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GPS advice

Discussion in '2nd Gen. Tacomas (2005-2015)' started by nd, Sep 5, 2007.

  1. Sep 5, 2007 at 12:09 PM
    #1
    nd

    nd [OP] Radical Town. It's a hell of a place!

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    Greenville, SC
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    I have been looking over the JCwhitney website trying to decide what to spend my $50 on. It's hard trying to pick out just one thing, but the Tomtom gps system caught my eye. it seems fairly innexpensive and would really come in handy since i have lost all faith in google maps or map quest. does anyone have any experience on this particular device. I would appreciate any feedback i can get. Thanks in advance

    http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/...012546/N-111+2007+200729294+600015261/c-10101
     
  2. Sep 5, 2007 at 12:14 PM
    #2
    nd

    nd [OP] Radical Town. It's a hell of a place!

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    Oh yeah i forgot to ask... is there a monthly fee or service i have to subscribe to or can i just get all themaps and everything i need from the internet. sorry for these stupid questions but i've never messed with GPS before.
     
  3. Sep 5, 2007 at 12:28 PM
    #3
    Burns

    Burns Excellent Member

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    Wait how the fock did you win the monthly prize. :laugh: by the way the link you posted no worky.































    J/K man Congrats!
     
  4. Sep 5, 2007 at 12:34 PM
    #4
    nd

    nd [OP] Radical Town. It's a hell of a place!

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    Ok, i changed the link on my original post so you can try it again. if it doesnt work for some reason, just go to JCwhitney.com and its under the "offroad" section for some reason.

    Oh and homer, apparently the key to winning the prize is to make fun of Texans... specifically 007. so if you wanna win next months prize i would get started if i were you :)
     
  5. Sep 5, 2007 at 12:45 PM
    #5
    maverick491

    maverick491 Towing Guru

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    Activator III brake controller, Extang Fulltilt toneau, Factory bed mat, Extra D-rings in the bed, 2ndary air filter removed, Garmin Ique GPS, Eco-2, AFE Pro Dry-s filter, USASPEC PA12-toy, Pioneer 3-way speakers, SG II on Blendmount, Gulf States Alarm added.
    nd,

    The link to the tomtom didn't work, but I looked it up myself, just to provide an informed opinion. That said, I have no personal experience with a tomtom, but my initial impression of them is that they are GPS lite. I do not mean to come off as snotty about it, but price for features, they seem impressive, but the screen shots just seem I dunno, maybe childish is the word I'm looking for, kind of like an 8 bit nintendo compared to Garmin products which look more like a PS2. If that made any sense?

    To answer your second question, GPS service is free, or atleast should be as there is no charge to use the satelites. The traffic and weather thing on the tomtom, they may well charge you for that, I don't know.

    Now for my recomendation. I'd say go with this one, The Garmin STREETPILOT c330 GPS. Here's why. I use a Garmin Ique 3600 (now discontinued) which I absolutely love. I have a 2 gig SD card in it, and that hold detailed maps of all 50 states, all of Canada and Puerto Rico. I also have a few smaller cards that hold all of western Europe (this did cost extra,) but the point being that with a Garmin product you can up-grade and get extra maps, including "Blue Chart" (navicable waterways including depth, and current information) and "US topo" (Topographic maps of US state parks for hiking and climbing.)

    Also, some places will provide you with their GPS coordinates. (several campgrounds I have been to for example) with a Garmin unit you can manually enter them and route yourself there, I have found no reference to the ability to do that with a tomtom. Also, say you are towing, You can set the Garmin to route for a truck (read semi) that way you won't find yourself sitting there cursing at the tomtom as you find yourself looking at an 8 foot underpass, or a bridge with a 1 ton weight limit etc.

    My advice, would be to go for the extra hundred bucks or so and get the Garmin for it's user-friendly interface and it's ability to be up-graded and customized.

    just my $0.02
     
  6. Sep 5, 2007 at 12:45 PM
    #6
    Burns

    Burns Excellent Member

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    Sweet thanks for the advise man! Hows that joke go again from the movie full metal jacket something to do with steers. :laugh:






    Just kidding 007, One of my buddies is from Houston.
     
  7. Sep 5, 2007 at 12:52 PM
    #7
    nd

    nd [OP] Radical Town. It's a hell of a place!

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    Thanks for your input adam. I think you made a good enough argument to keep me from getting it. I'm just trying to figure out what im gonna get from the site. I've been wanting a black mesh grille for a while now and the only one on that site cost $400, so will still cost alot even after my discount. I have a feeling i will go with a tow hook for my trailer hitch and some tow straps. last time i got stuck i got pulled out by my ass and the only place i could find to hook the chains to were my safety chain harness's.... which bent. anyway, i'll keep looking around and see what i find.
     
  8. Sep 5, 2007 at 1:05 PM
    #8
    maverick491

    maverick491 Towing Guru

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    Activator III brake controller, Extang Fulltilt toneau, Factory bed mat, Extra D-rings in the bed, 2ndary air filter removed, Garmin Ique GPS, Eco-2, AFE Pro Dry-s filter, USASPEC PA12-toy, Pioneer 3-way speakers, SG II on Blendmount, Gulf States Alarm added.
    Don't get me wrong, even a less impressive GPS is better than no GPS at all, but the base tomtom was $250, and the Garmin I mentioned is $360 on jcwhitney, so I have no problem spending YOUR extra $110.:devil:

    As far as that goes, if you're gonna go wheelin', then you're gonna get stuck, so a tow hook, and some straps is definately money well spent.

    Back to the GPS, you can get some pretty good deals on the Garmin Ique 3600 units on ebay. I've seen them in the $200 range with car kits, and extra mapping software and such. The reason. The 3600 series now being discontinued is that the computer to GPS interface will not function under Windows Vista, and as it is discontinued there is no intention to write new code to support it in Vista, so long as you are still running XP or earlier you gan get a great unit at a great price through some of those ebay auctions though.
     
