Do I neeed a GPS?

[thewarriorchild]

I borrowed a GPS this week and we were messing with it. There are some thing I like:
You can try a new way and it will still get you to where you want to go.
You can go the way you know and it will recalculate
You can find a store near by
It can talk to you and you can pick voices
You can make your car look like the Black Pearl!

There were some things that I did not like:
ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR MAP UPDATES OR 199 for lifetime up dates!!!
You could not get it to go the way you knew if you wanted to change the way it wanted you to go. I felt like when we went out to Brookklyn Saturday it was steering me toward tolls. I followed the google directions I had.
It would have been nice to plan the return trip around the route we took there.
Traffic updates would have been nice

My question is, if I get one which kind should I get and which cool features does yours have. What do you and don't you like. It would be a toy mostly for me but we are moving to PA and I think it would be helpful in a new state. Maybe I will put it on my Christmas list. I am not worried about cost for the moment because I am a good shopper and could find it cheaper.

I am also wondering what other electronic devices have gps???
Thanks

 

[canada-goose]

They ARE useful. Those prices are ridiculously high though! So hard to decide.

 

[The Chicken Lady]

For long trips and vacations in which you travel by car, having a GPS is priceless. We've had one for about five years and wouldn't go on a "road trip" vacation without one. (They are also handy if you like to boat).

We have two Garmin handhelds. They have a suction mount for the car. I prefer the one that has the color screen and beeps to signal upcoming turns.

 

[WriterofWords]

To me:
GPS = Geocaching = LOTS and LOTS of FUN FUN FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Quote:
Oh yeahhhhh!

 

[StupidBird]

My ds was given a low-end Tomtom; its a great toy. I wouldn't ever rely on GPS again, after the time we ended up in the wrong COUNTY on the opposite end of correct road, being directed to follow the road across a bridge that hadn't been there in over 50 years.
Draw backs, besides the general GPS horror stories, is this model has a memory capacity rather small, with no delete feature, so that it is no longer able to be updated. Stupid. and a certain tendency on my part to ARGUE with it. Really.
Pluses: report route and map errors; save routes, re-route, easy go home feature. Locate food, gas, etc. on route. Speeding warning available for some highways. Urge to rewrite the computer responses to something really sarcastic. "Why did you turn there? What, my directions aren't good enough? Why'd you even ask me then?"
Nothing beats a up to date, reliable map. I buy them frequently, highlight for road trips. Also, the gov't topo maps - quads? Great too, I find lots of little side trips on those - Fire roads, etc.

The manual for the Tomtom has a warning: "Do not use while driving". Honest.

 

[Colored Egg Farmer]

we only take our gps on long road trips. It really helps when we need to find a gas station or when there is a traffic jam. We were able to by pass a 25 mile backup with our gps by just hitting detour. It would have taken two long to get a map out and would have missed the exit. It was pretty funny. we got ahead of it al and could see cars passing us that we had seen 5 hours ago

 

[SarahFair]

I use mine for just about everything. It gives the ETA which I LOVE. I use it taking my son to school too. It also tells me my speed and what the speed limit is.

 

[Camelot Farms]

Ours is like a member of the family...lol

Use it weekly for getting to new places or finding better ways to other places.

Was great when we were in a new city and it could tell us what shopping, restaurants, stores were nearby and our route.

 

[SarahFair]

It saved my life once! (as much as a GSP can, anyways..)
I was picking up silkie eggs from someone across the state when my gas light came on in the middle of who knows where. I put in a search for fuel and was saved.