GPS Systems

More About GPS Units

Budget
First, decide on how much you want to spend. This is by far the most important item. But, it is hard to get a GPS device for less than $300 and still receive a quality device. There are devices out there for less than $300, however the reviews are almost always very lackluster at best. As with almost any product, the more you spend, the more you typically receive. I will be focusing on the $300+ GPS devices the rest of this guide.

Size
The next step is to answer, how big of a screen do I need? This is important when you want to see the maps being displayed. Do you want to be squinting to see the screen while driving? Take out a piece of paper and measure out the following sizes:

• 3.5" screen - 2.8"W x 2.1"H rectangle
• 4.3" screen - 3.81"W x 2.25"H rectangle
• 7" screen - 6.10"W x 3.43"H rectangle

By measuring and cutting out these sizes on a piece of paper, you take them into your car taping them to the windshield midway point between the dash and the rear-view mirror. Now sit back in your seat as you normally would when driving. Does it look too small? You might want to write your name centered on it about 2x times the size you normally would in Black Sharpie. Can you read it? Different cars are different sizes. The farther you are away from the windshield the harder it will be to see the device and you might want to jump to the next size up.

Features