Vehicle GPS

[Deerslayer]

My Mom (age 71) wants me to mount a GPS in her car to help her get where she wants to go. Anybody have any experince with or any suggestions on a good, easy to use model that gives voice directions?

[Bushman]

I'd be a little careful about permanently mounting a unit like that because they are one of the most stolen items out there. A friend of mine lost one with a smashed in window in the Walmart parking lot in broad daylight! I've always been a Garmin guy, but I have heard good things about the Tom-Tom too. The higher end models have bigger screens and can provide extra info... If you know how to work them. If your mom has a laptop, Garmin offers the 2009 version of the Mobile PC for about $100. that does everything that their highest end mobile only units do. I really like mine and I have the larger laptop screen to glance at too. No worries about it being stolen because my laptop comes inside with me. I can pre-program the unit from home or a hotel room where I want to go and then pull it up from memory when I want to go there. Not only just directions, but points of interest, gas stations, stores, restraunts... It knows where lots of stuff is. What a comfort to someone who travels.

[LE]

I like my Garmin. The other thing to think about is they have to be programmed for each location. Once programmed all she has to do is pull up her favorites & chose the location. You need to think about her abilities to work with computers.

[Hi Ball]

Your better off with just a plain JANE cheap plug in model period! It will take care of her needs and she can unplug it and take it into the house for safe keeping.:)

[Rock Chuck]

You know your mother. Will she spend her driving time watching the GPS instead of the road? They've caused some classy accidents.

[Deerslayer]

Thanks for all of the good input so far. Dick, I don't think that she would be one to watch the screen, which is why she wants one that will give voice commands but that is a good point. Also after considering the comments it will definitely have to be one that can be removed or stowed out of sight as I can see it disappearing pretty quickly otherwise.

[Bushman]

Deerslayer, I don't know if you have bought one of these yet, but I was in a pawnshop in Green Bay yesterday and they had two shelves of these things for sale. With the economy like it is, these are probably a luxury item that people don't really need. Or the darker side is that they are easily stolen and pawned. Anyway I thought the pawnshop angle might be worth checking out and you have more of those places down there than we do up here.

[Deerslayer]

Bushman that is great idea and if I were buying it myself I would think seriously about going that route. However my 71 year old mom is going to be making this purchase and I can already see her face if I suggest that we go over to the local pawn shop to see what they have. :eek: Having known the woman all my life I know that just won't fly with her and on top of it I will get a good tongue lashing for even suggesting it. One thing about Mom she never fails to speak her mind. :D

[MOGC]

Ask her not to program her residence as "HOME" in the unit. What can happen is that thieves break into the car and steal the GPS, then because they know the person isn't at home right then, the thief plugs in the GPS unit and hits "home." The bad guys find the residence address and go there with the help of the stolen GPS guiding them where they next break in and burglarize the house.

[Bushman]

:eek: Wow MOGC, I guess that I don't know any bad guys, but I never figured that they would be that opportunistic. With the guys on here with LEO experience I'm sure that they have seen it all.

[Bill Gunn]

the thief plugs in the GPS unit and hits "home." The bad guys find the residence address and go there with the help of the stolen GPS guiding them where they next break in and burglarize the house.

I told my neighbor that I put his house as my home :p

That way when they steel my GPS, I'll call him, and he can shoot the thief's ass when he tries to rob his house, and get my GPS back too !!

Kinda the "Two Birds With One Stone" theory.... :D

[LE]

Never thought about the home thing. Guess being honest makes one think differently.

[Deerslayer]

We're finally going to buy one tonight. I think I will follow Bill Gunn's lead and program her well-armed neighbors house as home. That should fix them if they try and pull that one. :D Thanks for the heads up.

[Bushman]

Which ever one you are looking at, I'd shop the store's web site before I went in to buy it. I saved a couple hundred dollars on a plasma TV at Best Buy because I took the time to print the Best Buy sale price from their own company web site. That or they will match prices with anyone in town. You could also go to a place like Sears and lots of times they will knock off 10% if you use your Sears charge card. Hey, 10% is 10%. I've got some Scottish ancestry in my background and I don't much like paying full retail.

[Phil T]

Last year, I bought Garmin 265's for each of my daughters. The FM traffic report is really nice for the one who lives in Minneapolis.