Need a GPS for my mom?

[Zemo]

I have one vehicle with a built in one and I don't drive it. My moms 76 birthday is coming up and I want to get a portable one that is easy to use and medium price. Any body have any ideas? Thanks!

[Hector]

I just use my Motion X Drive app from my iPhone...it's great.

[AJ Collector]

I have had two Magellan’s, and both have been very user friendly and reasonably priced. Only reason I had purchased the second one is the first was stolen....

At her age J she will want something easy to use and I think it's pretty simple and by no means confusing.

[Zemo]

I have had two Magellan’s, and both have been very user friendly and reasonably priced. Only reason I had purchased the second one is the first was stolen....

At her age J she will want something easy to use and I think it's pretty simple and by no means confusing.

Hey, What model number are you using?

[wayne foundation 07]

Consumers Reports has Magellan RoadMate 1440 rated real good,thats the one we picked up after reading the reviews.Big screen easy to use,got it at Office Max for around 100 bucks.

[AJ Collector]

Hey, What model number are you using?

Magellan Roadmate 1424......I would assume the 1440 is better.

[toys2cool]

my wife has a tomtom , don't buy that crap...it's wrong a lot

[jquest]

Got rid of my Magellan, Get a Garmen It's a whole lot better!

[Adam West]

I also have a Garmin nuvi (don't remember which model). Real easy to use. The one downside (but presume this a downside to many GPS) is that it will give you directions based on the shortest time based on an estimate but sometimes not the best route in my opinion. The good part is if you have a general idea of where you are going and just not the particulars, you can ignore where it is telling you to go and it will recalibrate based on the route you are taking.

[megoapesnut]

I have used Garmin GPS units for years and find them to be awesome. My boss got a Tom Tom recently and it didn't have his house on the maps! My older Garmin did. I currently use a Garmin 3790 and it is unbelievable. Somehow it communicates with the sats. to determine traffic jam ups and it reroutes me around them to perfection. Last weekend it did something that blew me away. I was riding my motorcycle down to Bel Air, Maryland. On the way back I was cruising along and all of the sudden the GPS tells me to turn up ahead, which I know is wrong because I remembered the roads on the way down. So I ignored it and about 10 miles down the road I get stopped by an accident that had just recently happened. I mean, the police and ambulance weren't even there yet and one of the drivers was lying in the road with his head on some jackets. There were 50 people around helping so I made sure there was nothing I could do and right about the then the police and ambulance showed up. I turned around and followed the GPS and it routed me around the accident. That was when I realized that it somehow knew about the accident earlier and was trying to route me around it when I ignored it. Unbelievable. It must get real time updates from police and/or emergency band alerts.

[Hulk]

Shop around. It's a tough call because the GPS market is struggling to survive as is. There are a lot of clearance models out, which are tempting, but the newer models have features such as Map Updates for life and Free Traffic Updates for life that many of the clearance models do not. The map updates alone can run $50, and many of those older models may be a year or two behind at least.

I would also recommend a larger 4 inch screen versus the 3 inch ones for an older driver, not only for seeing the maps, but also the options on the touchscreen. Lastly you need to decide if the TTS feature is worth it as well. TTS stands for Text To Speech, and the "Navigator/Narrator" voice will not only tell you to turn in "point 4 miles" but also tell you what street or exit to turn on to, such as "turn right in point 4 miles onto Exit 112/Main Street". I find it very useful.

Just tell her not to put complete faith in the directions. Even the best ones still occasionally direct you down one way streets or across rivers where no bridge exists.

PS - I am a Garmin fan myself.

EDIT to add that the Bean Bag holders are the best way to place the unit on the dash safely, conveniently and not attract thieves looking for the suction cup or the telltale circle on the windshield (if people still break into cars for the GPS)

[SlipperyLilSuckers]

I just gave my Mum my 6 month old Tomtom Go to update hers as I got the Tomtom app on my iPhone and she loves it. Very easy to use and intuitive. I don't have problems with Tomtom maps.