Ahhh, the many things I’d like to buy. Near the top of the list is a GPS unit. Do I really need one? Nope. This is clearly in the “WANT” category but I’d still like to buy one. Maybe you already own one? Your price point was obviously higher than mine.
I almost bought a GPS unit when I purchased my car a couple years ago. It had a beautiful 6″ screen and had great image colors. It even talked to me. The only problem was that it added over $1500 to the price of the car. In the end, I decided it wasn’t worth $1500 and bought the car without.
Fast forward to today. Everywhere I turn, someone is having a sale on GPS units. I think that there are probably more choices for GPS units than there are music CD’s. The prices are coming down quickly too. I’m seeing a lot of choices in the $300 to $400 range but that’s still too rich for my wallet. I’d say within the next 6-12 months, these types of GPS units should be completely commoditized with a price point below $200. At that point, I’ll pick up a portable unit that we can use in our car.
How about you? Do you own one, or do you want one?
I think I need a GPS unit for my car, at least when my wife isn’t with me. But I’ll be up for a new car in the next year or so, so I’ll probably get one then.
Do you know if laptops come with some sort of wireless GPS yet. If it doesnt that would be a neat thing to invent. I’d pay for a laptop with GPS before a GPS standalone unit.
I’m not sure if they have a laptop GPS unit that is built in. I know that you can get various types of add on units but I haven’t heard of one being built right in. That would be nice though. I think I’d prefer that to just about anything else.
Once you have a GPS unit on your laptop, I know that you can use Microsoft Streets and Trips (or whatever it’s called now) to track your position as you drive. I’ve heard they have done a pretty good job of integrating GPS in to their application
Microsoft actually bundles a GPS unit with Streets & Trips for under $100. Sometimes they have rebates, and from all the reviews I’ve seen, it works very well. The only problem is lugging your laptop around and probably having it on the seat next to you (out of your direct vision). It does talk back to you, but your laptop might not be loud or clear enough to hear it. You can always plug the laptop into the speaker system somehow though.
My cell phone company, Verizon, actually now offers a GPS application on a lot of the newer phones. It’s $10 a month to use or $4 per day. When my husband got a new phone we tried it and it was pretty nice and convenient. It even had a look up feature for all the businesses around and you could call them from the GPS menus. Awesome. But $10 a month adds up, is the convenience of having a phone and GPS in one worth it? Possbily for some, but not for us. We would consider it again if we went on a trip though.
I can’t say enough good things about the Garmin streetpilot series. I used my friends 330 on a trip and was hooked. Very user friendly. I’ve got a 530 now and love it. I don’t see the value you in buying a car with one built in. Limits your upgrade options and you of course can’t switch cars. Not to mention how expensive they are built in.
That’s a great point CK. I used to want an integrated solution in my car but I think it makes much more sense to get a portable unit that can be taken from car to car.
I don’t know about the states, but in Canada, COSTCO has the best prices for the Garmin NUVI series. I’ve got my eye on the Nuvi 350 or 360 where i’m contemplating if I “need” the Bluetooth functionality. :)
FT
Costco is ALWAYS my first choice for purchasing something. I noticed that they sell the TOM TOM ONE for $299. I’ll definitely do a comparison between different GPS units, especially the ones that Costco sells. I just need the prices to come down a little further before I buy one.
I am a serious GPS junkie. I have an old Garmin Streetpilot V, which was a factoy reconditioned unit bought on Ebay a few years ago now. As someone who gets lost constantly, I can seriously say that it is the BEST GADGET EVER!! Not having to stop and get directions, or mapquest and then find out it is wrong, and always feeling confident that I can get to wherever I feel like going at the time is just about priceless! Consider the return of being able to make it to an appointment or interview on time and unruffled thanks to the GPS!
I would have been sorely disappointed, though, if it were permanently installed in just one car. As a nice compact portable unit, I can even take it with me when I am traveling with friends, or when I go out of town and rent a car. I also don’t think I would like having to attach it to a laptop to work. It would be WAY harder to try to see a laptop screen or be able to hear a voice prompt while driving than with a portable unit mounted on the dash where you can glance at it.
I have to say that I have been having the itch to ‘update’ to a newer, shinier (maybe faster calculating) unit. But it is hard to justify doing so when my current one still functions just as well as it did right out of the box, and still gets me where I am going (efficiently) at least 99% of the time (nothing’s quite perfect).
I feel like it is worth every penny that was spent on it. I have paid for updated maps once since I purchased it, but no one makes you do so until you feel the time is right – no ongoing monthly fee! The length of time it has lasted and maintained functionality is impressive for any tech gadget – even more so when you consider this thing has been dropped, sat in the sun on a car dashboard, thrown in a bag, you name it! For this reason, if/when it ever does quit on me, I am certainly getting another Garmin of some sort!
Wow. $200 is pretty cheap. I think I’ve decided I’m going to wait for the $150 price point before I buy one. I can’t justify it as easily as your fiance because I just don’t drive for work much, and if I do, it’s to the same old buildings.
My fiance picked up the Garmin c320 GPS in March when Fry’s had them on sale for $200 with free shipping and no rebates. (Found out about the deal via Slickdeals.net; Amazon has the same unit listed for $248:
It’s a basic portable unit without all the bells and whistles of the pricier models, but it does perform its primary function perfectly.
He justified the cost as a business expense since he is a regional salesman who does spend half of his work week on the road between central Florida and the panhandle, and his company reimburses him an additional $0.05 per mile when he turns in his mileage log if he has a GPS in the vehicle to confirm the numbers. We figured out that the unit would more or less pay for itself within 2 months based on the higher reimbursement rate.