Navigation

3SgteGuru · Oct 6, 2006, 09:59 AM

ok I don't where else to post this thread, maybe the OT but they just joke around. lets Get to the point, I get lost alot, and am looking for a navigation unit, Don't Feel like paying 2 grand for a Indash. So whats a Good navi unit, I was looking at the TOm Tom one. Also I heard that Lancers HAve Speicial Coatings on the Windsheild that make it hard for a GPS to connect without an External Antena, is this True?

Thanks For your Help

PANGES · Oct 6, 2006, 11:24 AM

i made a thread somewhere in this section and wrote a review about my Tom Tom... maybe you can find it in a search for "Tom Tom"

edit:

here's my review
Tom Tom Review

yellowEVO21 · Oct 6, 2006, 11:31 AM

the antenna for my navi is interior and i've never had a problem with reception.

nashmage · Oct 13, 2006, 04:58 PM

my sister has a very simple garmin that she got for work that cost her about 200 off ebay should have been around 350 i think. Its a very nice unit and id def recommend it. I have always heard good things about the garmin units. either that or the sony ones .

stingerbtry · Oct 13, 2006, 05:10 PM

There's no "special" coating on the windows. The only time you will maybe have an issue is if you get your windows tinted with normal tint due to the metal in the film. You can get 3M window tint, like I have, that has no metal and is the only tint the claims to work 100% with satellite radio and gps navigation without interference. I have both on mine and both work great with the tint, although the gps antenna is on the front dash and would anyway.

nolimits079 · Oct 13, 2006, 05:20 PM

I have a Garmin c330. It works really well for me. I've heard that they're better than the Tom-Toms. I have heard complaints of Tom-Tom's locking up and not being as durable.

The display is very bright and easy to read. It also has an internal battery which is good for four hours or it can run from your power adapter. Mine doesn't read out street names. It only tells you to turn left or right, which is fine for me (It does tell you how far it is to the turn). Some of the new ones will give you traffic updates and more but they cost $$$.

I haven't had any problems with satellite reception.

TurboRush · Oct 13, 2006, 07:58 PM

If you aren't looking to drop a ton of money and you want something that has maps for US and Canada, Garmin i5. I have one, it does a really good job of straddling the line between the cheaper units and the much more expensive ones. This is intentionally a smaller unit and part of the reason I bought mine, I travel a lot and wanted something that would fit in my carry-on (hence the reason I wanted something with all maps pre-loaded). The screen is bright and easy to read though, never an issue.

The only features it lacks that the bigger more expensive units has is:
1. No Voice to text (i.e., it says "turn right" not "turn right on main st", but it displays all that info
2. No Touch screen - user interface is extremely easy
3. No Real time traffic
4. It doesn't do some of the other stuff such as display pictures or play MP3's, although I fail to see the value of this.

$350 at newegg.com

I tried my friends Tom Tom and thought it was pretty crappy from a look and feel perspective compared to the Garmin. I have also herd TomTom's are inaccurate at times and my Garmin is always dead on.