Best Portable GPS

Updated on November 24, 2009
K.H. asks from Merrimack, NH
12 answers

I am considering buying my parents a portable GPS for Christmas. Does anyone have a particular brand/model they would recommend or ones I should stay away from? Any advice on features I should look for etc would be appreciated.

Thanks!

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A.V.

answers from Boston on

Hello,
I have a TOM TOM GPS and it works really well. It says the street names which is very helpful and you can choose the voice. Good luck!

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K.M.

answers from Boston on

Hi There,

We bought a Garmin just before moving to MA and have been very happy with it. I bought the least expensive one they sell and it does everything I need it to and has no monthly fee. A nice feature is that it tells you how far you need to go before turning, for example, it says both audibly and written that you will turn left in 100 feet. A friend of mine who has a different brand says her GPS doesn't do this and that she would have found that feature to be helpful. Also, when I researched GPS's a year and a half ago, Garmin rated at the top with Consumer Reports and the less expensive one was rated as a Best Buy with Consumer Reports.
Good luck!

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C.P.

answers from Boston on

We love you Tom Tom One.

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R.B.

answers from Boston on

Chiming in with the Garmin fans. We recently bought the Nuvi 1200 from Staples for $160 on sale and a $40 2 year warranty (even if it falls off the roof of your car and busts, they'll replace it one time in those 2 years). We love it and have bought 3 more for family Christmas gifts!

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S.S.

answers from Portland on

Hi K.,
My brother has a TomTom and he does not like it. I've had a couple of friends also that do not like it. Doesn't seem to be as accurate as some of the others.Good luck picking one out!
S.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.C.

answers from Boston on

What a great gift idea. I have a Magellan and it has been right on my destination 98% of the time and when it has been off the place was right next door or across the street. I believe the GPS uses postal codes so if your mailbox is on the street thats what is states as the destination. And you'll pay for this once and and have a fee monthly

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L.B.

answers from Boston on

After much research by my techie son, we bought my husband a Garmin Nuvi for a gift a few years ago. He uses it all the time and loves it. My other son just recently bought the same one in a newer model. He is very happy with it as well. My husband has considered upgrading to the newer model (bigger screen, traffic alerts, etc.) but just can't justify the expense considering the one he has works just fine. The prices have come down dramatically, though.

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E.A.

answers from Boston on

We love the garmin. You only pay for it once then no monthly fees or anything. My husband has named it Karen and trusts her completely no matter where he is (he travels a lot). So far Karen has never let him down. :)

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D.S.

answers from Boston on

We gave my mother-in-law the garmin nuvi for christmas last year, and she loves it.

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C.F.

answers from Pittsfield on

My hubby actually has GPS through Verizon on his cell phone and pays only $10/month for it. It works great, and is very portable, obviously. He has used it constantly for his job, and it hasn't failed him yet.

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C.T.

answers from Barnstable on

I love my Garmin Nuvi. It does have a few problems in parts of cities (I think some buildings interfere) but overall it's great. One feature it has is that not only does it show the names of the roads on the screen, it also speaks them. I would suggest, however, that you get the dashboard stand. It tends to lose its grip on the windshield at the most inopportune moments.

M.P.

answers from Boston on

My husband and I have the Garmin Nuvi. My son's older model was a Magellan and he has since changed to the Garmin. You can also change to a male voice, so we switch around from time to time.

The Nuvi (others series may be as well) is portable, so if you are walking and need to find your way, that's a good feature as well.

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