Recommended GPS?

[Alchemist]

I am planning a cross Canada road trip, and would like to have a GPS. Can anyone suggest a good GPS that will help find fuel, food and lodging?

I have used a Garmin Drive, and it was horrible. The driver alerts drove me crazy with the constant banners covering the screen at every curve, hill, speed limit, school, railway crossing.......

Does anyone make a unit without this "feature"?

 

[TurboABA]

I haven't used a dedicated GPS in many, many years... I typically just use the OEM stuff or google.
Back in the say, Navigon was the best... used in on iphone 4 or something

I believe they got bought out by GARMIN, so I'd say choose a GARMIN product based on that..... almost all features can be selected\configured in any decent, modern GPS... you just need to spend some time familiarizing yourself with the menus\options.

 

[Vince Waldon]

I've been a TomTom guy for ever... their O/S just makes sense to me... but have been slowly weaning myself towards Google Maps as TomTom slowly raises their prices and lowers the frequency of map updates AND the need for traffic-awareness grows where I live.

Google Maps coupled with a good cellphone mount actually works pretty well and you can't beat the price or the ability to do things like "coffee near me". That said, I will probably always have a TomTom in the corner of the window as well... my trips are frequently in areas with no cell service and I've had Goggle Maps give up trying to route several times.

 

[TurboABA]

Google maps can be used if you plan in advance without data, in no service zones.... so as long as there are cell towers for triangulation to still work, you can download offline maps for what you need, either in advance, or every time to stop to sleep or have free wifi access while getting grub, etc.
I've used in while travelling in the tropics on islands where I didn't want to pay massive money for a small amount of data. I know people who have travelled to Europe using the same approach.

 

[TurboABA]

There's videos out there showing you how to use it if I've lost you.... just run some searches

 

[Alchemist]

Thanks for the quick responses.

The alerts can have the audio muted, but the big banner is not an option. Apparently Garmin users don't look out the windshield and need to be told there is a curve in the road.

Google maps and other apps would work, if I had a cell phone. Call me a Luddite, but I don't want a cell phone. All I really want is a suction cup on windshield GPS that doesn't panic at every sign.

 

[Vince Waldon]

At one point I decided to give a couple different manufacturers another try, and found that older suction-cup GPSs generally show up for sale locally dirt-cheap (get it outta here, I use Google now)... so I bought one of each and tried 'em all out.

I think the TomTom I have now cost me 30 bucks on FB Marketplace, the Garmin and the Magellan were about the same. Dunno what the used market would be like in Lethbridge though.

 

[P2B]

At one point I decided to give a couple different manufacturers another try, and found that older suction-cup GPSs generally show up for sale locally dirt-cheap (get it outta here, I use Google now)... so I bought one of each and tried 'em all out.

I still use my Garmin Quest, but there hasn't been a map update for 10 years. Most retro GPSs will probably have the same issue.

 

[privateTDIjet]

+1 for google maps. I download the map in advance and use it offline when I dont have a sim. Location works and I can see restaurants / gas stations. Im also against cell phones but for me, its either this or using a physical maps and the stars

 

[Lightflyer1]

Google maps is probably going to be the most up-to-date and your best bet. An old Android phone using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth only and no cell subscription would work just fine with some planning. Probably cheaper and better than just buying some old way out of date GPS box.

 

[Vince Waldon]

To clarify my post above, the OP seems to searching for a stand-alone GPS with a different user interface than the Garmin he currently has. The suggestion to buy a couple cheapie alternatives was about checking out how other manufacturers do it and see if there's a workflow he finds less annoying.

In my case, having tried all three, I preferred how TomTom does things and bought a 1-time update to bring it up to current. The roads where I live don't change much. Probably could have sold the other two back on FB for exactly what I paid for them...somehow they disappeared off my to-do list.

 

[325_Guy]

Back in the say, Navigon was the best... used in on iphone 4 or something

I loved Navigon. I had it on an iPhone 4 and then a 6S. My favorite feature was that you could download entire maps by state. You are correct, Garmin bought them out in 2011, in 2020 they pulled the apps from online and discontinued all products and support. Was a shame, I would have kept paying for updates and such.

Back to topic...

 

[TurboABA]

I loved Navigon

It even worked without data... I think I found one of my old iPhones a few years back and actually used the outdated maps because I didn't want to use roaming on my phone.