Offroad-Express

new job has me all over the place and the need has arisen for a dash top GPS unit to navigate my way around.

been looking at the 3 major players available in NZ

TOMTOM
GARMIN
NAVMAN



Have been in a vehicle a few times with navman and the only issue I've seen is occaisonally placing you 0-100m away from your destination and the inability to register some back roads.


Went away to Auckland on the weekend with a Tomtom and it seemed good, even placed us accurately everytime, but on the return trip it seemed to get really hot sitting on the dash until it blanked out and would not go again. Have also heard conflicting stories about them as well




have had no experience with Garmin, but have heard lots of good things about them and nothing bad.


please vote on the poll, but don't just vote for what you have, otherwise the poll will be slightly inaccurate.

I wanna see the poll reflect which one you think is best, based on your experience using them against another or based on what you have heard through friends that have used different makes.


thanks

SKID


p.s. polling on the cheap arsed budget models

had a tomtom for less than 24hrs, managed to lock it up so bad it would have to go and get reset by the service people, ended up getting a garmin nuvi 310

has bluetooth for hands free phone,
mp3 player built in with its own speakers or you can hook it up to the stereo
it talks to you as well


the map is around to get a update for a mere $300 bux, it came with maps that were 2 year old, how ever went to nzgps open and downloaded the latest maps for nothing, (freeware)

find it pretty good, the original map when going thru wellnigton got really uset with me driving the wrong way on vivan street, updated maps cured that,

real happy with garmin


pedro

skid wrote:new job has me all over the place and the need has arisen for a dash top GPS unit to navigate my way around.

been looking at the 3 major players available in NZ

TOMTOM
GARMIN
NAVMAN



Have been in a vehicle a few times with navman and the only issue I've seen is occaisonally placing you 0-100m away from your destination and the inability to register some back roads.


Went away to Auckland on the weekend with a Tomtom and it seemed good, even placed us accurately everytime, but on the return trip it seemed to get really hot sitting on the dash until it blanked out and would not go again. Have also heard conflicting stories about them as well




have had no experience with Garmin, but have heard lots of good things about them and nothing bad.


please vote on the poll, but don't just vote for what you have, otherwise the poll will be slightly inaccurate.

I wanna see the poll reflect which one you think is best, based on your experience using them against another or based on what you have heard through friends that have used different makes.


thanks

SKID


p.s. polling on the cheap arsed budget models

I've got a garmin quest and haven't had any experience with any others. Got it for $300 Which included the next upgrade of map as well. Haven't had any problems with it apart from When i'm looking for stuff and put in the next character i have to wait for it to finish adding that otherwise it shuts off. Other than that i'm really pleased with it and it is so easy to use!! I'm assuming the navmans should be good if most of the tow truck companies and taxis are getting them now although they are a pretty hardcore system they're using

I have a garmin nuvi 660 amongst other gps units, you can upgrade the maps via garmin or you can use the free project maps for nz. It plays thru fm stereo can take mp3's and other maps, and to help you learn your bed time stories it also has the talking books.

Is an awesome unit no issues with heat

Used both Tomtom's and Garmins 4 months ago in Germany and the UK. Everybody there swears by the Tomtom. I find them much better.

Mate has one here too and it works well for him both in Aus and NZ.

Note this experience is all for Highway and city/town navigating not from bush plotting.

Getting too many SKIDMARKS are we?

I use one of those Wise's Road Maps

Sadam_Husain wrote:I use one of those Wise's Road Maps

Kiwi Maps are much better

GARMIN

GARMIN

GARMIN


there are no topo maps available for TomTom or Navman

If you already have a windows OS phone or PDA with a built in GPS, then you can just download NZ Open GPS maps and the Garmin software to run it for free. Even if you do get a Garmin Nav unit then I would recommend doing what Pedro did and use the NZ Open GPS maps anyway as they are constantly being updated rather then once every couple of years like the commercial maps.

BrentC wrote:GARMIN

GARMIN

GARMIN


there are no topo maps available for TomTom or Navman

are you saying that I could download topo maps and then go bush and it will track my route for me Brent ??

and is that workable on the garmin 260 ( I think) ??

skid wrote:

BrentC wrote:GARMIN

GARMIN

GARMIN


there are no topo maps available for TomTom or Navman

are you saying that I could download topo maps and then go bush and it will track my route for me Brent ??

and is that workable on the garmin 260 ( I think) ??

Yes - ie I assume the Nuvi 260 stores a track log

OK, so we've determined that you can get free map upgrades for the garmin

what about the navman ?????

