I am looking at Navigation units, because my b-day is coming up and the wife wants to get me something. I don't want her to spend over like 250.00 what are my options that I can take car to car and what do you guys and gals prefer? Does she need to spend more than that? Any input would be great!!!

I'm very happy with the Garmin Street Pilot C330 that my kids gave me for Christmas last year. It uses a touch-screen, and gives directions with a voice - male or female, American accent, or British. I liked the female British voice, and I call her Penelope. She's programmed with up to date maps of all of North America, and hasn't failed yet to get me within a few feet of my destination. The Street Pilot sells for about $250.00.
http://www.jeeppatriot.com/gallery/data/500/GPS1.jpg

http://www.gpslodge.com/images/garminnuvi360-thumb.jpg

I've got a Garmin nüvi 360, and it's great. Nice small size with a good battery life, so it's even great to take it with you in your pocket, as you can use it even when you're walking around a city (if you're on vacation, for example).

It's a bit more expensive than the StreetPilot above, but it's a great GPS unit nonetheless.

From what I've heard, the TomTom One is going on sale for $100 in the next few weeks online...

It's a pretty bare bones model, but it gets the job done. I for one have put the Garmin Nuvi200W on my Christmas list because of the wide screen and the available features.

I have a TomTom ONE. If it is indeed going on sale for $100, that is a screaming deal and I'd jump on it. I paid $250 for mine and it is quite good. While Garmins tend to have better routing software algorithms (likely to get better routes out of those), the Streetpilot series is extremely chunky compared to the TomTom ONE and the Garmin nuvi series; you really can't use those on foot (the others slip into a pocket quite nicely. The TomTom has a very good interface, probably about the best of them all.

I'd look hardest at the TomTom ONE (make sure you hunt for the 3rd edition; it has an updated map) or the Garmin nuvi 200. If you can get the nuvi for the same price as the ONE (or close to it), then I might lean that direction, but I don't feel lost with the TomTom.

I just downloaded the new map for my ONE; the 7.10 maps are now available for half price (they usually charge 100 euros, they've been letting it go for 50, and note the exchange rate is about 1.5 US dollars to 1 euro at the moment). However, at full price you're almost better off just buying a new nav device than updating the map- it seems most places charge over a hundred bucks for updated maps, and if you have a low end nav device, may as well get a whole new one for not much more and then you'd have two.

Edit: Just checked Circuit City's online store, and both the Garmin nuvi 200 and TomTom ONE 3rd edition are going for $250 (you can buy online and pick up in store; you'll prob. get a better deal that way). At that price, I'd lean Garmin for the routing algorithms.

I'm very happy with the Garmin Street Pilot C330 that my kids gave me for Christmas last year. It uses a touch-screen, and gives directions with a voice - male or female, American accent, or British. I liked the female British voice, and I call her Penelope. She's programmed with up to date maps of all of North America, and hasn't failed yet to get me within a few feet of my destination. The Street Pilot sells for about $250.00.
http://www.jeeppatriot.com/gallery/data/500/GPS1.jpg
Hey my wife is British and she's called Penelope, I prefer her voice too!

http://i.bfads.net/a/365/i_1194619882_BFAdsBestBuyPage03-1194619086.jpg

I knew I wasn't making it up... Apparently it's going to be a Black Friday special so if you can wait until next Friday you are in luck!

http://i.bfads.net/a/365/i_1194619882_BFAdsBestBuyPage03-1194619086.jpg

I knew I wasn't making it up... Apparently it's going to be a Black Friday special so if you can wait until next Friday you are in luck!

Wow that looks like a great deal!! Are they easy to use?

ad states weather,
anyone have one with weather?
details please
went to tomtom site, and didnt see weather mentioned

Speaking to a Best Buy agent last week, Traffic and Weather services are tied in through your cellular phone carrier at additional costs. Apparently Verizon is the only company that does not offer this service in any form (they have their own navigation service that they dont want to compete with)

Hey my wife is British and she's called Penelope, I prefer her voice too!

AGOG, you're a lucky man.

:D

I knew I wasn't making it up... Apparently it's going to be a Black Friday special so if you can wait until next Friday you are in luck!

Is this for the 16th or the 23rd?

Wow that looks like a great deal!! Are they easy to use?

Incredibly so. In fact, when I researched my purchase, everything I read said that TomTom had by far the best user interface. With the new MapShare technology, users can upload map corrections (you can choose whether you want to download just verified corrections or what). If that's a 3rd edition, then $119 is a SWEET price. If not, well, you can spend a bit more and get the map update (current version 7.10; I believe the 3rd edition have at least the 6.75, which were pretty good; the 2nd edition had 6.65, and it needed work) from TomTom for $73. However, that process is a bit involved and took me about 3 hours to complete (most of that was downloading the 900+MB of map and transferring stuff over USB).

The one thing that you will notice is that the suction arm for the TomTom is rather short, and it is one bloody long reach to the windshield in the Patriot. I bought a friction pad/beanbag gizmo (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000U5TUWE) to stick it to; it fits perfectly above the center console stack.

http://i.bfads.net/a/365/i_1194619882_BFAdsBestBuyPage03-1194619086.jpg

I knew I wasn't making it up... Apparently it's going to be a Black Friday special so if you can wait until next Friday you are in luck!

Sounds like the wife and I are going to get up early and try to get one!! Thanks for everyones help!!