Cheap Sat Nav...

dokko

dokko

dokko

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Joined
26 Nov 2005
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Location
Doon the Bay (Newcastle)
Thinking about a cheap sat nav, one with (pref in this order)

1: lane guidance (or whatever it's called) showing lane markings at roundabouts before you get there.

2: speed limits on roads

3: speed camera points etc..

Not bothered about live traffic.

Any input appreciated, cheers.

Steven
 
I've got an iPhone but will be getting rid of the monthly contract when it expires meaning it would cost a fortune for data on a payg.

Ive been looking at Garmin as they seem to be similar spec as tom Tom, yet cheaper.

Any thoughts on:

Garmin nuvi 205WT and the nuvi 1310 around about £90.

Really want to keep it under £100.
 
SRCMAN said:
LANE GUIDANCE???? What do think the white lines and signs are for?
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I'll bite. I'm a learner driver hopefully about to pass and wanted extra help to learn the roads and be a safer driver. A lot of road markings are worn away where I live and experienced drivers pick the wrong lanes all the time, I want to be decent ASAP and really all I'm lacking is knowledge on the road, quite easy to miss a sign (especially speed signs) when concentrating on others around you and just driving tbh.

Thought a decent sat nav would help.
 
SRCMAN said:
LANE GUIDANCE???? What do think the white lines and signs are for?
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lane guidance just tells you in advance if you want the left, middle or right lane on the slip for your turning, very useful it is too when most slips only bother painting the signs on the road 20 yards before the junction.
 
Garmin over TomTom any day of the week.

Any cheap one will do what you're wanting, Aslong as you stick with either Garmin or TomTom you cant go wrong though.
 
Telescopi said:
lane guidance just tells you in advance if you want the left, middle or right lane on the slip for your turning, very useful it is too when most slips only bother painting the signs on the road 20 yards before the junction.
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How do people without lane guidance manage then? :p

I have Sygic Navigator and Google Nav on my phone and while the former has lane guidance, I never miss it as I use Google as the main nav. I've driven all over the UK and I agree some junctions and sliproads are terrible with signposting lanes properly but it's never been a problem.

For a standalone unit I've always preferred the logical approach and directional voice on Garmin over TomTom, I found them more detailed and accurate. This is comparing my Garmin 255WT with a TomTom One.
 
This is the kind of display I'm looking for, are all Garmins like this ?

81rRcYdpUxL._AA1500_.jpg
 
mrk said:
How do people without lane guidance manage then? :p

I have Sygic Navigator and Google Nav on my phone and while the former has lane guidance, I never miss it as I use Google as the main nav. I've driven all over the UK and I agree some junctions and sliproads are terrible with signposting lanes properly but it's never been a problem.

For a standalone unit I've always preferred the logical approach and directional voice on Garmin over TomTom, I found them more detailed and accurate. This is comparing my Garmin 255WT with a TomTom One.
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Well bully for you, but that doesn't mean it's a not a very useful feature for some.

Also bear in mind its a good check to see what your satnav is doing. Sometimes your nav's limited vocabulary of "turn left" and "bear left" might be confusing when applied to the road you're on, if the maps don't match the road/junction layout entirely. So lane guidance is a good indication of what exactly your sat nav expects you to do.

As someone who has navigated the Peripherique in Paris, I can say without doubt that I would have killed for the lane guidance system that my friend had on his TomTom. I had to make do with about 5 lanes of insane French drivers, poor signage and a myriad of junctions and parallel carriageways. It's not an essential feature, you're right, but then again you could say the same about sat-nav as a whole.
 
Conscript said:
Well bully for you, but that doesn't mean it's a not a very useful feature for some.

Also bear in mind its a good check to see what your satnav is doing. Sometimes your nav's limited vocabulary of "turn left" and "bear left" might be confusing when applied to the road you're on, if the maps don't match the road/junction layout entirely. So lane guidance is a good indication of what exactly your sat nav expects you to do.

As someone who has navigated the Peripherique in Paris, I can say without doubt that I would have killed for the lane guidance system that my friend had on his TomTom. I had to make do with about 5 lanes of insane French drivers, poor signage and a myriad of junctions and parallel carriageways. It's not an essential feature, you're right, but then again you could say the same about sat-nav as a whole.
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The more modern satnavs (and all smartphone based navs pretty much) have more advanced vocabulary, they won't just say "bear left" or "turn left" they will tell you the exact exit to take then which bearing to keep and then if there's a quick transition of left and right turns will direct you as such. Only basic models don't have the more advanced directions from what I've seen.
 
mrk said:
How do people without lane guidance manage then? :p
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They jocky for position in the last 50 yards when they've seen the road markings or a sign, or they end up in the wrong lane and try to cut across at the lights or roundabout.

If you do as many miles as you say you must have seen these antics from others?

I don't have lane guidance either but it would make life easier if I could pick the right lane as early as possible when on roads I don't know (surely the point of sat nav?).

If they put road markings right back to the start of the slip road or big signs earlier that would be fine - but they don't, they put lane markings / signs right near the top so people who don't know the road start swapping lanes at the end.
 
I have seen terrible driving yes but I don't think any amount of guidance would help those people because those people only see things one way, that everyone else is in their way and they apparently own the road so can make manoeuvres whenever they please.
 
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