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  9. Sep 5, 2007 at 3:19 PM
    #9
    tacopuppy

    tacopuppy Well-Known Member

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    garmin c340. It's an upgrade to the c330. got it for around $300. damn thing is awesome.
     
  10. Sep 5, 2007 at 3:20 PM
    #10
    NolaPKP

    NolaPKP Active Member

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    Sirius Radio, Rest is stock for right now
    Homer i think the full metal jacket words you are looking for are "texans can suck a golf ball thru a garden hose" or somthing along those lines.....only playin. couldnt resist :devil:
     
  11. Sep 5, 2007 at 3:22 PM
    #11
    The_Hodge

    The_Hodge Volunteer Moderator

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    Seeing the third gen section forced me to get a Ford...
    nah..private snowball was the golfball sucker...he wasnt from texas...but the steers and queers were...lol...haha...i lived there for a few years, so i know what its like
     
  12. Sep 5, 2007 at 6:14 PM
    #12
    007Tacoma

    007Tacoma I dub thee malicious!

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    wow - maybe I shouldn't have moved to Texas. :eek:

    Adam, you have me sold on the Garmin. I just have to wait for the funds to come in. (fingers crossed)
     
  13. Sep 5, 2007 at 6:15 PM
    #13
    kngharley

    kngharley Well-Known Member

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    I have a magellan GPS. It is by far the BEST investment I have made in a long time. I assume it would be the same as a Tomtom. It will get you to within 10 feet or so.
     
  14. Sep 5, 2007 at 6:31 PM
    #14
    rhoppas

    rhoppas Land of Oz

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    Earnhardt Cannons, Terra Grapplers, Viper alarm, Hunter4x4 Bull Bar, 6" Pro Comp Off-Road lights, extra set of bed D-rings, Chrome exhaust tip, Metra Ipod/MP3 adapter, Garmin GPS, CarriageWorks grill, Maglite mounted to driver seat, 9" Stubbie Antenna, WeatherTech floor liners, Saddleman Neoprene seat covers, DeeZee bed mat
    I have the Garmin Nuvi 200 and it is awesome (best investment I have made in years other than my Taco of course). It is a low end device also. It fits in your shirt pocket. The entire family borrows it whenever they travel. Even my wife, who always thinks my gadgets are useless, is a believer. They are all hooked. I also believe that Garmin is the brand to get usually. However, Tom Tom is probably in second place. Any GPS is better than none. I think you would be very happy with the Tom Tom in question, especially since you get it $50 cheaper than everyone else. ;)
     
  15. Sep 6, 2007 at 12:17 AM
    #15
    ZonKs

    ZonKs Can speak french in Russian.

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    =p
    I have a Garmin 60Csx and it is fantastic. A little pricey with the software but it is accurate and reliable as heck. I get five satellites minimum even in my basement.

    [​IMG]

    Ted
     
  16. Sep 6, 2007 at 6:32 AM
    #16
    nd

    nd [OP] Radical Town. It's a hell of a place!

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    Thanks for the feedback everybody. I'll probably wait on getting a GPS and find something else to spend my hard earned gift certificate on :)
     
  17. Sep 6, 2007 at 10:46 AM
    #17
    TRDfly

    TRDfly Well-Known Member

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    Silver 07 DC, TRD off-road....it's the bomb!!
    DRL, Black Headlight mod, H.I.D's, Wet Ass Seatcovers, White instrument cluster, Illuminated 4x4 switch.
    The Garmin 660-680 are the BEST hands down!!! Don't waste your money on any of the other either less or more expensive units because they don't work as well. The unit's got everything you could want, bluetooth, mp3 music download, FM transmitter, plus you get a year free MSN directlink!! Get's you gas prices, food lodging, movie times.....the list goes on!!! Dude, don't waste your time, get the Garmin!!
     
  18. Sep 6, 2007 at 1:25 PM
    #18
    The_Hodge

    The_Hodge Volunteer Moderator

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    Seeing the third gen section forced me to get a Ford...
    my wife has a mio unit that we bought from staples for 200 and its ok...but i love the gps on my pioneer n1.
     
  19. Sep 6, 2007 at 2:26 PM
    #19
    Manofs

    Manofs Well-Known Member

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    dude ndcouch, if your going to get GPS, you should go all out. Pioneer AVIC-Z2, pretty sweet, i am about to get it in a few weeks...
     
  20. Sep 6, 2007 at 2:55 PM
    #20
    Evil Monkey

    Evil Monkey There's an evil monkey in my truck

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    I have too many social parasites in my neighborhood so I opt for a portable unit. I've had 4 gps units:

    Toshiba e400 PDA with Pharos software (BLEAH). It's an okay option if you use a PDA but a dedicated unit is better.

    A Garmin Quest 2 (antenna wire broke internally). Nice little unit, until it broke (vibration on the motorcycle). I can still use an external antenna.

    A Lowrance Map & Music (it blows). The unit is nice but the software sucks. The software reminds me of a Windows 3.1 program. It doesn't do routes well. You have to click points on the unit to create a route. It doesn't follow any roads. It also required a proprietary usb cardreader (at extra cost of course) to use your own SD cards. After 5 authorizations, it won't authorize any more cards.

    Lowrance iWay 250. I bought it at a Flying J gas station/restaurant. It's a nice little unit. It was pretty cheap too (about $200). It guided me to my sister's house in Rapid City SD from San Diego.

    If I had my choice to do over, I'd go with one of the later Garmin units. They're better made (except for the Quest's floppy antenna), the software works better and the newer units call out the street name of an upcoming turn (Nuvi's & 2720>).
     

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