Having borrowed my C5 for a 300 mile round trip today the good lady has decided she wants a satnav.
I'm guessing one should be buyable under £100. There was a monster thread 4wks ago but more about to satnav or not rather than features and requirements.
So any thoughts on makes, bargain sources (pref town stores like Halfords/Tesco/PC World) or any other aspects in the sub £100 range.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Mon 30 Aug 10 at 21:53
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My only advice would be to go and try them out. Factory fit and aftermarket are poles apart. What aftermarket suits one will drive another mad. My Sony has it's faults but my wife's Garmin drives me up the wall.
Last edited by: gmac on Mon 30 Aug 10 at 22:14
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You re-furbed TomToms for less than a 100 notes - I'll try to dig out the link for you.
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I have an elderly TT700 and the latest Nuvi 660 (badged as a BMW - for the bike) the TT has edge in user friendlyness despite the difference in age.
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This may be what you are after.
www.tomtom.com/en_gb/products/tomtom-outlet-store/
I have tried several makes and have found the Tomtom the easiest to use.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Mon 30 Aug 10 at 22:18
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TomTom are hard to beat for just getting the job done
EDIT: they're generally reliable, nowt much to go wrong really. So buying 2nd hand off fleabay for a higher spec model could be worth a punt
Last edited by: CraigP on Mon 30 Aug 10 at 22:29
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Goodness knows what brand but I've seen them in The Original Factory Shop, this weekend, for something daffy like £39.
I think there was an expensive one at £49 too :-)
JH
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The ones that have Bluetooth for the phone... does that work like the system in my C5 where the phone directory appears on the satnav screen and does the satnav do the mic/speaker function? How do you dial a call for example?
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Yes for my TT and the Garmin/BMW thing. You dial by touching the screen icons - dead simple.
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My local Morrisions is selling off some heavily reduced Navmans. £39.99
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Anyone getting the impression next gen sat nav is coming for Xmas with actual camera images imposed on the map ?
Last edited by: gmac on Mon 30 Aug 10 at 23:17
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Seen it running on smart phones.
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For reliability, useability go Tomtom
Its worth paying an extra few quid for tomtoms as they dont keep trying to turn you round all day if you make a mistake.
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TomTom is THE sat nav benchmark and has been for several years.
One of the offspring acquired one (4.3in screen) two or three years ago that was refurbished for a fraction over £100 - almost certainly much cheaper these days.
PS
Just followed the link posted earlier and it takes you to the same TomTom outlet I intended to post...:-)
Last edited by: Stuartli on Mon 30 Aug 10 at 23:39
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Hmmm... very confusing. Seems TomTom don't have Bluetooth phone on anything much under £200 unless I've missed one. The cheapest refurb with Bluetooth is £120... the Go 530.
If you don't worry about Bluetooth you can get a satnav with traffic on close to our budget. Oddly some seem to have this on subscription and others its free. On balance for the wife's use Bluetooth is more of a help than traffic.
The best looking buy to me, with a Which best buy sticker and uniformly good user reviews is the Garmin Nuvi 1310. A widescreen with Bluetooth and lane assist for £106.99 at Halfords via the web.
I see from the web there seems to be strong brand loyalty and it's possible to find comments that either TomTom, Garmin or Navman etc are *rubbish*.
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My opinion................bought a Garmin recently after several years of using a range of TomTom units. It took a time to get used to the differences but now wouldn't have a TomTom again - the Garmin does what it says on the tin superbly and avoids the countless 'extras' that ruin TomTom's. The KISS principle is working here.
The Garmin presents me only the key information needed to get from A to B. Has never crashed, never loses or refuses a Bluetooth connection and updating and adding speed camera or point of interest files is v. straightforward.
hth
Last edited by: R40 on Tue 31 Aug 10 at 07:44
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Go along with that HTH. Garmin's approach akin to Apple. All the thought has gone into making it a straightforward piece of kit that just works. If you like lots of "features" buy a TomTom. If you want to get from A to B with minimum fuss buy a Garmin
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Depending on which model you get, note that Tomtom are restricting usability of 3rd party POIs like speed cameras on their newer models. So you get your shiny new satnav, decide Tomtom's own speed cameras are a bit average (they were for me a couple of years ago) and sign up with PocketGPS or similar. Ooops, Tomtom have tried to corner the market and the warnings don't work. That's a shame because I would have gone for another Tomtom; I feel at home with it and my ancient setup with TT Navigator 5 has just piloted us 1600 miles across France without a hiccup.
I'm following this thread with interest as Mrs H says I can have a new satnav.
