What GPS UNIT DO YOU RECOMMEND? - Page 3 - LotusTalk

MikeinAlexandria · 05-01-2009, 07:50 AM

I have a Garmin NUVI 360. It is smaller than the current round of widescreen NUVIs, has bluetooth, mp3, stereo output and uses street names during navigation. I would say, at a minimum, you'd want the GPS to be able to hook into your stereo (3.5mm output jack) and speak street names. Garmins have been great, and they have maps for countrys all over the world. Plus you can change the vehicle on the screen. I have not found a tiny green Lotus yet, but I do have a MINI Cooper...

kaz · 05-02-2009, 01:32 PM

Wow am I the only one using a Dash Express? Full real time connection to the internet, real time traffic from on the road users.

You can send addresses and trips using any browser direct to your unit...I use this daily, see a restaurant, copy the address and hit send - goes straight to my Dash.

You can call a phone number and verbally give it an address.

The traffic is realtime, sent in realtime from other users of Dash. So, if I see green on my route, it really means in the last 15 minutes someone drove on this road and had no traffic. The granularity is amazing, down to about a 10 feet. I'll be driving and see yellow for like half a block, and lo and behold traffic slows down for half a block. This only works well in large cities where there are other Dash users. LA, SF, SD, NYC, etc. I don't know how well it would work in Wichita Falls, TX.

Dash late last year announced they were no longer developing hardware and were licensing their tech to other companies. As a result you can pick up a Dash for under $200 - easily the best GPS I've ever used.

Dash Finds up to Three Possible Routes: You Choose Which is Best

JnC · 05-02-2009, 01:52 PM

This is a little dated (12/08), but GPSmagazine.com - The Latest GPS Reviews, News, & Buyers Guides put together a concise decision tree for attempting to figure out what Nuvi to consider.

mr t · 05-12-2009, 08:32 PM

Hi everyone,

That's what I ended up buying for my east coast trip.

I received it today and downloaded Garmin's new 2010 map.

I was wondering if there are any other downloads I can use by third parties for construction sites, photo radar, fuzz locations, etc.

Thanks again for your help.

mr t - Nederland, CO

shadowhusky · 05-13-2009, 02:46 AM

I actually just purchased the Garmin nuvi 780 for about $200.00. it is last years model but it has everything I wanted. I never really cared much for the voice command, but then again I never used one with the voice command, but for $200 it was well worth it.

mr t · 05-13-2009, 03:58 PM

U-turns are a great place for the fuzz.

Now that I have one, where does everyone put it? I am thinking on the dash around the air vents with a fabricated sun shield to see it better.

mr t

shadowhusky · 05-13-2009, 04:06 PM

the last time I used one in the Elise I put it just to the left of the rearview mirror as high as possible. I had no trouble seeing it in the sunlight either.

goelise · 05-13-2009, 04:10 PM

Garmin makes excellent GPS units.

BatmobileS240 · 05-14-2009, 11:42 PM

A Pocket PC phone with Tom Tom installed

Chococar · 05-26-2009, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr t

U-turns are a great place for the fuzz.

Now that I have one, where does everyone put it? I am thinking on the dash around the air vents with a fabricated sun shield to see it better.

mr t

I attached the circular plastic disk that came with my GPS to the dash, then suction it to that disk. When I put the GPS in another car, I suction it to the lower driver's side corner of the windshield (new CA law ...).

How do you like your Garmin 265WT? That's the one I'm thinking about.

Thanks,

Joe

mr t · 05-26-2009, 04:59 PM

Hi Joe,

I got the 765WT and I like it a lot so far. I am leaving tomorrow for NY.

I went to poi-factory.com and downloaded a few interesting information into it so I can be as well prepared as possible. Speedlight cameras, Truck Stops, Police barracks, etc.

I got the sand bag holder for my Lotus and it seems to work good. I may have to make a shield around the top and sides of it to block some of the sun.

Take care,

mr t

craracer · 05-26-2009, 09:00 PM

I've been playing with my Garmin 255W and like it. Occasionally I will lose satellite, and it will show me driving off road in areas in which the roads have recently been modified.

Another thing I found is that businesses are closing their doors so quickly that a lot of the points of interest are no longer valid.

I really love just going out and exploring in the Lotus, which is something I wouldn't do before getting the Garmin. I hated the thought of carrying around a map book and pulling over to use it.

All in all, for the price ($180 or so), it's a good unit.

