What's the best navigation system out there for the s2000 under $800? I've done a search on this topic, but I couldn't find any good info on pricing. Can anyone chime in about the disadvantages/advantages of each setup (in-dash vs. PDA based vs. handheld gps)? I'm a big fan of the in dash set up, but I'm assuming that it costs $$$ and takes quite a bit of work to install. Are the smaller handheld units just as good? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!

Jim

 

I use a Garmin StreetPilot 2610, and love it. Some advantages are:
1) Can be used in any car I'm driving (i.e., portable). Simply place it on the dash.
2) Can be had for under $750 US.
3) Good size display (i.e., not too small).
4) Very good voice directions (don't need to stare at the display).
5) Decent contrast in direct sunlight.

I will admit, when it comes to these type of GPS systems, it can become a "religious" debate as to which one is best. I chose the 2610 for a number of reasons:
- Since I use computers every day, downloading data into the unit is not a big deal to me. I would rather have the software on my computer as backup rather than have everything preloaded on a hard drive that may fail after some time (i.e., the SP 2620).
- I found the screen to be much faster and more responsive than the Magellan Roadmates (500/700).

Short of having a custom GPS system installed in your S2000, which will cost way more than $800, you will be looking at either a dedicated GPS, or a PDA style. Beware of the "handheld" GPS units that are targeted towards hikers, etc; they do not perform the same as road based GPS systems.

Do yourself a favor. Try out a few GPS's, and find which one you like the best; that is exactly what I did. Best Buy has a nice return policy.

Good luck.

 

I have the TomTom Go and I love it. I got it for less than $600 after rebate.

-Dave

 

PDA over the handheld.....one single reason...they both do the same thing, but the PDA can do a lot more than just navigate.

 

i have an ipaq5550 pda, a ClipOn bluetooth gps reciever and Mapopolus gps software.

i have not seen it in action but would pick something like the Garmin StreetPilot if you dont want to put up with all the microsoft bull shit that comes with a pda. the microsoft pda operating system is unstable. the garmin would combine all that is good for a person only wanting a gps. the downside is the pda can do more than just gps. i dont know if the garmin unit has voice but on my pda it is very useful, i do not even look at the screen.


i would not even consider an installed gps unit in the car.


the ClipOn bluetooth gps reciever is great, works w/o a problem
on my pda i have Mapopolus street gps software installed.
bad:
-Mapopolus behaves odd like a beta or alpha test version
-most modes of operation have one or two things that phuck up
-it has alot of features but they are hard to use
-operation is not straight forward and dependable.
-long trips over several states you dont seem to be able to append maps together for the whole trip. broken up by states.
-U-turns and round abouts confuse the heck out it.
good:
-the graphics are good, zoom in/out works great
-i can recalculate directions real time fast if you take an aletnate rout
-the amount of street data is huge huge and very accurate.
-the voice prompts are way functional.
-it will log your trip keeping track of where you have gone and how fast.
-you can inport the destination address from you microsoft contacts application
-given your gps location you can find the gas station near by
-you can find anything on this planet with this thing, go anywhere. if you are trying to get your ass out of Heathrow airport to some coffee shop downtown London on a sportbike at red line this is the way.
-i play mp3's while the gps is going through ear buds, works well on the bike and in the car.

 

Thanks for the info guys. Although the PDA option sounds pretty cool, I don't think I would use it for anything but navigation and therefore I would rather have a device soley for navigation (ie a garmin/magellan/etc.) After looking around a little more, I've come across the new Garmin c330 and I like it quite a bit. I don't think it's out yet, but do any of you guys have opinions on it? Looks like it will be quite a good system. Dave - is the TomTomGO anything like it? Thanks guys!

 

How much do you want to spend? You're looking at $500ish to $7,000 for different installs. If I did it myself I'd cut a giant hole in my dash but for that money you can also get most of the way to a supercharger...

The external devices work okay, but they're usually slow and ugly (visible wires, etc). Most of the nav systems I've seen in SoCal are iPaqs or similar and their owners are all happy with them.

 

Hi!

From the way it looks on this site, it appears to be garmin's response to the TomTomGo.

http://www.cnet.com/4520-10602_1-5618906-1.html

Both units appear to get good reviews.

I am quite happy with my TomTomGo. If it weren't so eash to switch between cars, I would be tempted to get a second one.

BTW, I bought mine from compuplus for ~$550.00. Not too shabby... But, I did by a 1GB so I can load all the maps.

Let us know what you end up getting.

-Dave

 

^ Wow! finally a good one

 

The following was my answer to another thread this week on Nav systems. I think it applies to this question as well:

"Here's a link to the Nav solution I plan on picking up in a couple of months. I researched all in one units (too expensive for the limited functionality in my opinion) and bluetooth based set-ups that can be added onto a PDA (don't want the additional wiring clutter or worry of having a separate part to get stolen) so I ended up deciding on this:

http://www.miogps.com/products_168features.htm#1

Its only about $479 online (though many places seem to be out of stock) and I figure for that money I'm getting a full featured PDA and integrated NAV plus the inclusion of software that is a re-badged copy of this:

http://www.buygpsnow.com/item.aspx?itemid=250

which is from my research one of the better NAV software packages (very well reviewed and award winning).

Considering this type of set up comes with all accessories needed (car mount, AC and DC chargers, software pre-installed on PDA, software CD for PC, and sync cable) for $479, I can add a memory card large enough to store street level maps for nearly the entire country and still be $200 or so richer than if I had bought a stand-alone unit. The footprint of the Mio takes up less space than a stand-alone and can be carried around and used as a PDA when I'm not driving. For me it was an easy decision, but that's just my $.02. Good luck making your decision."