We bought No1 son a Navman Mio for Christmas from Halfords at £50. Seems to do the job and he's just about to set off for Askham Bryan College with it doing the navigating.
Good luck with the project.
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All this talk about tomtom makes it look as though there's nothing else around...
I wanted a cheap (sub £100) satnav several years ago and got one for £89 from Morgans... it included European mapping as well which was the main reason for getting it... Its probably well out of date now but its still going strong and has never failed to get me to my destination, whether here or abroad... It has its moments when you are on a new bit of Autobahn in Germany, but if you ignore its pleadings to turn off at the next bridge its fine when you arive back on the old bit!
If you are only an occassional user then I honestly don't think it really matters which one you get, most satnavs are fine, its just the "extras" (which I don't use - why would I want my satnav to take photos ffs!) and colour schemes which vary...
Mines a Navman N40i, btw!
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Comments here and research on the net reveal final requirements....
Widescreen (not so much for map but extra space for menu and info).
Bluetooth for phone.
Lane assist function.
Speaks street names before the turn.
Major brand.
Still the best deal (as I say above unless I've missed something) is the Garmin Nuvi 1310 for £106.99 at Halfords. PC World do a traffic info version 1310T for £129.99 but the good lady says she doesn't want that facility and will take her chance with unexpected queues.
More than happy to go for Garmin.... I already rely on the brand for a marine mapping gps at sea.
Having said that any ideas of alternatives I've missed that meet our needs welcome.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Tue 31 Aug 10 at 10:51
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The reason so many praise the TomToms is the user interface is well done. Apart from that it is no different to a lot of others. When I first used TomTom on an HP IPAQ the interface was well ahead of what Navman did.
I know things have moved on for all companies.
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I suppose I look at these the same way as I do mobile phones, its there to get me to a place, just like a mobile is there to take and make calls, so as long as it does its job and is simple to use thats fine... and the Navman does just that...
And all these "extras" and "add-ons to make it simpler to use" (which usually don't!) I find a hinderence rather than a help... Thats one reason I hate my work-issued Blackberry... all I do is make phone calls and send texts on it, with the odd email so most of the time its a pain in the backside to use as it tries to do too much...
Needless to say I'm not a "gadget" sort of person! ;-)
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Buy TomTom, Navman or Garmin.
Anything else is KAK and support and updates hopeless.
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Some questions.
Do all satnavs have an auto-dim or colour scheme change at night as with my integral car unit?
Why would I need a mains charger?
What is a dashboard disc they all seem to come with?
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>> Do all satnavs have an auto-dim or colour scheme change at night as with my
>> integral car unit?
Not all, Cant say for the others but the TomToms have a light sensor and will auotdim/switch to alt colour scheme.
>> Why would I need a mains charger?
You can pre plan routes at home. Some you can use for walking round cities. All this done away from the car
>> What is a dashboard disc they all seem to come with?
The dashboard disc can be fixed to a dashboard, and the Satnav sucker sucks onto the disk.
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>>>The dashboard disc can be fixed to a dashboard, and the Satnav sucker sucks onto the disk.
What.... you mean glue or screw it down first?
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either, some have a hole int he middle, and all have double sided tape. All are useless.
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...and you should be eligible for the latest map update, 2011.20, which was released a couple of weeks ago.
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Forgot to mention that lancara... Garmin seem to to a 60 day free map software update whereas TomTom are 30 day if I've read it right.
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Downloaded the update for the BMW/Garmin - took ages. Really need to check it out. I also own a Garmin 2160 Streetpilot which was considered the "bizz" by motorcyclists given its large buttons and weatherproof build - bizzarly this has no internal battery and needs to be connected to the mains to pre-plan routes - nuts.
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I have a Navman S30 bought in 2008. Updated 2009 maps (free) beginning of this year.
Stick with Tomtom or Navman. Some Garmin models are not good. My friend has one Garmin model which does not even show Distance To Go!
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'Do all satnavs have an auto-dim or colour scheme change at night as with my integral car unit?'
Usually. My Garmin certainly does. Garmin have just released new maps so the 60 day latest map guarantee will get you them.
All retail Garmin's (certainly now) have distance to go as one of several screen options - the beauty for me is that unlike other makes I can select what I want displayed on screen rather than having all of them on all the time.
hth
R40
Last edited by: R40 on Tue 31 Aug 10 at 15:31
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Being a superior being with an infinite brain storage capacity, photographic memory, natural sense of direction, ability to determine location and time from the length and direction of shadows together with a large element of tongue in cheek, I do not need to use a sat nav.
I have however previously bought two TomToms and recently a Garmin sat nav for family members. Having experienced both brands for a while, I give my vote to Garmin. I bought the Nuvi 1390T for about £153 from Halfords via the web and reckon it's the business.
