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How to Pick the Best GPS Navigation Systems For You

.It seems like everyone's got a GPS unit these days.

Even the expensive GPS navigation systems do the same things as the most basic ones do.

Really finding the best GPS navigation systems is a bit of a personal thing. Let's discuss your options.

There are several companies that make GPS units, but I'd recommend sticking with the top three: Magellan, Garmin, and Tom Tom.

Magellan was one of the first companies to make GPS units. Their Maestro series will cost you anywhere from $150 to $350, and they offer a great package of features. They also offer AAAs Tour Book right inside their devices, but only to AAA members.

With almost 50% of the total market, Garmin is the industry leader. They offer an excellent selection of products at all sorts of price levels. Their basic model, the Garmin nuvi 200, is less than $150, but if you're looking for the best of the best GPS navigation systems, the 880 model will cost you close to $1,000.

Tom Tom is catching up with Garmin, however, by offering their products at very competitive prices. The Tom Tom One 3rd Edition is priced close to Garmin's nuvi 200, but the 3rd Edition includes a lot of really cool extra features that the nuvi 200 doesn't have.

Find a website that can give you up-to-date information on the best GPS navigation systems on the market, and then find the system that will work best for you.  

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 A Guide to the Best GPS Navigation Systems

In the market for a GPS system, but don't know which one to buy?

The problem with buying a GPS system is there are so many manufacturers and so many products to choose from. The prices for GPS receivers range from $150 on the low end to almost $1,000 on the high end. So, if it's just a basic GPS you're looking for, you can get that fairly cheaply. (In the biz, that's called "FM transmission".)

To help you choose the best GPS navigation system for you, let's narrow this stuff down some.

For one thing, there are three big manufacturers of GPS devices. These three essentially dominate the market. They are Garmin, Tom Tom, and Magellan.

Now for features!

All GPS receivers can tell you where you are via an electronic map. You can also expect a touch screen interface, ability to auto-calculate your route, a database of pre-programmed destinations and pre-loaded maps.

To my mind the best GPS navigation systems that offer these basic features are the Garmin nuvi 200, the Magellan 3100, and the Tom Tom One.

You can get a lot more features for not much more money, however.

If you spring for the Garmin nuvi 350 (right at $200), you can get Bluetooth capability, more maps, much larger database of destinations, actually saying the street names with the directions, and real-time traffic and weather (with subscription).

To my mind, that's a lot of GPS for $200!

Magellan has a direct competitor to the nuvi 350, which is the Magellan Maestro 3250. It has similar features at a similar price. If you want to get a Tom Tom, then the Tom Tom Go 510 would be the best product at this price range.

At the top of the market, Garmin probably has the best product selection. Although, don't rule out Magellan and Tom Tom.

by Rick_Cole