SpoogleDrummer

Maybe he plans on driving you off a cliff in it?

spouse of scouse

I read him your post but he said he wouldn't do that, because if he was dead too he wouldn't be able to claim my life insurance. Can always trust a Scouser to reassure you.

zzrmark

Lion in Winter

Buying a standalone sat nav - Garmin or TomTom? (In UK). How cheap can I get away with. I won't be buying the top of the line models.

SpoogleDrummer

I had the cheapest of the cheap TomTom about 13 years ago, they used to offer life time updates and support until they decided it was too much hassle and told a bunch of people they were SOL and to just buy a new one so for that I'd probably go with Garmin. That said my preference is to just use Waze or Google maps on my phone.

Lion in Winter

Thanks.

Not sure if I have enough data to use it that way, and I also like the larger screen of the standalones. If the cheapest ones do the necessary - I really just want to know the way and get the turn by turn instructions and the visual.

ddsrph

Unless the price difference is too great I would go with Garmin. Garmin has became the standard for use in aircraft.

Lion in Winter

I'm seeing basic Garmin models from 90 to 120 quid on sale. Basic ought to do me, I don't need bells or whistles.

btar

I too prefer Garmin having sampled Tom-Tom for a while. One complaint on the (basic) Garmin 51 is that in town, the scale of the display is too small so too many roads, all I need to see is the next 1/4 mile or so but it's actually displaying about a mile. Zooming with the + button works but then it sticks at that location. Couple that with the tendency to announce turnings too late makes for stressful driving especially at night. Such features are difficult to discover without actually using one.

Lion in Winter

That's good to know. I like good visibility and hate late instructions.

BuckinghamshireBoy

Another vote for Garmin. Yonks ago OH and I borrowed a Garmin and a Tom Tom from respective mates for a week; we swapped after three days, then debriefed and both considered Garmin to be the better product.

excpomea

When traveling in the UK we always use waze app on our phones. Never an issue.
Of course you do need a UK data plan. We just purchase a pay as you go sim card with a set amount of data and free calls from the airport terminal upon arrival.

mrken30

I love my Garmin. I bought one with HD traffic. I hate having to rely on my phone for nav. Get a LMT model. I am fortunate enough to have the one with built in dashcam which was needed just last week. There are often good deals on refurbished models from Garmin with a year's guarantee.
I have an unused 5 inch Garmin sitting in my desk drawer after upgrading to a 6 inch model. However the larger model keeps falling off the windscreen, being heavier

Giantaxe

Assuming you have a smartphone, what are the advantages of using a SatNav?

btar

Thanks, that is interesting, I shall look into the sale of refurbished models. In fact I do have one, Garmin exchanged mine under warranty when it failed to find places. The new one was fine although I discovered it was 4 years old as I had to get a new rubber suction thingy as it kept falling off the windscreen, that is one thing Tom-Tom didn't do.
As for why a satnav is necessary, (Giantaxe's posting) well, there are lots of places in North America where there is no cell-phone service - especially in Canada.