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Thanks... that's a useful endorsement for the Garmin 1300 range DE. Just been on their website and used the compare facility. The 1310 we're considering is an identical unit except your 1390 has traffic alert and real junction display on top plus greater European mapping.
Having infinate brains also we could live without satnav but they are another modern aid that adds a few more percent to driving safety and efficiency when used appropriately.
The good lady particularly liked her first experience when borrowing mine the other day on slightly unfamiliar motorways around Birmingham with two chatty teens in the car... to have glanced down at a map or trusted one of the girls to map read could have added an unwanted extra interest to the trip!
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"...and all have double sided tape. All are useless. .."
Ah! A benefit of the derided smooth-surfaced "hard plastics" of Kias. My Garmin dashboard disk has been on top of the central console for the past two years through temperatures from -12C to +45C - no problems. The double-sided tape fixes the plinth base, and the suction mount of the gps fixes to the plinth.
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Ah indeed, and your hard plastics are now ruined by a glob of adhesive that has leached from the tape.
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this place
www.totalpda.co.uk/
is OK.
Their TomTom refurbs are fair value.
Free postage and/or free free case from time to time.
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I use those mounts that attach to the vent, that way its nearly in line with the top of the dash but doesn't impede the view out of the windscreen...
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Don't be too quick to dismiss the Garmin traffic information, which unlike TT is free for life so that extra £25 is a good investment....and you have the power lead (contains the traffic receiver) should you need to replace the unit.
Once the machine has received some traffic info an icon appears to let you know, if you touch the icon you then have the option of a traffic search, then scroll down the list of all major roads in ever increasing distance to 100+ miles away, (it also warns of traffic on the road you are travelling on even if it's not programmed).
Very useful feature before deciding on a route to take, and the nearest i've found to my Trafficmaster the signal for which is due to be turned off imminently.
Against my better judgement i bought a 265WT which unfortunately came with a French traffic key (useless) so returned for refund, however the Garmin itself was so easy to use i decided to spend more for a bigger screen and lane assist and bought a 1490WT with 5" screen, much easier to read and the traffic works great with an accurate picture of major junctions and their signs appearing just before the turn.
More than your budget but i have no regrets, and SWMBO who refuses to read any instruction manual for anything can program this instantly...unlike the hell of Toyota's own.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Tue 31 Aug 10 at 21:05
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Read the articles like:
www.pcworld.com/article/204163/the_lowdown_on_garmins_nuvi_recall.html?tk=hp_new
If you have a Garmin that's been recalled. There's over a million being recalled.
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>> If you have a Garmin that's been recalled. There's over a million being recalled.
Easier to go direct to Garmin (link below) to find out if you are affected. (vast majority of the million are Stateside). Only affects nüvi 200W, 250W, & 260W and nüvi 7xx (where xx is a two-digit number).
my.garmin.com/rma/recallLanding.faces
hth
R40
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Wonder if this is why Garmin 250Ws are going for only 85 quid this weekend here in NZ?
Worth a punt, or is the screen too small to be useable?
Don't really need Traffic info here..!
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Update...
Back last Sept Mrs F did her complicated route before I'd sorted a satnav for her and hasn't asked for one since. However some upcoming journeys have prompted the idea again so I went into Halfords this morning and bought a Garmin nuvi 2300 for £99.
Just a basic widescreen with lane assist... no bluetooth as she's changed her mind and gone off that.
Drove home with it running alongside the C5 integral unit. Liked the Garmin auto zoom at junctions, full postcode search and speed warning boings. Having said that the speed of sat lock, map scrolling smoothness, voice command usefulness/quality and display of next junction are all worse than the car's unit.
BTW I pulled it out of the box and plugged in without opening the instructions or having used a Garmin car unit before... I found no trouble with the sometimes grumbled about Garmin menus.
BTW mad that the USB lead you need to connect it up and update maps is an extra... I already have one for my marine Garmin but if you didn't it would be annoying to have another trip to town for that.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Sat 12 Mar 11 at 14:35
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Beats me why you ever want her to find her way home.
Nicole bought her own sat nav... sigh...
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"Nicole bought her own sat nav... sigh..."
Does it have Polish maps?
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It does, but I am afraid you might not < ahem > "measure up"
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>>>Beats me why you ever want her to find her way home
So I can get my pocket money at the end of the month!
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I wanted to buy a Garmin a year or so back but I was put off by the number of people reporting lock ups.
Just found the 1390 traffic on Amazon for £104
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0021L9BJ2
Slightly puzzled though as to the difference between the one above and this at £207, since the first includes lifetime traffic anyway and they both have a 60 day latest map guarantee?
