Rspencer55

My wife wants to get me a GPS unit for father's day and need some advice. I have read that both Garmin and TomTom units are good - which one would you recommend and what features should I look for? I also have a concern about the mounting of these devices. I really don't want to mount it on the windshield or dashboard and leave a mark or a circle. Where do all of you mount your devices and do you have it connected to the lighter?

As you can tell, I know very little about this so any advice that you could give me would be appreciated.

VegasIS300

iTrader: (1)

I love my Garmin. I have had a TomTom and I didn't care for it, and returned it. I have a Nuvi 350 and a 765t. The 765t is very good with the lane guidance. Definitely get one with text to speech. You don't need to mount it to the windshield, I use the beanbag and I like that setup better.

waijai

iTrader: (9)

I've got a Garmin myself for my other car, it's great and I've never had issues with it. *knock on wood*

Bocatrip

Same Garmin for a few years without any problems other than the occasional falling off the windshield.

JimsGX

I have a Garmin 1490t which has a 5" screen. Most models have a 4.3" screen. I'm very happy with it. It has bluetooth built in for your cell phone, lane assist, traffic, and it speaks the street names.

I mount it on the wood panel that covers the ashtray using the supplied suction mount and run the 12v to it via the 12v plug inside the center console. The armrest will still close with the cord coming out the front of the armrest. When installed this way and angled just right, the viewng angle from the drivers seat is perfect for me and the shifter and cup holders can still be worked normally.

If you or your passenger happen to smoke in the LS, then this configuration wouldn't be practical since you don't have access to the ashtray when mounted.

96SC4

iTrader: (2)

Garmin, Garmin, Garmin.

Do NOT buy a Magellan. i bought a $400 unit & it was a POS...

jcastaneda

iTrader: (5)

Get the Garmin.

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

a little off topic but on the same note :

are there any portable nav where you can do interstate destinations?

I tried the magellan, garmin, and tom tom and none seem to have that capability. I tried extending the distance and none of them could it.
maybe there's an option somewhere but I went through them and ended up returning them.

Example: from home (CA) to Grand Canyon (AZ) and none could do it

just a heads up for some options that you may want to look into.

On the oem nav, no problem-time and distance calculated

lamar411

I have a Garmin Nuvi, which has been ok but problems have happened. While driving in the city it loses satellite completely and takes about 20 minutes to regain which happens pretty often for me. Extremely annoying when im not in a part of the city i dont know well.

Good luck with the purchase!

Jabberwock

I use a Garmin Nuvi 765- great unit with no problems. I use a weighed dash mount that just rests on the dash. The mount never slides or has any issues. And it fits easily right into my console box with the Nuvi attached when parked or not being used.

I hear the Tom Toms also get good reviews.

AlexusAnja

Seems Garmin are preferred by CL forum members. I had a StreetPilot 2320, Nuvi 660 (still have it, $200 for anyone that wants it), and now a Nuvi 880. Nuvi 880 has the voice command for several functions.

I love Garmin, friends have all had Mio, TomTom, Magellan and they all complain, me... love my Garmins. Too bad that mobile phones with GPS will probably kill the mobile GPS business one day.

As for mounting, if you have a black interior, I'd go with the "permanent" mount, which is the base of the friction mount, but mounted with 3M double sided tape. I find it adheres better than windows. Also, battery is rechargeable on 660 and 880, so no need to keep it hardwired, only when needing recharging.

Diogenes

I have a three year old Garmin...no problem doing interstate trips. On mine there is a screen where you have to select the destination state. If no selection it defaults to the originating state. Check the manufacturers web site for a manual or tutorial...or check at a local Best Buy for a demo.
(I think Garmin bought Magellan...you may have to look on Garmin's site for Magellan info)

Kansas

Pro.Fit has several brackets that mount just to the right of the LS430 radio including one bracket (the G3) specifically for the Garmin Nuvi: http://www.pro-fit-intl.com/pro_fit/lexus

I bought extra power cords for my POS Magellan (need to replace it with a Garmin) and my wife's Garmin Nuvi, mounted both on Pro.Fit brackets and routed the power cords into the dashes and connected them (via 12V extension cords so I would have to chop the plugs off the GPS power cords) to the cars' accessory circuits.

It takes a little work to pull out the radios to mount the brackets and route the power cords but it is pretty easy to do. There are instructions on the Pro.Fit website on how to pull the LS430 radio out and how to pull radios for other Lexus models.

Having the portable nav by the radio is much handier than on top of the dash or on the windshield - easy to reach for both driver and passenger, less screen "washout" from sunlight and less noticeable to potential thieves.

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

Welcome to Club Lexus and thank you for your response
I will try that next time I'm at costco

Rspencer55

Thanks for all of your advice - I was able to get a Garmin 855 for $119 at Buy.com. Amazing how the prices have come down over the years.