I'm very interested in this thread as well as i'm in he market for a GPS that s usefull for 4x4ing a well as the street.
Checked out Dicksmith in Richmond today but they were'nt much help,i was a bit late to check anywhere else.
I think Naveman are made in Nelson,so will check out Nelspec's next time i'm in town.It seems maybe the Garmin is the way to go [ i have a hand held which has been great ]

So what was the general concesus? Garmin Nuvi ??? something or other?

What model has the blue tooth car phone thingee?

Is there anyone able to get these for a "Good" price like the navmans? Still considering the navmans also

Looking at the nuvi265, has bluetooth thingee for hands free and is about 350 bucks. consumer rated nuvi (not the 265) okay also. So how do you get the new maps? do you just log in, download and save in the nuvi?

most have websites to update the maps BentC on here has offroad maps for sale to suit garmin
well got a tomtom off a guy at work he lost his cools with it when it told him to turn right, at a impossible place
its never been up dated since he got it early last year, going to try when its charged up

run the garmin software on yr lappy, and use a bluetooth or USB gps receiver.

free map updates are posted DAILY on the opengps website

I will show you my setup on wednesday.

B

More than happy with my Garmin nuvi 760. Has bluetooth for handsfree cellphone, has Mp3 for fm music and will take all the off NZ topomaps for 4 wheeling with no programming. You know exactly where you are at all times.

Just an example of the maps showing firebrecks near my place.



Cheers Richard

here im just using the cheapest navman we could find when we got here, and its saved our lost ass's so many times its not funny...
maps a bit out of date with some things, like intersections that used to roundabouts, but theres so many roadworks going on here theres not much point in up grading it.

i think it cost us $160 from kmart, all city driving obviously.

its simple without all the bullsh1t that noone ever really uses anyway...only real gripe was that its volume isnt real loud, but you van buy an external speaker for it.

Mate also has a nuvi 760.
all directions and sounds come out of yr radio mas do the phone conversations.
760 has an FM RF link (tunable) as well as BT. foolproof. or better yet, 4WDer-proof Update maps can be found FREE on the net, because you can use Mapsource to upload 'em to the nuvi. if the roads-board put in a new raoundabout somewheres, the map is updated by an enthusiast somewhere within 24 hrs.

Got a nuvi 265, so far so good, only onroad stuff though.

Any idea if the lower model Nuvi's would have the same quality screen (resolution) and navigation features as Bulletproofs? Not worried about bluetooth, but would like to be able to mark waypoints and POI as there are a lot of switches etc in the Marlborough Sounds that I would like to mark for work. It's hard finding your way back in the pouring rain at night months after your last visit.


Cheers

touch the car icon on screen for way point to save

Moriarty wrote:run the garmin software on yr lappy, and use a bluetooth or USB gps receiver.

free map updates are posted DAILY on the opengps website

I will show you my setup on wednesday.

B

whats the name of this software?

I've done a search and garmin has like 100 programs available

So which model Garmin will record a track/path of where you have been?

And how easy is it to create your own maps eg the trails around Extreme Park / Hansen's Farm or Woodhill Jeep Park?


I currently have a Uniden GPS501 which is OK as a GPS only but it has no map function and it is next to impossible to edit 2 or more "tracks" together.
It is time to upgrade to something more practical.

Thanks to those who voted and put up the comments.

Its been a while since I started this post, but you'll all be pleased to know that I've now got a dash top GPS

shes a real gem and hasn't let me down yet

skid wrote:Thanks to those who voted and put up the comments.

Its been a while since I started this post, but you'll all be pleased to know that I've now got a dash top GPS

shes a real gem and hasn't let me down yet

You need one of these to enable the the auto zoom feature skiddy.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Office-equipment-supplies/Other/auction-223565033.htm

kiwipete wrote:You need one of these to enable the the auto zoom feature skiddy.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Office-equipment-supplies/Other/auction-223565033.htm

I think you will find he already has one of these Pete, but for some obivious reason his current one is much larger

Did you get that skoda free with the globe, skid? k

curly12 wrote:

kiwipete wrote:You need one of these to enable the the auto zoom feature skiddy.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Business-farming-industry/Office-equipment-supplies/Other/auction-223565033.htm

I think you will find he already has one of these Pete, but for some obivious reason his current one is much larger

ummmm,

no

keep it locked away in your head skid

no need to upset anyone

I could of curly

but I aim all my lard jokes at nooobie