[vince-305]

Who has one, Which make n model and what are they like to use

Which do you recommend (cheap) :tup:

 

[UK RUSS 1960 OLDS]

Hi Vince,

I have got a tomtom one europe. It is not perfect but it does the job good enough, put it this way if i broke it or lost it i would buy another one.

Cheers.

Russ.

 

[roscobb]

Tom Tom One - had it a year, cost £125, cheaper now, don't bother with any of the add-ons.

 

[sqweaka]

just got a tomtom one xl for xmas, going to test it picking my mum up shortly... she only lives 20min away and ive been many times before (i used to just use a road map but the times ive just about run off the road looking at it while driving :shake: thought it was time i had one) lent a one last year on a motorhome holiday around france and found it a exclent aid. :tup:
argos £95

 

[farncombe pop]

Tomtom classic, very good and cheap at £85, free updates via web.

 

[Ratty]

I've got a TomTom 540 with the HD Live services on it and I can't fault it , not the cheapest but not the most expensive either . To get all the European maps you can either go for the 740 or just upgrade the 540 with a 2gb SD card and download what you need (I did this as the standard Euro maps you get with the 740 don't cover the old Eastern Bloc and Balkans , but the download does) . Its acurate , easy to use and read (The lane guide at junctions is especially useful if you're on an unfamiliar motorway) , and gets me where I need to go when I need to get there . The Live traffic service is worth paying for if you do a lot of miles too .

In my job you look a bit of a pillock if you have to drive round and round a city looking for a hotel or gig with VIP's on board , the TomTom makes me look good and has never let me down :tup:

The latest version of mine is the 550 , think they're around £250 now , plus the Euro maps cost me another £70 , but its been a sound investment and saved me at least that in buying new maps since I've had it . A year ago I wouldn'tve been seen dead with a sat-nav in my cab (Always had a pretty good nose and know how to use a map) but now I wouldn't be without it . If you need one for work then its worth the extra money , if its just to sling in your car and use at the weekends then a £99 Garmin from Tesco's is a better bet , not been impressed with lower spec TomTom's myself (And I've used most types of sat-nav whilst double driving this year) .

Happy shopping :smoke:

 

[Stitch]

I've got a TomTom XL Live IQ , superb piece of kit . The live service costs £7.99 a month but you only pay for it when you need it which is good , live traffic updates , speed cameras etc on the move . It's also small enough to use as a hand held if you're having a day out in a place you're not familiar with , although the battery life is very short at approx 1 hour .

Whichever one you decide to get I'm sure you'll be impressed at how such a small device can be such a huge stress reliever .

 

[kapri]

As a non Sat nav user (but I've been in mates motors who used them) do any of you not realise where you are when you get there ? What I mean is if someone nicked it would you know how to get home ?

I've found with other technology it tends to remove you from the process ie I've used camcorders at rodding events and missed half of what was happening peering through a lens.

 

[Stitch]

As a non Sat nav user (but I've been in mates motors who used them) do any of you not realise where you are when you get there ? What I mean is if someone nicked it would you know how to get home ?

I've found with other technology it tends to remove you from the process ie I've used camcorders at rodding events and missed half of what was happening peering through a lens.

Well I've always got a road atlas in the car so if the sat nav fails I'll still be able to get home , I also use it even if I know where I'm going for the advance traffic problem and speed camera warnings.

I know what you mean though , it's like making the same journey several times as a passenger and then one day you have to drive it yourself and don't know the way as you're not actually aware of the route taken ... if that makes sense .

 

[shoebox]

I use sat nav when I really have to and have an iphone so use an app called CoPilot - at about £27 its really good value and I've been told it works better than the tom-tom app - if that's any help!

 

[THE VIKING]

I to have a tomtom and its ben very good. I have been asked to set up a friends road angel in the past and it was a right pain to use after having the tomtom

 

[vince-305]

As a non Sat nav user (but I've been in mates motors who used them) do any of you not realise where you are when you get there ? What I mean is if someone nicked it would you know how to get home ?

I've found with other technology it tends to remove you from the process ie I've used camcorders at rodding events and missed half of what was happening peering through a lens.

I missed out on a s/h sat nav earlier this as i couldnt get the peanuts together in time and when i did it had gone :sniff:

And Kev what you need to do is mount the camera on your car and drive the wheels off it mate :tup:

 

[Hemi Bucket]

My wifes got a Garmin, it's a big old steaming box of toss. I've had a TomTom One for nearly 2 years now, it's fantastic. As Ratty said, there was a time when I wouldn't have been seen dead with one, professional pride as I've been a delivery driver in some shape or form for most of my working life & saw being able to read a map & use what little common sense I have as part of the job.

I think the best way to look at satnav is as an aid to your journey, don't be a slave to it otherwise you'll end up as Kapri said & have no idea how you got to your destination. I usually put the details into mine when setting off, switch it off 'till you have to leave the motorway then let it guide me in for the last, often tricky bit.

From experience, ALWAYS start with the postcode, but cross check it with the address as they don't always tally up, & on average the milage for "quickest route" is usually around twice as far as "shortest route" as it'll usually send you to the nearest motorway. As I said, look at it a only an aid, not a magic machine that knows better than you & you won't go too far wrong.

 

[farncombe pop]

As a non Sat nav user (but I've been in mates motors who used them) do any of you not realise where you are when you get there ? What I mean is if someone nicked it would you know how to get home ?

I've found with other technology it tends to remove you from the process ie I've used camcorders at rodding events and missed half of what was happening peering through a lens.

Kev it really comes into it's own when going to "one off " places picking up those parts from the forsales sections mostly after work in the dark when you can't see a road name let alone house number, the tomtom flag takes me to the front door, don't use it as a rule coming home just look for m25 or A3 signs, would'nt be without mine.

 

[HotRod]

Bloody sat nav's!!! With an A-Z and a tongue in your head you cant go wrong! :tup:

 

[midlands-nick]

as someone who drove for years delivering furniture WITHOUT a satnav I can honestly say it takes a lot of stress out of driving, no more fear of being on the wrong road or how long its going to take to get somewhere, my nav tells me approximately whem in gonna arrive, it can be used to log top speeds etc, it is a garmin NUVI (cheaper than TOMTOM) which is a widescreen one an easy to use. I wouldn't be lost without it but its a whole lot easier than flicking pages on a map and a lot safer...

 

[BaronVonVVankel]

Are they any good for checking speedometer accuracy? Ive heard differing opinions. :S

 

[kapri]

Something I was going to ask as well. All my calculations ( on paper) gave the same reading as the corrected speedo modified by Speedy Cables , recalibrated from physical measurements on the car . However my Snooper ( camera detector ) was 2 mph/1000rpm slower ?

 

[chevy2]

My tom-tom reads about 2mph lower than my 07 plate company van,
factory speedos normally read a couple of mph faster than 'actual' mph to allow for tyre wear which increases speedo readings,

Kev, your recalibrated speedo is probably reset to the same (2mph above actual) imagine being busted for doing 45 in a 40 zone when your speedo reads 40, speedy cables might get hit with law suits?
calibrate them to correct or under to be safe?

back on topic, i've got a tom-tom one, the type with the foldout screen mount, very pleased with it,
also only use it for last few miles of my journeys, not the whole route as i usually know quicker ways there,

had it set to alert me when going above a known speed limit for the road with a mooing cow sound, damn thing seemed to be mooing all the time, turned that option off now

 

[sqweaka]

just tried mine out i got for xmas yesterday, and it reads 4-5mph less than my speedo?