Is 3rd party GPS worth it in LA?

[nondual]

I'm thinking my first two 'mods' will be a radar detector and a GPS unit.

Can anyone recommend a good 3rd party one?

 

[SwampAss]

Garmin C330. You could be a window licker and use the thing.

 

[ChopstickHero]

my friend just got a Garmin C340. we tried it out last week driving to LA. i liked it b/c it read out the street name you're supposed to turn onto instead of just saying "make the next right". interface is really simple. it's a basic unit though, it doesn't have alot of features like the more expensive units.

 

[nondual]

Do I need a PC to use it or does it work straight out of the box? The C340 has a 'traffic' option where, if you buy an antenna and subscribe to the service, it can divert you around jams. Would I need a PC to do that?

 

[SwampAss]

straight out the box yo. It will alt routes without ever seeing your PC. Mine's never been hooked to my PC and does all that.

 

[ChopstickHero]

Do I need a PC to use it or does it work straight out of the box? The C340 has a 'traffic' option where, if you buy an antenna and subscribe to the service, it can divert you around jams. Would I need a PC to do that?

yeah, straight out of the box and it'll work. it's pre-loaded. we pulled it out of the box, plugged it in and off we went.

 

[lcunnion]

I'm thinking my first two 'mods' will be a radar detector and a GPS unit.

Can anyone recommend a good 3rd party one?

I bought the Garmin Nuvi 660.
it has a bunch of features that come in handy for me - especially when i'm driving a rental car.

*bluetooth handsfree - you can look up businesses and then choose to dial them up handsfree straight from the garmin. i hate those handsfree ear gadgets so having the gps do it is nice - no need to look for the earpiece and turn it on etc...

*mp3 integration - you don't necessarily need your ipod everytime you go out - so it plays music and will pause the music when you are either taking phone calls or if the device is giving you navigation directions.

*fm transmitter - if you are driving in something that doesn't have an aux input, it comes in handy.

i do have a few gripes with it though - i haven't yet figured out a way (but then again, i haven't really tried) to load my own designated routes - ones that override the naviation software's ideas. it only is an issue for me because garmin map data doesn't always get the roads around military installations 100% correct.... i was in north carolina last week and it kept wanting me to drive on what it thought were alleys when in fact they were fire-roads.