to be down loaded from CD and incudes all of Europe. I have used mine in UK, France and the US and have had no real problems. You have to realise that SATNAV is not foolproof and is only as good as the route and destination instructions you give it - for example if you specify the shortest route don't be suprised if it directs you down all the back allys and country lanes. I find using the Satnav in conjunction with MultiMap.com gets some excellent results when addresses and postcodes fail to pinpoint the exact destination required. Anyone else tried this? I also find that just setting it to Map is very helpful - you always know where you are even when you get lost!