Navigation Systems for Cars

Find the best deals on GPS units for your automobile. Before purchasing, try to think of the features that you need and the one that you can live without.

Main Features and things to consider:

Portability- Generally, GPS units for cars are either built in as an OEM equipment for your car or as an aftermarket in-dash unit that is built in on the car stereo and DVD player. And there are the portable units that you can bring with you on any car that you have or even when you jog or ride a bike.

Price -GPS for cars have pricing from less than $100.00 up to 2-3 thousand for an OEM unit on some high end cars. In the near future, it will go down more on price and might be added as a standard feature on every car.

Updates- New streets are being made everyday. Freeways and flyovers are redone to accomodate the ever growing traffic. A main feature that is essential on any GPS systems for cars is the availability of upgrades and the cost if there are any. Some manufacturers offer updates every year that you can download or purchase as a DVD that you can easily upload to your device.

Reroutes- Most if not all have these feature built in but old models use not to have this important feature. GPS units should be able to automatically reroute you if you missed an exit or you stopped out of the way to get gas.

Accessories- This applies mostly to the portable ones. They should have a stable and durable windshield or dash holders. Some are battery powered or have an adapter for charging and powering the unit.

Other features that you might consider:

Text to Speech- some units offer voice prompts and even can call out street names. Also voice can be configured with a man or a woman's voice.

Traffic Updates- there are GPS units for cars that have real time traffic updates and will give you the best alternative to avoid traffic.

Weather Updates - there are also units that gives real time weather information.

Voice Recognition - this GPS units have a software that recognizes your voice prompts. Ideal when using the device while driving.

Blue Tooth- some have an option to have wireless communication so as to have hand free calling with your compatible cellphone.

Internet Connectivity - there are units on the higher price range that features internet capabilities to download data such as weather and traffic reports and google search. This feature might be subscription based due to internet capabilities.

As always, features increase the price of this GPS units and more than likely, you don't need the extras. So, choose wisely so as to get the most bang for your hard earned dollars.

GPS Brands:

Here are some of national brands that manufacture GPS systems for cars:

Here's a partial list (national brands).