Chococar · 05-28-2009, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr t

Hi Joe,

I got the 765WT and I like it a lot so far. I am leaving tomorrow for NY.

mr t

765wt really? Or 265WT? I haven't been able to find out anything about a 765WT. If that's what it really is, where did you buy it?

Hope your trip is going well.

Thanks,

Joe

mr t · 06-02-2009, 03:30 PM

I got it at Amazon. It has a couple strange quirks but it really comes in handy.
I made it here with NO tickets thanks to my V1! Some close call though.

mr t

craracer · 06-07-2009, 05:47 PM

I must say that thus far I have not had much luck using the points of interest function.

OK, so I was using the Garmin today to find points of interest (shopping). I keyed in the first one and looked at the map to see where it was located. When I hit the "Go" button, it changed the location of the place to the top of a parking ramp, which was about 2 miles from where the store actually was.

Second place: Sent me to an address that didn't exist.

Third: The place was out of business.

Fourth: Sent me to a warehouse district after it asked me to drive through a building (showing that a road traveled through it). There actually was a building with the same number, but it was an auto body shop.

Fifth: Out of business.

Given the current economy, I can understand that keeping up to date with businesses going belly up can be daunting. But, the rest of it just ticks me off.

I've given up on using the points of interest function. The rest of it has been relatively good.

Chococar · 06-07-2009, 08:13 PM

I just got a 265WT. It looks good, but I won't get a chance to play with it very much until this weekend.

MikeinAlexandria · 06-07-2009, 08:17 PM

Check out POI Factory | new & interesting places for your GPS. Join the forum, ask a few questions, answer some and you can download the USA speed and redlight camera locations for your garmin. It's a great resource.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr t

Hi everyone,

That's what I ended up buying for my east coast trip.

I received it today and downloaded Garmin's new 2010 map.

I was wondering if there are any other downloads I can use by third parties for construction sites, photo radar, fuzz locations, etc.

Thanks again for your help.

mr t - Nederland, CO

Chococar · 07-07-2009, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chococar

I just got a 265WT. It looks good, but I won't get a chance to play with it very much until this weekend.

Well, it looks like I made a bad choice. It kept rebooting at random times and the voice would sometimes be so distorted that it was unintelligible. Rebooting corrected the bad sound (each time that it happened). I decided it was just a bad unit, so I returned it and got another one from a different vendor (Costco instead of Amazon).

The new one has the same problems as the first one

, so I'm going to return it and get a different model. Not sure if I will stay with Garmin...

Chococar · 07-13-2009, 08:39 PM

I wanted free traffic, so I wound up with another Garmin. I decided that I liked the bluetooth. I didn't want another unit that would have the same hardware as the 265WTs that gave me so much trouble, so I would up buying the 1490T.

It has a bicycle mode, so when I'm cycling across the country, I won't get lost

The voice synthesis isn't quite as bad as the 265Wt, but it is still crude.

After leaving it plugged in to the unswitched cigarette lighter on my rental car today while at work, I turned it on and the screen was incredibly dim. It was difficult to tell if it was on or not. When I unplugged it, the screen brightness was normal. I tried everything I could think of (no manual, no support online for this model) and finally figured out a work-around. It somehow set itself to 1% brightness, but it was difficult to tell because it was so dim. I was able to increase the brightness in 10% increments, so it's now OK at 51% brightness on car power and 50% on internal power.

For those of you trying to decide what to buy, I recommend against Garmin. Three bad units out of sample size of three is really bad.

IamBatman · 07-13-2009, 10:48 PM

here's my TOMTOM, with Lotus Logo splash screen when you turn on the unit, Lotus Exige icon during navigation, and Batman splash screen when you shut down. All downloadable from the Tomtom website for free. Sorry for the blurry pics, it was the best I can do with my phone camera.

