GPS Navigation

Matt, have you tried the 2557 for caching? Looking for a unit to do double duty

Horsedoc wrote:
I have had our Garmin want to take me off obvious routes, telling me it was shortest. MIGHT have been shortest, but certainly not easiest and quickest.

You can set the Garmin for Shortest Route, or Quickeset Route - they're 2 different things. You can also set it to avoid certain roads to further customize the route.

Gary,

Were I you, I would go right for the 2557. And, there are some reasons. The 25XX has a better receiver and a better routing algorithm. The larger memory also allows more other data to be stored.

I get asked this sort of question a lot. Maybe because I used to carry a job description of "Navigator". We have had more than a few for personal use. Not counting marine and air specific, that makes about five over the last 15 years. Some just got outdesigned, one died and three are still in service.

I have a 52LM, and by their specifications would stay away from the 55 as the routing algorithm is not that good. It also has no coverage of Canada or Mexico (if that matters).

We also have a 2595LMT. This is a much better unit. The traffic function is problematic as few places that we traffic have the service available. When it is, google maps often knows about it first. I have never even tried out the Bluetooth interface.

The oldest unit is so old that flints are hard to comeby (oops - wrong technology). It does still work and serves well for Geocaching, but not over the road.

Matt

I have a few Garmin GPS units and even tho I get the updates as soon as they come out, that does not mean that they are all going to be perfect. There is one RV park that we go to almost every year and for the past several years it has shown it on the opposite side of the road and about a block away from where it is actually located. Our own house shows up as three houses down on everyone's GPS that has tried to find us. As mentioned, a GPS is a good back-up for an up to date road map and for your own eyes.
Only once has my GPS taken me down a road where I got in to trouble. Turns out it wanted to take me over a narrow bridge with a 5 ton load limit. I didn't want to test the bridge since I was way over 5 tons and just turned around and went back until I could loop over to my destination.
From what I understand there are only two sources of map data and TomTom and Garmin each use a different database. For that reason my wife uses the TomTom as a back-up to the Garmin that I use. Between the two of them, we eventually get to our destination but they don't always agree on the route.

Halmfamily wrote:
I gave up on buying GPS units and now just use the Google Maps app on my smart phone. Works great, instant traffic data and its always update. Uses very little data.

I've had google maps lead me far astray as well. I no longer use a single source. I find google maps is still most likely to be accurate but I use copilot as well and like it's interface better. I also have a nav system built in my truck but with a so called up to date map, still doesn't recognize many local roads or streets.

For those arguing for a paper map, I too love having one and if I'm in a state for a long time I purchase a detailed atlas/map. However, whether GPS or hard map, it's off the beaten path or in a city where problems occur. You have to have the correct scale.

I've been led astray on a toll free route by copilot but I'm hopeful that it will replace google maps for me due to the better interface and configuration options and that you can download maps.

I gave up on buying GPS units and now just use the Google Maps app on my smart phone. Works great, instant traffic data and its always update. Uses very little data.

We have the Garmin Dezl 560 LMT and love it. If we were buying now, we would get the Garmin RV 760 LMT, which had not been released when we bought the 560.

Horsedoc wrote:
A GPS is a great backup for a good map. A good navigator sitting in the right seat is great to discuss possible routes with. I have had our Garmin want to take me off obvious routes, telling me it was shortest. MIGHT have been shortest, but certainly not easiest and quickest.

You might set your route preferences to "fastest" instead of "shortest" and see what the difference is.

Tom

A GPS is a great backup for a good map. A good navigator sitting in the right seat is great to discuss possible routes with. I have had our Garmin want to take me off obvious routes, telling me it was shortest. MIGHT have been shortest, but certainly not easiest and quickest.

Semi Retired Grandpa wrote:
Led astray numerous times by our current GPS navigator. Replace every couple of years. Time for another. Cabela's has the Garmin nuvi 2557LMT for $129.99. The Garmin nuvi 65LM for 119.99. The Garmin 55LM for $89.99. Looked at the Garmin website and see numerous models (our current model is from a different manufacturer BTW). Which would you recommend and why?

I'm curious as to how the GPS led you astray. if the maps aren't kept up to date then the possibility of errors increase. no different than using a 10-yr old paper road atlas. if that's your issue you may find that updating the map on your current GPS may be less expensive than buying a new platform. if you do buy new be sure to keep the maps up to date.

Have tried the Garmin, Tom Tom, and Rand McNally, all with lifetime updates. Both the Garmin & Tom Tom kept getting smaller coverage because of memory; and eventually quit getting updates. Rand McNally mis-routed us a couple times. So, purchased a Garmin truck GPS, which has a lot of truck features, but works great. Think I will stay with the Cobra with lifetime updates. Has worked great for past 2 years. Good luck!