GPS System

[bigsaver]

I have a mio digiwalker which I like. Got it a few years ago on black friday for $160. I think last year they were about 100 bucks. Also, they now come with the text to speech. Definitely a useful device.

[tabbycat31]

I use a Rand McNally road atlas. I got it free at work.

For planned trips where I need more detail, I use Mapquest.

When we are traveling out of town on vacation, I go to AAA and get free maps from them.

I've yet to see any point in having a GPS in our cars.

I'm in the same school as you, even though I am in the GPS generation. My father is a hardcore map person, and before we were able to get our permits, he made us navigate a trip for him to prove that we had navigation skills needed to drive.

Also I think that the GPS thing talking to me would drive me crazy.

[InDebtInDC]

I just returned a garmin 350 at costco. Orginally cost me $270. It featured bluetooth, TTS (speaking street names,) and an mp3 player, all of which were useless features to me. Went and bought the nuvi 200 for $153. I like this unit a lot more since it has an internal antenna, and i saved a lot of money.

I tend to agree. I don't need all the features of the higher series. Just give me the basic map and turn by turn direction and I'll be fine.

Does the 200 have the shopping directory? This is the only other feature I use to find stores.

[PrincessPerky]

I use a Rand McNally road atlas. I got it free at work.

For planned trips where I need more detail, I use Mapquest.

When we are traveling out of town on vacation, I go to AAA and get free maps from them.

I've yet to see any point in having a GPS in our cars.

While I have no intention of buying one, I did get to go on a trip where one was loaned (BILs new toy) and yes it was cool, and yes we missed the turn and yes it recalculated..I might consider it in the future because my husband was so ... un-cranky about missing the turn due to the cool toy recalculating . Very unusual for my (wonderful, but) easily annoyed husband.

Though personally I do not think it saved us any time, the reroute was thru a school with r5mph speed limits and road bumps, turning around would have left us on the big road.

[rennigade]

I tend to agree. I don't need all the features of the higher series. Just give me the basic map and turn by turn direction and I'll be fine.

Does the 200 have the shopping directory? This is the only other feature I use to find stores.

When you say shopping directory, you mean the points of interest? If so, yes it has the shopping one. The 200 has all of the same POI that the 350 had. I forget how many million POI.

[Taribor]

I use a Rand McNally road atlas. I got it free at work.

For planned trips where I need more detail, I use Mapquest.

When we are traveling out of town on vacation, I go to AAA and get free maps from them.

I've yet to see any point in having a GPS in our cars.

If you don't see the point in having instant navigational assistance at your fingertips; traffic jam/accident re-routing in real time, the ability to instantly locate gas, hospitals, just about any community service, restaurants, etc....then you are right, you shouldn't own one.

To answer the OP's question, I have always used Garmin and have been happy. I travel a lot in my job and often have to program unexpect routes along the way, and have found that Garmin map database if pretty darn comprehensive. The newer ones have greatly sped up satellite acquisition time as well.