Saving Gas with GPS
 

I bought a Nuvi 660 and have had good success with it as far as not getting lost. I think GPS units are good because you never get bad directions and don't have to make stops to ask for directions. So I think it would help in saving gas especially if you've recently moved or traveling to a new place.

Yeah until you feed it a multi-stop itinerary and it fails to register that you have arrived at a stop and keeps directing you back to it. How can it not realize that I had arrived at the airport after I dropped someone off at the gate!!!

GPS mapping is only as good as the latest map. if they redo an interchange or turn a road to a one way, you still gotta get around somehow. and your GPS won't remember that so you better have a good memory.

Other than that, GPS mapping units are the shiznit

These are valid points and I'm not saying it's a perfect system, what is? All I'm saying is that it can save you a lot of time and stops if you're not familiar with an area. Also paper maps aren't always up to date either.

I use it to find places that I don't know where they are...but if I know a general way to it, I'll take that way...kinda like when pulling out of my neighborhood, it will yell at me a few times to turn around because I take a faster way out and it doesn't know that the roads I take exist yet (new development). Other than that, its not bad.

Years ago I plugged my GPS into my laptop which was running MS Streets and trips. Had it program the shortest way from Tillamook Oregon to Yamhill Oregon. Started following the arrow driving on paved roads, then gravel, then dirt, than jeep trails, then got to a hill my pickup wouldn't climb. Had to backtrack about 40 miles. Hope the mapping has improved since then.

Q

It's from Microsoft. I wouldn't expect it to work right

The Garmins with Navteq are really good for city driving. I think for trails you need a TOPO map.

My TomTom 510 is no longer up to date on the maps since the Providence I-Way was opened and it still has the Mount Hope Bridge as a Toll bridge and that really screws up the route calculation when trying to avoid toll roads. There is also a road from South Tiverton onto the Sekonnet bridge that goes straight to the bridge and it keeps trying to get me to go around and under the bridge to get on. Seems the only way to be up to date is by buying the New England region maps for 39 euros and being a member of MapShare.