Update map [forever?] or new device?

[JasonJLamb]

I've got a couple of navigational questions for all you directional sages out there.

I have a Garmin nuvi 255 nav device. It's about four years old. It's nothing fancy, but it works well--except for the fact that the maps are out of date.

Updated maps are $50 for one update or $90 for a lifetime of updates.

New Garmins can be had for as little as $100. (Of course, they're even cheaper if one hunts long enough on the Interwebs.)

If I were to get a new device, though, I'd probably get something that does well with topo maps. I also like the idea of an iPad mini for navigation.

I could get one update and replace it the next time. Or do lifetime maps and put it in the other car when I get the better nav for trips. But this one's already four years old. How long can i expect it to last?

I'm really not in a position to spend hundreds on a new device (don't have an iPad) right now. I have a trip coming up that requires at least street maps. But am I wasting $50 to update my current device? And if I do that, should I just pay $30 more for a lifetime of updates? And if I do that, should I just look at getting a new device? But $50, or even $80, is in the budget right now; $300+ is not.

Sooo...any advice, oh wise ones?

 

[off-roader]

Does your gps support traffic? I know through Costco you can buy a brand new GPS with lifetime maps & traffic updates for $129 (

 

[robgendreau]

Seems to me you could get either an Android or iOS device for not much more than the cost of the "lifetime" maps; the apps that do mapping on either of those would not cost that much more (PDF-Maps for example is free, does free topos, and many other maps, like NPS maps, are free too).

Committing to one brand of map on one brand of hardware might work for you, but I find it not too useful and prohibitively expensive. And how out-of-date can it be? Maybe you live in a fast-changing area but do you really need an update that big?

 

[Old_School]

Add to the fact that the maps are already 2-3 years old by the time Garmin/Magellan get them incorporated into their product line.


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[pugslyyy]

I've got a couple of navigational questions for all you directional sages out there.

I have a Garmin nuvi 255 nav device. It's about four years old. It's nothing fancy, but it works well--except for the fact that the maps are out of date.

Updated maps are $50 for one update or $90 for a lifetime of updates.

New Garmins can be had for as little as $100. (Of course, they're even cheaper if one hunts long enough on the Interwebs.)

If I were to get a new device, though, I'd probably get something that does well with topo maps. I also like the idea of an iPad mini for navigation.

I could get one update and replace it the next time. Or do lifetime maps and put it in the other car when I get the better nav for trips. But this one's already four years old. How long can i expect it to last?

I'm really not in a position to spend hundreds on a new device (don't have an iPad) right now. I have a trip coming up that requires at least street maps. But am I wasting $50 to update my current device? And if I do that, should I just pay $30 more for a lifetime of updates? And if I do that, should I just look at getting a new device? But $50, or even $80, is in the budget right now; $300+ is not.

Sooo...any advice, oh wise ones?

Why not just download a free map from OSM?