Selecting the best auto GPS

Garmin, Magellan, and TomTom all make good units. They also make units in different price ranges, with varying bells and whistles. Garmin is the best if money is not a concern. Magellan is considered to be a close second. Magellan is also generally priced cheaper than Garmin. The routes are as good as Garmin, but quality may be a concern. TomTom is the cheapest. The routes tend to be less accurate than Garmin or Magellan. If money is a concern it will get the job done.

Auto GPS system	Amazon	TigerDirect
TomTom One, 3rd Edition 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Vehicle Navigator Technical Details: The world’s #1 selling GPS; preloaded with maps of the United States and Canada Millions of points of interest; TomTom MapShare instant map updates Pocket-sized design; 3.5-inch touchscreen with 2D and 3D views Turn-by-turn spoken directions “Help Me” emergency menu; real-time traffic capability TomTom One is a good GPS. It has the modern receiver. It does have two drawbacks compare to a Garmin or Magellan. First it tends to be less intuitive and more importantly the routes are less accurate. I read reviews that say their TomTom seems to be off by as much as a a mile.	$284.95	---
Tom Tom GO 720 GPS - 4.3" Wide Touch Screen, SD Card Slot, Bluetooth, North American Maps Technical Details: Stylish and lightweight pocket-sized design; preloaded with complete US and Canada maps and millions of POIs Spoken directions with real street names; 4.3-inch touchscreen with TomTom's award-winning navigation Bluetooth for hands-free calling via your cell phone; real-time traffic and weather via TMC or TomTom Plus MapShare technology--make your own map changes and download verified updates from the entire TomTom user community MP3 player and photo viewer; integrated FM transmitter gives directions and plays music through your car stereo system I really love the 720. I have tried the Garmin Nuvi and just didn't like the software nearly as much as the TomTom. Entering addresses is really fast and you only see towns in the state you are looking in. This means no more having to scroll through 30 different Springfields to get to the one you are searching for. You can hide the keyboard to see a long list of close matches so instead of having to type out the full city or street name you can just hit the first few letters and then pick from a list.	$353.60	$399.99
Magellan - Maestro 4040 - GPS Navigation Device With 4.3-Inch Screen (US/Canada Capable) Specifications: Type: Receiver GPS Accuracy Position: 3-5 meters WAAS Display: Color Expansion Slots: SD Card Battery Type: Lithium Ion Battery Battery Life: 2 hours Antenna: SIRF-GPS antenna Dimensions: 5.0" x 3.75" x 0.88" Magellan is a very good unit. Its routes are as accurate as anyones. Most of the models have the modern receiver. The price runs between Garmin and TomTom. My concern with Magellan is the quality of the units. They recently pulled a few of the units of the market due to persistent bugs. I would definitely check customer feed back and any particular models I consider. They are a good buy for the money. Their best units are as good as anyone's.	$349.99	$349.99
Garmin nuvi 350 Personal Travel Assistant GPS Navigator 3.5" Screen Specifications: Type: Handheld Acquisition TimeCold: 38 Seconds Acquisition Time Warm: 1 Second Update Rate: 1/second, continuous GPS Accuracy Position: <10> GPS Accuracy Velocity: 0.05 meter/sec RMS Waypoints: 500 Trip Computer: Average Speed Resettable Odometer Timers Maximum Speed Inputs: USB Display: LCD TFT Touch Screen: Yes Voice: Yes Battery Life: 8 hours Antenna: Built-in patch Dimensions: 3.87” x 2.91” x 0.87” Garmin is considered by most to be the best overall GPS manufacturer. It route mappings are the most accurate. Reviewers like the how easy the menus are to figure out. Garmin GPSs are well made and dependable. Their only draw back is the price. If you can afford the extra money you will probably want a Garmin.	$292.00	$299.97