GPS for DAD - What to Get

[PCFrog]

My dad, who is not to tech savvy, wants to get a GPS unit for his car that is also portable. Since I have looked at very few of these I was wanting an opinion from the group which item they think will meet the following criteria.

 

Easy to learn

Easy to carry and put in the car

Auto routing

Allows user to enter Long & Lat manually

Can show the user the Long & Lat of their location

Runs on regular batteries – Meaning does not take some special lithium battery you have to keep charged

 

Possible extras that would be a bonus:

Some type of SD or MC slot

Auto routing - with audio

 

Please give your input and little explanation of the unit your suggesting.

 

Thanks…

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

Not really a Garage Sale thread. I'm moving this to the Units and Software section where they can answer your questions on features, etc.

[+Train_Man]

TomTom is a common "average user" gps unit. It's easy to use from what I've read and supports all the common road features. Just have to check models to specifically see if they'll let you enter coords because many road units do not allow that.

[+Chuy!]

TomTom is a common "average user" gps unit. It's easy to use from what I've read and supports all the common road features. Just have to check models to specifically see if they'll let you enter coords because many road units do not allow that.

The two Tom Toms I looked up (XL and One) use lithium batteries. The dude wants to be able to use standard batteries.

 

The battery requirement pretty much rules out all the dedicated vehicle units (Nuvi, Maestro, Crossover, Navigon, etc...)

 

You're now looking at the handheld models that adapt to dashmount duty. The Garmin Map60's are well suited for this, imo.

Edited April 22, 2008 by Chuy!

[geoprincesss]

I think you would find the Nuvi 350 does everything you want, short of the battery type. If Dad is going hunting for a week away from a power source, probably better get him a handheld in addition to the Car gps. If he's just going for a walk in the woods for a few hours and needs to find the car after getting lost, most any pocketable car gps will have enough battery to do the job. They do charge of course when plugged into the cigarette lighter. Most models run 4-8 hours before needing to be recharged.

 

Check out this review of the Nuvi 350. It does allow entering lat/lon, has TTS (speaks street NAMES), excellent windshield mount system and is highly regarded in the moderate price range units.

 

http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2007/08/garmin_..._350_review.php

 

Another possibility:

 

http://www.gpsmagazine.com/2007/06/magella...view.php?page=1