05-02-2009, 01:32 PM	#42 (permalink)
kaz JabStrongFierce Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Downtown LA + SF Posts: 2,420	Wow am I the only one using a Dash Express? Full real time connection to the internet, real time traffic from on the road users. You can send addresses and trips using any browser direct to your unit...I use this daily, see a restaurant, copy the address and hit send - goes straight to my Dash. You can call a phone number and verbally give it an address. The traffic is realtime, sent in realtime from other users of Dash. So, if I see green on my route, it really means in the last 15 minutes someone drove on this road and had no traffic. The granularity is amazing, down to about a 10 feet. I'll be driving and see yellow for like half a block, and lo and behold traffic slows down for half a block. This only works well in large cities where there are other Dash users. LA, SF, SD, NYC, etc. I don't know how well it would work in Wichita Falls, TX. Dash late last year announced they were no longer developing hardware and were licensing their tech to other companies. As a result you can pick up a Dash for under $200 - easily the best GPS I've ever used. Dash Finds up to Three Possible Routes: You Choose Which is Best __________________ 2006 Elise : JFG \| Nitrons \| 2bular 8" Single \| Reverie diffuser and misc. carbon bits \| Tripoint Engineering W/A Intercooler \| Ronin supercharger \| DRS EFI and tuning

05-02-2009, 01:52 PM	#43 (permalink)
JnC Thread unraveler Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 2,887	This is a little dated (12/08), but GPSmagazine.com - The Latest GPS Reviews, News, & Buyers Guides put together a concise decision tree for attempting to figure out what Nuvi to consider. __________________ 2007 Cross Country Travelblog 06 Lotus Elise :: Chrome Orange :: Base :: Black Pack :: TC :: SS 00 VW Golf GLS TDI

05-12-2009, 08:32 PM	#44 (permalink)
mr t Registered User Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 204	OTHER GARMIN NUVI 765T DOWNLOADS? Hi everyone, That's what I ended up buying for my east coast trip. I received it today and downloaded Garmin's new 2010 map. I was wondering if there are any other downloads I can use by third parties for construction sites, photo radar, fuzz locations, etc. Thanks again for your help. mr t - Nederland, CO

05-13-2009, 02:46 AM	#45 (permalink)
shadowhusky Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: East China, Michigan Posts: 344	I actually just purchased the Garmin nuvi 780 for about $200.00. it is last years model but it has everything I wanted. I never really cared much for the voice command, but then again I never used one with the voice command, but for $200 it was well worth it. __________________ 2005 Elise, Aubergine, Touring Pack, Sport Pack, Hardtop, Quicksilver Exhaust, Cup Air Box, Tilting Clam, Mesh Grills all around - ( fabricated, not purchased ) 55w 6000k HID's, Painted Engine Covers, Center Console, A/C Surround, Polished Shifter Arm, Ball,and E-Brake Handle, Multivex Mirrors. 2008 Jeep Liberty, Jeep Green Metallic 2002 VW Jetta TDI, Metallic Blue, Daily Driver, 155,000 miles and going strong

05-13-2009, 03:58 PM	#46 (permalink)
mr t Registered User Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 204	LOCATION OF THE GPS? U-turns are a great place for the fuzz. Now that I have one, where does everyone put it? I am thinking on the dash around the air vents with a fabricated sun shield to see it better. mr t

05-01-2009, 07:50 AM	#41 (permalink)
MikeinAlexandria Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 453 Images: 5	I have a Garmin NUVI 360. It is smaller than the current round of widescreen NUVIs, has bluetooth, mp3, stereo output and uses street names during navigation. I would say, at a minimum, you'd want the GPS to be able to hook into your stereo (3.5mm output jack) and speak street names. Garmins have been great, and they have maps for countrys all over the world. Plus you can change the vehicle on the screen. I have not found a tiny green Lotus yet, but I do have a MINI Cooper...

05-13-2009, 04:06 PM	#47 (permalink)
shadowhusky Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: East China, Michigan Posts: 344	the last time I used one in the Elise I put it just to the left of the rearview mirror as high as possible. I had no trouble seeing it in the sunlight either. __________________ 2005 Elise, Aubergine, Touring Pack, Sport Pack, Hardtop, Quicksilver Exhaust, Cup Air Box, Tilting Clam, Mesh Grills all around - ( fabricated, not purchased ) 55w 6000k HID's, Painted Engine Covers, Center Console, A/C Surround, Polished Shifter Arm, Ball,and E-Brake Handle, Multivex Mirrors. 2008 Jeep Liberty, Jeep Green Metallic 2002 VW Jetta TDI, Metallic Blue, Daily Driver, 155,000 miles and going strong

05-13-2009, 04:10 PM	#48 (permalink)
goelise AR #1275 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Midwest, USA Posts: 2,527 Images: 1	Garmin makes excellent GPS units. __________________ '06 Ardent Red Elise - black interior with LSS, Touring, HT, Starshield, Lotus Sport Clutch, Moroso Oil Pan, 2ZZ(#2), Ekological HIDs, Lotus Driving Lights, Stebel Horn, Bootie, Razo '06 Pedal mod,Snorkel Delete,Odyssey 680 with s111 bracket. Future Mods:LETSLA (ordered), Rear toe link brace Thank you FVMC! WOO-HOO!

