GPS buying help needed......

Need some help with the site? or Forum?
Ask Here! Got an idea or suggestion for Lionbackers.com, Tell us about it!

Moderator: Team Captains

User avatar
Shi Zi Mi
Hall of Famer
Posts: 4360
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2002 6:06 pm
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba

I'm in the market for a GPS (automobile not personal) and I know that Lawrence and Kim have had a couple of them (how is Junior?)......so, I thought that I'd call on the wisdom of the Lionbackers et al for suggestions on what I should buy.

I would appreciate any info on features to look for, things to stay away from, ease of use, big display for old eyes, make/model to buy, places to buy, approximate cost, best bang for the buck, etc. It would be used in 2 different vehicles, so it needs to be easily moved from one to the other.

Thank you in advance.
Lloyd
Solar Max
Hall of Famer
Posts: 6820
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 8:15 pm

Junior, sadly, has gone to the next world; he was abducted a few months back, with nary a ransom note to be found. There was a small service, attended mainly by close friends and immediate family.

We decided to adopt, rather than go through the entire gestation thing.
Jill arrived a little while ago:

Image

Jill is bluetooth and makes my cellphone handsfree while in the car. She has a built in Hard drive with EVERY North American map built in, and also has room for 4 or 500 MP3's, which she can play through your car's FM radio with the optional transmitter. She has a traffic mode that steered us around a huge wreck near Orlando Fla. just a few weeks ago, using voice prompts. You can change her voice to a multitude of accents, male or female, and she speaks street names.

Specs:

• Receiver: New high-sensitivity WAAS-capable GPS receiver by SiRF
• Display: Automotive-grade, sunlight-readable, anti-glare TFT LCD display, 2.8â€
User avatar
Shi Zi Mi
Hall of Famer
Posts: 4360
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2002 6:06 pm
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba

What model is Jill? Where do you recommend I adopt her sister?
Lloyd
User avatar
Shi Zi Mi
Hall of Famer
Posts: 4360
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2002 6:06 pm
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Lawrence, what are the possible extra costs/features with GPS.......ie subscription type service, software for PC connection, map downloading, etc...
Lloyd
Solar Max
Hall of Famer
Posts: 6820
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 8:15 pm

Shi Zi Mi wrote:What model is Jill? Where do you recommend I adopt her sister?
Garmin c550. There are cheaper models of the same unit with less features; we had one and traded up. You won't be disappointed.

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=134&pID=385

The list is $535, but you can get it far cheaper than that.
Shi Zi Mi wrote:Lawrence, what are the possible extra costs/features with GPS.......ie subscription type service, software for PC connection, map downloading, etc...
The traffic subscription service for it is (I think) $4.99 per month for Southern Ontario; the unit receives the traffic info through it's Power Cable. Outside Orlando, it said this:

" Traffic ahead, overturned car, two lanes blocked Interstate 4 Westbound at mile 31. I have a better route."
Then it flashed a yes/no screen.

The software is nada; it uses Windows Explorer (not Internet explorer) as its interface. It has EVERY North American map built into it, so there is none of that, unless you wanted to load say...Europe, then you just do it in Windows explorer, and treat the 550 as just another external hard drive. The unit will then restart, and load the new maps automatically.

The PC connection is a plain old USB cable, that comes with the unit.

Buydig.com has them for $353. Pretty cheap, ours was around $420 IIRC.


c550
Solar Max
Hall of Famer
Posts: 6820
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 8:15 pm

One small thing that Jill is very good at, and we use constantly: Custom Points of Interest, or "POI"s.

Let's say that there's a 60 km/h zone that becomes a 30 zone at school times; Jill will read your speed, and ask you to slow to 30 (or whatever you specify her to do) and then advise you when the speed zone becomes 60 again.

There are also huge databases of POIs to load into the unit here:

http://www.poi-factory.com/

Including every Red Light Camera in North America. Now, none of us ever runs a yellow of course, but when you're 300 meters from one, she'll tell you.