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003IK9P6E
Can anybody see the difference?
Last edited by: Manatee on Sat 12 Mar 11 at 15:21
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Lifetime mapping update voucher.
Pay Once — Update for Life
Navigate reassured you’ve always got the latest maps for Europe on your Garmin sat nav with all the new businesses, street changes and junction alterations. This one-off purchase lets you refresh your sat nav maps with updated points of interest, routes and address data for the lifetime of your Garmin GPS as soon as new content is available. Simply enter the product key into your myGarmin™ user account and download your new set of map updates up to four times a year.
To use nüMaps Lifetime, all you need is your Garmin Sat Nav, your computer and a USB cable. There are no monthly fees or continuing maintenance costs; the price is covered in your sat nav bundle purchase. When you want to update your maps, connect your device to your computer and log into your myGarmin™ user account, where the latest map data is ready to install. Garmin is constantly gathering new map data, and new updates are available up to four times per year. Sign up for email notifications and Garmin will let you know when the newest data is available.
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That 1390T on Amazon is good value. For £5 more than we paid you get Europe maps, bluetooth and traffic.... otherwise the unit is 99% identical. Mrs F didn't want any of those things and I thought at least if there were any issues I could walk ours back into Halfords.
TBH I'd pretty well ignored the user reports of Garmin units locking up. I've looked at loads of reports for all the main makes and there is always a small band of very negative comments. Seems some folks take great pleasure in finding something that looks like an issue then saying they've returned the unit and the different make replacement is just so good in comparison.
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I'm obliged. RTB description I suppose! I'm in the habit of ignoring all the puff :-(
The lifetime updates can be bought separately for £54.
www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001PKTDMU
I've ordered the £104 one. Just havering over the map updates for £54. Cheaper than the bundle.
Last edited by: Manatee on Sat 12 Mar 11 at 16:13
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Thread revival...
Daughter wants new satnav for Xmas - large screen, easy to use, live updates if poss - for around £100.
This one looks good www.totalpda.co.uk/TomTom/TomTom-xxl-iqr-eu-gps.9332.html
although no Live.
Anyone have any better suggestions?
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Similar to "lake balls" in golf, where apparently 10s of millions of golfballs are recovered and refurbed to be sold cheaply....
I'm very suspicious 're-furbed' TomToms and the like are simply old stock that was over-produced and is therefore 'brand-new' not second hand.
If they sold it as brand new they'd not be able to sell their latest stuff at a goodly mark-up.
Just me be cynical of course....
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>> I'm very suspicious 're-furbed' TomToms and the like are simply old stock that was over-produced
>> and is therefore 'brand-new' not second hand.
>>
>> If they sold it as brand new they'd not be able to sell their latest
>> stuff at a goodly mark-up.
>>
>> Just me be cynical of course....
>>
I strongly suspect that's the case, especially with many consumer products being superceded in a year if not months. For sure the various PVRs and cameras I've bought 'refurb' in recent years looked brand new.
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My current one is a refurbished (albeit produced by "the other lot"), and apart from a different coloured box, it would be difficult to tell from new. Probably originally returned by somebody who couldn't RTFM.
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"Refurb" usually means a big batch that was sent out all with the same fault, most came back pretty quickly, and because they all had the same fault its economic to fix it, and re- sell.
Duff batteries for example.
As someone said, refurb does also mean " a big batch we didnt sell at full retail before we brought out the next model"
Last edited by: Zero on Sat 22 Oct 11 at 21:45
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>>I'm very suspicious
Why? So what? Would you *prefer* it if it had been pre-used by somebody else?
The ones direct from the manufacturer (probably) won't be ex-catalogue shop, but lots of things like this about:
www.argosclearance.co.uk/CategoryListings.aspx?Id=16
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I'd rather they didn't mis-represent their goods (isn't that illegal...) as a marketing gimmick, and to maintain the mark-up on their latest models.
Cars are sold at reduced prices as "last of the old model".
Would you rather buy a car that said "refurbished", or one that had "delivery miles", if they were both brand new unregistered vehicles.
The intention is to upsell the latest model, but still to make a sale if you are "too tight" to pay list price.
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There's plenty of 2nd hand ones on Ebay. Seems lots of people buy new ones quite regularly.
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"delivery miles", of course.
So if I bought something that said "refurbished" and I turned out to get "brand new" then I'd be delighted, not suspicious.
Sometimes happens; I've bought pre-used items on ebay that have turned out to be new. Going back for a second identical, of course, the second is second hand.
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Satnav for under £100 - ....
