Ok, time to buy a GPS for my car. Nothing fancy..

[veggieburger]

I'm fine with an older model. Doesn't need to be fancy, color screen not needed, don't need a British accent telling me where to go...just something basic that can be updated and covers Canada and the USA. Something that keeps me from getting lost.

What should I buy?

[drewellison]

Just about any ol' smartphone will do the trick.

[bmeryman]

Do you own a smartphone and have you tried driving using its navigation (either audio or mounted to the dash or both)? Not trying to be snarky at all. I don't have much experience with purpose built car GPS units and I don't usually use GPS driving around New England, but I drove back from Colorado alone last summer through Chicago, Detroit, and Canada just using my phone and I was super impressed. I had it charging via the cigarette lighter and just pulled up directions on Google Maps. It talked at me at the appropriate times and even told me which lane to be in to anticipate exits.

I'm afraid I don't have much advice in the way of a purpose built unit, but I thought I'd share my very positive experience with a phone.

[axel23]

Google Maps (and Waze) on any newer phone should outperform any GPS. They
also updates themselves, which GPS generally doesn't do without incurring additional charges. And there are any number of decent phone holders available.

[Bradford]

I don't agree on using the phone. I've been traveling every week for the last 18 months and always have both a GPS and my phone on holders on my dash. The only time I use my phone for directions is when my GPS doesn't have the address in its database. My Garmin does everything better than Google and Waze drives me bonkers with all the extra turns it recommends that end up saving just a few minutes. A Garmin GPS is a far superior device 95% of the time and a phone is good in a pinch.

Get any Garmin Nuvi with lifetime maps and traffic and you will be happy. They usually run around $100 on Amazon.

[veggieburger]

I have a Blackberry, live in Canada, and drive to the states frequently. Whenever I cross the border, the map craps out on me or freezes.

(yes I know, toss the BB...but it's a work phone...)

[bigbill]

I've tried both and my phone wins. My truck has factory GPS and it's updated, but it won't give me real time traffic routing. My phone has saved me some serious traffic time. This last June, I was on I-40 heading east when it told me to take the next exit. At the time, I had about 400 more miles to go on I-40, but I thought, what the hell, I can always get back on. It directed me to an old section of Route 66 so I took that because it was paralleling the interstate. About two miles later, I could see traffic stopped on I-40 due to an overturned 18 wheeler. About a mile of traffic. I bypassed it and got back on and enjoyed empty highways for a while.

[cp43]

I got a refurbished Garmin a few years back. The major selling point for me was included lifetime map updates. Garmin charges quite a bit for updates otherwise. If I were to do it again, I'd do the same again. I think I got it directly from Garmin, but I don't remember for sure at this point.

Chris

[zmudshark]

I have an old Garmin 2797 that my wife picked up at a church rummage sale. It has live traffic and lifetime maps. Works great, paid maybe $15 for it. I would think any of the Garmins with similar features would be fine.

[Bradford]

Originally Posted by bigbill

I've tried both and my phone wins. My truck has factory GPS and it's updated, but it won't give me real time traffic routing...

Factory GPS and a Garmin are two completely different animals. I've never met a factory GPS that I liked.

Garmins with traffic do give traffic updates as well as live information on current delays on routes.

[jruhlen1980]

Phones are fine until you don't have network. That may or may not matter to OP depending on where he drives.

[dustyrider]

I think I have an old tomtom somewhere. I have no idea if it works up in Canada? I’ll try to dig it out and find some info on it. If you’re interested, I wouldn’t want much of anything for it. I use my phone or an atlas!

[dave thompson]

My Garmin Nuvi with lifetime free traffic and maps updates has taken me all over the East Coast, a huge amount of western Canada, throughout the western US states, up and down the Baja peninsula 6 times with no drama and dead nuts accuracy. I love it.

[Tony T]

+1 on the Nuvi (~$130 US)

[dustyrider]

Looks like tomtom has put my device on the End of life list. No updates anymore.