05-14-2009, 11:42 PM	#49 (permalink)
BatmobileS240 Registered User Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 553	A Pocket PC phone with Tom Tom installed

05-26-2009, 04:59 PM	#51 (permalink)
mr t Registered User Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 204	765WT Hi Joe, I got the 765WT and I like it a lot so far. I am leaving tomorrow for NY. I went to poi-factory.com and downloaded a few interesting information into it so I can be as well prepared as possible. Speedlight cameras, Truck Stops, Police barracks, etc. I got the sand bag holder for my Lotus and it seems to work good. I may have to make a shield around the top and sides of it to block some of the sun. Take care, mr t Last edited by mr t : 05-26-2009 at 09:30 PM.

05-26-2009, 09:00 PM	#52 (permalink)
craracer eTard Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 282	I've been playing with my Garmin 255W and like it. Occasionally I will lose satellite, and it will show me driving off road in areas in which the roads have recently been modified. Another thing I found is that businesses are closing their doors so quickly that a lot of the points of interest are no longer valid. I really love just going out and exploring in the Lotus, which is something I wouldn't do before getting the Garmin. I hated the thought of carrying around a map book and pulling over to use it. All in all, for the price ($180 or so), it's a good unit.

06-02-2009, 03:30 PM	#54 (permalink)
mr t Registered User Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 204	Garmin 765WT I got it at Amazon. It has a couple strange quirks but it really comes in handy. I made it here with NO tickets thanks to my V1! Some close call though. mr t

06-07-2009, 05:47 PM	#55 (permalink)
craracer eTard Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 282	I must say that thus far I have not had much luck using the points of interest function. OK, so I was using the Garmin today to find points of interest (shopping). I keyed in the first one and looked at the map to see where it was located. When I hit the "Go" button, it changed the location of the place to the top of a parking ramp, which was about 2 miles from where the store actually was. Second place: Sent me to an address that didn't exist. Third: The place was out of business. Fourth: Sent me to a warehouse district after it asked me to drive through a building (showing that a road traveled through it). There actually was a building with the same number, but it was an auto body shop. Fifth: Out of business. Given the current economy, I can understand that keeping up to date with businesses going belly up can be daunting. But, the rest of it just ticks me off. I've given up on using the points of interest function. The rest of it has been relatively good.

06-07-2009, 08:13 PM	#56 (permalink)
Chococar #334 Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Santa Barbara, CA Posts: 1,545	I just got a 265WT. It looks good, but I won't get a chance to play with it very much until this weekend.

07-13-2009, 08:39 PM	#59 (permalink)
Chococar #334 Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Santa Barbara, CA Posts: 1,545	I wanted free traffic, so I wound up with another Garmin. I decided that I liked the bluetooth. I didn't want another unit that would have the same hardware as the 265WTs that gave me so much trouble, so I would up buying the 1490T. It has a bicycle mode, so when I'm cycling across the country, I won't get lost The voice synthesis isn't quite as bad as the 265Wt, but it is still crude. After leaving it plugged in to the unswitched cigarette lighter on my rental car today while at work, I turned it on and the screen was incredibly dim. It was difficult to tell if it was on or not. When I unplugged it, the screen brightness was normal. I tried everything I could think of (no manual, no support online for this model) and finally figured out a work-around. It somehow set itself to 1% brightness, but it was difficult to tell because it was so dim. I was able to increase the brightness in 10% increments, so it's now OK at 51% brightness on car power and 50% on internal power. For those of you trying to decide what to buy, I recommend against Garmin. Three bad units out of sample size of three is really bad.

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07-13-2009, 10:48 PM	#60 (permalink)
IamBatman Exige? SEXIGE! Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 1,607 Images: 1	here's my TOMTOM, with Lotus Logo splash screen when you turn on the unit, Lotus Exige icon during navigation, and Batman splash screen when you shut down. All downloadable from the Tomtom website for free. Sorry for the blurry pics, it was the best I can do with my phone camera. Attached Images __________________ Phantom Black 2007 Exige S221.56436. All options. Black 01' Mustang Cobra 'Vert ("some" modifications) daily driver Facebook group: Add lightness...and Darkness!