[true]

Anyone have one? A portable gps thing for the car? I am leaning towards a Garmin, not sure what model yet.

Any experiences and opinions?

[koentjexl]

We've got a TomTom.
Works wonders.

[true]

Thanks for the post K, but that really doesn't help me lol

[jalv187]

I have a Navigon 2100. Slim, portable, can set my route if I'm on foot, car, bicycle. I looked at the screen size as they can be small on some models. I also looked for one that speaks the street names so you won't have to keep glancing over to see how much further 300ft is. The speed of the touchscreen is important to me, the model I have was a little slow but with the firmware upgrade the speed and sensitivity has increased. You want to be able to touch an option, number, or letter and it automatically register. Features will depend on what you want, like, or need. I have the traffic feature, some charge a fee some only a one time fee. I would also make sure how often they update maps, if its free, or if they charge. I'm happy with y GPS, it could be a little faster on the touchscreen, but I've learned to live with it.

[true]

I've heard about the traffic feature, what is that exactly? Real time traffic updates?

[koentjexl]

Sorry. I was in a hurry, so I couldn't post all the technical details.
I have a TomTon One (it is one of the cheaper versions) and it's reliable and fast.
My version doesn't have the traffic features, but the others have.

It means you get accurate traffic jam information. It works via a live connection with the traffic centre.

Here's a link:
http://www.tomtom.com/products/categ...&selector=true

[spartanstew]

I just got a Garmin 660 a few weeks ago and really like it so far.

There's cheaper models available, but I really wanted the bluetooth feature which works great. I know have hands-free phone capabilities that I didn't have before. It automatically recognizes my phone as soon as it's turned on and I can even access my phones (Pearl) address book from the touch screen. Routing has been great so far with only a couple of minor glitches (i.e. one time last week I needed to exit the highway and drive on the access road. I did so, but the 660 didn't think I had exited the highway, recalculated and told me to take the next exit).
I travel every week and usually on Monday, I just enter the addresses of the places I'll be going that week. When it's time to go there, I just look up last addresses and select it. Routing only takes a few seconds (although the unit does take about 45 seconds to power on).
I like the large screen and the ability to add my own music and slideshow collection (though I haven't done so yet).
It even pointed out a short cut to a route I take almost every day.
It shows the estimated arrival time in the lower corner and it's very accurate. Last week I had a 300 mile drive and when I started it showed my estimated arrival time at 3:21pm. I made a couple of stops along the way (gas, etc.) and the time fluctuated from 3:09pm - 3:29pm. I ended up arriving at 3:22pm (1 minute later than it originally estimated).
The search feature for nearby locations works pretty well too. Every morning, no matter what city I'm in, the first thing I do is search for "Starbucks". It gives me a list of the closest ones (and the direction) and after selecting one it takes me right there. 2 weeks ago, I was out with the wife and we needed to see if Costco carried mattresses. I searched for Costco, selected the closest one and the unit called the store for me (via the bluetooth) so my wife could talk to them. I have, however, searched for things that I knew were nearby and it couldn't find it, so it's not 100% (i.e. we searched for Sams Club that same day and it said the nearest one was 400 miles away, even though there's several nearby).
I have the traffic feature free for the first 3 months and doubt I'll use it beyond that (with Garmin you have to pay a monthly fee to access it). It's kind of hit and miss regarding accuracy so far.

Anyway, I researched for quite a bit before buying. I really liked the look of the Navigon's, but the reviews they've gotten aren't great. The Garmin 660 is the top rated GPS unit at cnet.com (and other sites) and the reviews I read were all pretty good. Amazon had a sale on them a few weeks ago (which may still be going on), so I couldn't pass it up.

It's pretty small for the big screen size and I use it in different rental cars each week pretty easily.

[movieman]

I have went through most name brands. And nextar seemed to be the best. It is very easy to use, more pinpoint, better directions, easier to see maps, easy to navigate through maps.