New SatNav

rmg1

Hi all

I'm looking for a new satnav as TomTom have just let me know that I can't update the maps ion mine any longer.

I currently have a TomTom Start that's a few years old.

I haven't got a large amount of cash but I would prefer new.

Free lifetime map updates would be a bonus (although I don't mind paying a small fee every quarter/6 months/year or so to update the maps).

Has anyone got any suggestions?

[Deleted User]

Buy a cheap smart phone and use Waze which is free the download. You can get a good enough smartphone for around £80.

marlot

As said, a cheap smartphone and either google maps or Waze.

You can buy a SIM from 3 which allows 12Gb of data over 12 months. Last time I bought one, mymemory were the cheapest.

ohreally

Check your pm.

rmg1

Deleted_User & @marlot - I'd prefer a stand-alone unit rather than a smart-phone (which I already have).

@ohreally - just replied

takman

wrote:

Deleted_User & @marlot - I'd prefer a stand-alone unit rather than a smart-phone (which I already have).

As this is a money saving site and you say you don't have much money; why do you want to spend circa £100 on a standalone unit which won't work as well as google maps on your current smartphone and won't cost you a penny.

Even if you had to buy a windscreen mount for your phone it would still only cost you £5 - £10 compared to £100!

jimmy_cricket

I have a Tom Tom. The older version of this:

http://www.halfords.com/technology/sat-nav/car-sat-nav/tomtom-go-5200-car-sat-nav-with-wi-fi-sim-card-world-maps-siri-and-google-now-integration

The inbuilt SIM card is what makes it. Real-time traffic is brilliant on today’s congested roads.

I have a new car with a built in sat nav but have gone back to using the Tom Tom because of the features.

The car one does not have speed cameras. The traffic is appalling (rds or some such) and the routing is bizarre.

facade

You don't need a new one yet if you've only just stopped updating, it isn't as if we have much of a road building programme in the UK.
The only problem is when they build an entire housing estate on top of an old pub carpark, and create new roads that don't exist.

Wait until it breaks, then just get another TomTom.

rmg1

I hadn't updated my SatNav for a couple of years before I came across this little gem.

I think the one I have is around 12 years old (I know I've had it a while) so I think an upgrade is well overdue.

takman

rmg1 wrote: »

I hadn't updated my SatNav for a couple of years before I came across this little gem.

I think the one I have is around 12 years old (I know I've had it a while) so I think an upgrade is well overdue.

Yes so upgrade to using Google Maps on your smartphone which offers traffic data on every road in the UK which is far better than any stand alone Sat Nav. It is also much easier to find a place by searching for the name and not an address and it's free!

abssorb

rmg1 wrote: »

Deleted_User & @marlot - I'd prefer a stand-alone unit rather than a smart-phone (which I already have).

@ohreally - just replied

+1 Smartphone too fiddly for me. Maybe if I had "gamer thumbs" I could be more patient, but I love to just throw my TomTom at the magmount and go.


I've been using TomTom and similar for over 10 years.
I found Lifetime maps is not such a big deal. The battery will be end of life way before you actually start running into map errors.

I have Go 5000 with lifetime maps which I've had since 2014, and I don't bother updating the maps more than once a year. It's more important for European travel, but in the UK it really doesn't impact driving significantly as the roads don't change that much.

Better tools for your £ is the lifetime traffic feature.

I'd say your current device is good for another 2 years at least. If the battery lasts that long.