Which Sat Nav?

[wiltsman]

I'm trying to help a friend who wishes to purchase a basic Sat Nav.

As I subscribe to Which?, I have, rightly or wrongly, narrowed the possibles down to just two models. They are:

Tom Tom Via 52 ........... and

Garmin Drive 52

Both these models are just under £100, which is around my friends' budget. I'm wondering if any ABers use either of these models and what they think of them? Any comments welcome, favourable or otherwise. Thank you.

[shoota]

I have a Tom Tom which I think is a Via 52 and love it, it takes me all over France and UK with very few hiccups.
The only downside I have come across is when their satellite clock hits 00.00 the system crashes and you have to re-set your machine using the internet. Last time I was in central France with no internet access and no machine to take me to the tunnel...

[retrocop]

I have a Garmin NU255 which is about 10 years ols. Also have a TomTom basic model. Both as good as the other. I purchased the TomTom about 6 years old because it came with free world map updates for life as part of the deal.
Two weeks ago I dug the Garmin out and paid £60 for updates for life. I wouldn't pay for a bells and whistles Sat/Nav. These two are just fine. I don't need speed camera alerts but they are available as extra add ons. I also have integral sat/nav in my Skoda Superb which is just under 3 years old. That has not been updated so I use one of the others for back up.

[bhg481]

The only advice I ever give to people is "Go and try them and then choose". These two sat-navs operate slightly differently and are programmed differently; everybody's brain works differently and some people will like one and some the other. I have both TomTom and Garmin sat-navs and prefer the TomTom but others rave about Garmin. Take your friend to Halfords (or similar) and get him to try setting a route to an address or a feature (stately home etc) and see which suits better.

[retrocop]

I favour the TomTom slightly more than the Garmin but I suppose a larger screen is the plus for me . I tend to use Lat/Long GPS co-ordinates when driving abroad and both accommodate this facility.

[wiltsman]

Many thanks for your replies.

[tamaris]

I asked advice on here and purchased a cheap Sat nav which is really good value. It's a 7" truck car GPS nav 8 gb navigator. £ 32.99. It's really a great buy I'm very happy with it.

[Hopkirk]

There's a good reason why Tomtom and Garmin are the market leaders, they are both very good.

[CrapAtCryptics]

As long as you keep them updated.

[Vagus]

We had a Tom Tom before we got our current car, which has a built on one.
It was our second Tom Tom and had a slightly bigger screen, worth getting.

[Bazile]

Which magazine's recommendations are independent
They give all the pros and cons of the particular product

[mjwman]

Why not ditch the Satnav and use the phone. Google maps is good and Waze is brilliant and they are up to date and free. Cost is just a phone mount for the car.

[wiltsman]

Thanks for the additional replies. I'll pass on your comments.