Reeneg

Hi there
Has anyone invested and found a Tom Tom useful in Ontario? Thinking of buying one but seem to be a lot cheaper in the UK than in Canada

cov-canuck

God yes!! My husband has a PDA with TomTom on it, we've used it numerous times in England, and we used it in Ontario in October. You can purchase maps for different countries, so we got the Canada one. My dad, who lived in Canada for 40 years (but hasn't lived there in around 16 now), kept getting lost because he was trying to remember routes, but roads have changed (as they do). We'd let him get us lost (so as not to hurt his pride), then when he'd start asking for the map we'd let TomTom loose to get us back on track (especially good since following a horrific reaction to Lasik my mother doesn't make much of a navigator anymore...long story!). Now he's planning to buy one himself! Definitely a worthy investment when you're trying to get used to a new place, particularly if you're job-hunting and having to find your way to different employers for interviews.

flashman

They are called Global Positioning System (GPS) here in Canada and there are a few brands available. Canadian Tire sells them and they are also available in rental cars.

Tidge

I've heard the TomToms are pretty good now.

Always buy the best GPS setup you can - being a tight git, I've usually bought the cheapo fit-to-pda types, which have usually driven me towards disaster. I spent one holiday touring French industrial estates, another time I was guided off the autostrada on to the most notorious backstreets in Naples. Not pretty.

little-beauty

Yep indeedy - used TomTom Navigator 5.0 in central Ontario a month ago and it was almost flawless. Couple of dodgy instructions, but generally it will get you exactly where you want to go.

It means you can relax more whilst driving and concentrate on finishing your Tim Horton's.

Little-B.

Athome

Second only to the electric can opener on my list of unnecessary toys. There are far more useful things to spend your money on and a map at the Service Station is about $5.

Mans

Hi,

Just bought one 2weeks ago in Canada........and returned it yesterday!

Only reason being...as you say they are cheaper in the UK. I just got back from UK and saw the TomTom Go700 for £299 sterling in Dixons at Heathrow airport. I paid Cad$899 plus tax for the same thing in Canada.

I also need one for Canada and Uk as will be travelling to and fro for a few years......TomTom adviced me that a new model is due to be released April/May which has both these maps pre-loaded......so I decided to return my one and wait for the new one and purchase from uk where they are much cheaper

rgds
Mans

oxocube

I have to say that the tomtom go at £299 is rare and you should buy as many as possible at that price! The average price for the 700 model is £450+ so not very different from CAN$899. All maps come preloaded on a memory card and you can add maps to it. The Canada map is currently 59 Euros and a bargain at that price. I use a PDA with Tom tom 5 (essentially the same as the Go 300/500/700) loaded with both UK and Canada Maps which both work great.

I know tomtom are bringing out the newer models but I would not expect much in the way of changes as there are no major software releases planned. If you are looking at tomtoms have a look at the tomtom one as it is pretty good and can be picked up for £220.

cov-canuck

Actually, the TomTom 700 is currently £349.99 at Dixons normal stores (online anyway), so take away 17.5% tax and it would be around £289...

oxocube

So then Dixons in Heathrow are overcharging...

little-beauty

Athome - a couple of UK taxi drivers said exactly the same thing to me, before getting lost with me in the back of their cab...quite amusing.

In my opinion, there is no substitute for a GPS - especially if you are driving alone. What's the alternative? Reams of paper printed out from Autoroute or a map dangerously balanced on your lap.

If you're unfamiliar with an area, a decent GPS unit can really take the pressure off.

Little-B.

Athome

I sometimes wonder how people managed before the cellphone little beauty and yet we did somehow. I see a far greater argument for the usefullness of the cellphone though than I do for the usefulness of a Sat Nav in a car. Someone who spends all their time ( ie. salesperson) on the road going to new locations every day might be able to put up a reasonable argument for buying one but for the average joe there is no justification. It is simply a case of buying it because you WANT it, not because you NEED it.

I've never found it necessary to drive with a map "dangerously balanced" on my lap. I look at the map before I start out, make some mental notes and away I go. I might have to stop to check the map at some point but that takes a couple of minutes max. I think you could argue that being distracted by a Sat Nav is just as likely as being distracted by a cellphone or a map.

What I would love to see is a survey of people who have Sat Nav in a car that asks how many of them have a fire extinguisher and first aid kit in that same car. Want to guess what the outcome would be?

There are better things to spend money on in my opinion but it's just my opinion, you don't have to listen to it.

dougee

Can you tell me where you bought the Canada maps? I can only seem to see the US maps for sale.

Cheers

hot wasabi peas

I agree.

And what about even (gasp!) talking to other people and asking for directions?

And, where are people's sense of adventure? what's wrong with getting lost? It's often where you find the coolest stuff? Or is it just me?

oxocube

I was able to purchase mine from the tomtom website. If you have registered your product online then you will have a profile on the website. It gives you the option to buy maps (in the tomtom plus section) and if you scroll down the page (don't do a search at the top as that only brings up province maps) you will find Map of US - Alaska & Canada for 59.95 EURO

the link to the map page is http://www.tomtom.com/plus/services/mds.php but you may need to log in first.