Ours has over 400,000 custom Points of Interest in it, from the Last Spike at Craigellachie to the World's Largest Ball of Twine..and every Red Light Camera in NA.
User avatar
Shi Zi Mi
Hall of Famer
Posts: 4360
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2002 6:06 pm
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Should I be concerned about warranty/duty/delivery time ordering from the US?
Lloyd
Solar Max
Hall of Famer
Posts: 6820
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 8:15 pm

Nope. Garmin warranties it regardless; the only difference is that one service center is in Missouri, the other (Canadian one) is in Laval, QC. Ours arrived in 4 working days from the US. They don't actually repair the unit if you send it back anyway, they just replace it, and load your POIs back in a new one.

I also shopped Magellan Roadmates, Cobras and a couple of other brands, before going to the Garmin. I still have a Magellan handheld, but this c550 was the best bang for the buck.

The turn by turn instructions are brilliant. You know sometimes how you have to turn right then 50 feet later, an immediate left? In a strange city, most units miss the second turn, then have to recalculate and find a new route. Jill just tells you that you have a right, then an immediate left. Wayyyyy better.

Here is the actual size of the unit;

Image
User avatar
Shi Zi Mi
Hall of Famer
Posts: 4360
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2002 6:06 pm
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Before I order, is there any other options I should consider ordering?.......things that you got or wished you would have?
Lloyd
Solar Max
Hall of Famer
Posts: 6820
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 8:15 pm

c550 has everything I could have asked for. The previous one, a 340, was a good navigator, but lacked the options that you mention.

http://www.gpscity.ca/item-garmin-stree ... spc340.htm

The 550 is superb in the city, where buildings tend to block GPS signals because of the new chipset the lesser models lack; equally good in the mountains for the same reason.

The traffic monitor would be great on the QEW or 401, and you have it built in. And you get a 3 month traffic subscription with the 550; if you don't use it, just don't renew it.

And the bluetooth and MP3 player...well you don't have to upgrade your stereo; the unit broadcasts in Stereo to your FM car radio...including driving instructions.
User avatar
Shi Zi Mi
Hall of Famer
Posts: 4360
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2002 6:06 pm
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Well....it looks like Digibuy won't let me put in a Canadian address.......in their help they say they ship to Canada but that duty and extra shipping will apply.

Any other places?
Lloyd
Solar Max
Hall of Famer
Posts: 6820
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 8:15 pm

gpscity.com

gpscentral.ca (they've been great)

uh...let me Google some more...

http://www.winbuyer.com/cat-1398/keywor ... ?c=8101398

eBay has some good prices too.
eBay c550
User avatar
Shi Zi Mi
Hall of Famer
Posts: 4360
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2002 6:06 pm
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Lawrence......did you pay duty? shipping charge? who did you order from?
Lloyd
Solar Max
Hall of Famer
Posts: 6820
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 8:15 pm

I used GPScentral.ca, they ship Priority post, no duty, and no provincial sales tax. They have been excellent.

One note: if you order via eBay, do NOT allow them to ship UPS. UPS charges a brokerage fee of over $50.

http://www.gpscentral.ca/products/garmin/spc550.htm
User avatar
Shi Zi Mi
Hall of Famer
Posts: 4360
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2002 6:06 pm
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Solar Max wrote:I used GPScentral.ca, they ship Priority post, no duty, and no provincial sales tax. They have been excellent.

One note: if you order via eBay, do NOT allow them to ship UPS. UPS charges a brokerage fee of over $50.

http://www.gpscentral.ca/products/garmin/spc550.htm
I ordered on Ebay and shipping is US Postal Service (friggin' $45 US)......but the unit was $325 US......for a total of $369.90 US

My biggest concern (other than the thing never showing up).......how long to get thru the border and what are they going to ding me for duty.

Buying it from GPScentral would cost me $550 Canadian with shipping and GST......so we'll see if I saved anything.
Lloyd
Post Reply