Sat Nav- best place to get a good deal?

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Luckycharm

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Going to get my Dad a Sat nav for xmas, sister boyfriend has one and he loves it. Any recommendations on where to get one? Looking for an OK one not a top of the range one at a good price - any recommendations on what one to get?
 
As for where to buy one.... they seem to be popping up everywhere these days. Halfords certainly have a decent selection, but not sure if any supplier is especially good for deals/low costs. Your best bet is to narrow down to one or two of interest and look for the best price you can get on those (using online prices, calling a few shops etc. you might be able to save a bit).

As for what to go with....
I have a Garmin Nuvi 300.

Garmin have a very good name in the market and I'd happily agree, not a single complaint on it. It's got a nice clear screen (not huge, but certainly more than large enough), good clear voice commands and a decent battery life if it's required.

They (Garmin units) come with the NavTeq maps (usually the mapping is the most important factor in deciding on a sat nav - with NavTeq [in the past at least - been a while since I've looked at the market] the best mapping for Ireland).

The Nuvi 300 is on the lower end of the scale (it doesn't come with some of the MP3/Bluetooth/etc add ons and bells and whistles), but for simply giving directions it does the job great.

(No sat nav will ever be perfect. Given the number of road changes/new roads/etc the minute a map is produced it is out of date. As long as a user applies a little common sense [e.g. if a new road has opened ignore the sat nav directions and take the new route instead] they are a very handy tool)
 
hi im also lookin for a sat nav as a gift willing to pay 300-400 euro on one any recomendations?
 
I would recommend www.mysatnav.ie . I have used them and found the delivery fast and it is an irish website so if there is a problem with the unit (Garmin Nuvi 360), I can drive to them and get it sorted!!



No connection - Just a happy customer!

J.
 
I got a Viamichelin x970 from pixmania.ie, who seem to have a pretty good range of devices, and often has a couple on discount.

It has worked out well, though some of the features are not very good, e.g. it has a bluetooth hands free feature but you really need to shout into it to have anyone you are calling hear you.

The menu structure takes some getting used to as well, but on the whole I have enjoyed using it, and have been taken on routes I never would have known were there to get from A to B.

One thing though, and I'm not sure if it applies to other GPS units, is the due to the fact that Ireland has no postcodes you can be driven demented trying to find somewhere by entering a street name. For example, the machine seems to think that anywhere in North Dublin is in Swords. As a result you need to point to where you want to go on a map. This issue doesn't happen in countries with proper post codes, so I can't blame the product.
 
I have a Garmin Nuvi 360. From www.blokesstuff.com who were the cheapest at the time - but I just see they are selling their website... Guess I was lucky.. The satnav is working fine, but the bluetooth is not very good, so you can just as well go for the cheaper 350.
 
Just picked up a Halfords offer brochure and they have the Garmin Nuvi 200 at €229.99 and the garmin Nuvi 250W at €299.99 and the Garmin Nuvi 660FM at €459.99 - just heading off to look up other prices now as I want to buy 2 for christmas presents.
 
Can someone tell me what the benefit is of a blue tooth sat nav?

Does it link to your car radio?

I'm just trying to figure out what the benefit is of having bluetooth with the sat nav
 
kazerzzz said:
hi im also lookin for a sat nav as a gift willing to pay 300-400 euro on one any recomendations?
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I recently bought one on www.ibood.com it is a vdo dayton one and has all teh european maps as well as Ireland & England it cost me €201 which included postage charge of €12. Bear in mind you need to check this site every day as its a different offer each time, but the sat navs have been repeated several times.
 
Peno - with the bluetooth sat nav you could (if your mobile phone also has bluetooth) use the sat nav as a hands free kit.
I'm not sure about linking it to your car radio - unless your car radio has bluetooth?
 
Is garmin the best make- saw a few cheapish ones in Powercity but is it best to stay away from the cheaper brands?
 
[broken link removed]

They were over €70 cheaper inluding delivery than the leading stores. Fast delivery for €12 with an post.
 
Luckycharm said:
Is garmin the best make- saw a few cheapish ones in Powercity but is it best to stay away from the cheaper brands?
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The biggest problems you might have with the "cheaper" brands is the mapping which they provide. It was a huge deal when I did a little research on Sat Nav's a few years back (anything other than NavTeq mapping was terrible in Ireland at the time) but not so sure if this is still the case.

From personal experience with Garmin they make excellent products. I've had my own little Nuvi for a while now (for work and the odd unusual trip it has been invaluable) and would strongly recommend Garmin to anyone looking to purchase a Sat Nav. Reviews of the Garmin products tend to be very positive, but no doubt a few other names are out there which would be worth considering (I just don't know what they are :p ).
 
Any thoughts on the NavMan range as they seem to have few at lower price range? I want a low cost for one husband for xmas - he does not do too much driving so no reason paying top end of market for one.
 
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