tomtom versus the competition

[larrylintz]

Is there any consensus out there about which is the best-value GPS on the market today, in terms of basic functioning with the least hassle (ie, not having to carry around paperclips to reboot!!!!!)

fyi, I subscribed to Consumers Report only to research this two years ago, and ended up buying the tomtom 910. Felt like suing the magazine. I haven't been very happy with it, or tomtom service. Of course these forums tell me i'm not alone. I will quote one dealer in Canada on these forums who referred to customers returning units "sadly, too often."

 

[mvl]

Most of the GPS brands are getting less and less reliable these days. With the precipitous drop in prices, companies have less to invest in quality components, and less to invest in quality design/development.

For enthusiasts like me, it's a shame to see the market's rush to the bottom. I paid $2,000 for my first GPS and I'd gladly do it again if a clear high-quality product was released. But the market wants cheap and cheap is what they're getting.

That said, Tomtom has seemed to turn around the rash of goof-ups that they made late last year and earlier in the year. In the US, they removed a lot of the unreliable bells and whistles and launched stripped-down but reliable models as of late.

I still love and rely on my high-end, not-fully-stable Tomtom, because at the end of the day, in a congested city my Tomtom saves me so much time and headache that it's worth the hiccups and issues that I have to overcome.