Hey guys, looking to buy a GPS. any suggestions?

[cmdeshon]

i have an R-154 in the supra now and rather then try to get my speedo fixed right away i think i am just going to nab a GPS for the time-beeing. i dont know a whole lot about them. not looking to break the bank. dont needs tons of fancy features. id like it to be fairly fast as its primary use is going to be the speedometer. other then that it would be nice if it could get me where i need to go too.

What is a good inexpensive unit? if possible id like to spend under $100. might be willing to go a little more if its really worth the difference but i dont think it will be.

-Craig.

[EvilMonkeyz]

Id say that for most GPS there is a slight lag in the speedometer function. This is a pretty good answer from yahoo on how speed on a GPS is calculated.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...8073339AA6VczB

most of the time it will skip numbers when you are accelerating, which inst necessarily a problem. Ive had good experience with Garmin, and TomTom isnt bad either. I would say you should pick based on the screen size, and try to look for one without Lifetime traffic or map updates, because if you are going to be using it as just a speedometer those would just be options you are wasting money on.

This year models for Garmin start with the NUVI 30 (3.5 inch screen, 89$), the Nuvi 40 (4.3 inch screen, 99$) and the Nuvi 50LM (5 inch screen, lifetime maps, 129$)
These were all prices I found at Walmart.com which are usually some of the best prices. For these GPSs that are all around 100$, the hardware should all be the same, the main difference from one to the next is usually just the screen is bigger and then the option of Lifetime maps or traffic (LM = lifetime maps, LT = lifetime traffic, LMT = lifetime maps and traffic). TomToms are usually around the same looking, but usually a little cheaper.

Some of the more expensive ones might have better processors in them, which would mean that it could process the incoming data faster thus allowing you to calculate your speed faster but I think they are going to all be pretty much the same across the board. ( unless you have a smart phone with 1.2 GHz dual core processor and use a GPS application. I recommend the SpeedView app.)

[Rich64N]

I've had my Garmin nuvi 255W for 2.5 years now and often use it as my speedo in the 83 (my speedo is off about 10%). GPS units are becoming commodities so you should have no problem getting a decent unit under $100. My view is get something from one of the big 3 (Garmin, Magellan, TomTom), and get at least a 4.3" screen (not the dinky 3.5"). I bet you'll start using it for navigation as well as a speedo when in unfamiliar places.

Common options to consider if you need:
USA maps only, or with Canada and/or Mexico. I go into Canada periodically so that is a need for me.
Lane Following. Tells you what lane to get into for intersections.
Free map updates (or expensive map updates)
Traffic updates (radio) (useful in urban areas, and will automatically detour you around traffic if there is a better route)

Check your Sunday ads and online of course. And model reviews on sites such as BestBuy and Amazon.

[EvilMonkeyz]

came across this while I was searching for " fastest GPS processor"

http://www.newelectronx.com/products.php?cat=GPS

never heard of the brand, but the reviews all seemed pretty solid. 105$ for a 5 inch screen GPS. I'm actually kind of interested. Does anyone have this model?

[cmdeshon]

so-far i am looking at a garmin and considering a tomtom. screen size is not really a big deal. would be nice to have free map updates but i really dont care about traffic.

[flygfsh1]

I have Garmins both in the car and the airplane. I would swear by them! Food for thought though, go with the wide screen, the small square is not as nice, just my $.02. FYI: the car version is limited to 136mph....I had it in the race car one day testing and I was north of 170mph? Took it back to Best Buy to show my salesman and he says that for legal reasons, they put limits on how fast they record. Was actually a funny story telling the guy it must be broke because it wouldn't go any faster? LOL.

No problems with higher speeds in the aviation version.

[cmdeshon]

mmmmmmmm..... food for thought.

i think 136 is plenty for the oll 83P, lol.

gonna need a pretty serious splitter before il want to go anywhere close to 130.

[alfun]

I read about a GPS Navigation brand called Navigon. People were able to flash a different firmware onto it. I think they were able to get the Garmin firmware onto the Navigon unit. This might be a good option if you're good with computers. You could buy a cheap unit and flash the firmware and get all the good features.

You might even be able to buy a low end Garmin and flash it to the high end firmware. Sometimes the only difference is the software and the hardware for the low end units might even be the same as the high end units.

Try googling "garmin third party firmware, software, maps, or applications" if you want to research more about this.

[82 Lover]

Tomtom!

[taticalguru]

My Garmin has fast readout its the small nuvi