Cheap Sat Navs

[RobT]

This probably doesn't warrant a new thread, but whatever.

 

I need a cheap as possible sat nav for European use.  I generally know where I'm going in the UK, and have my work smartphone as back up if I don't.  My personal phone is ancient so that's not an option.

 

Would a refurbished TomTom like this one for £30 be OK?  I'd only need it for finding hotels and whatnot, as I prefer to use maps for the most part.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TOMTOM-ONE-IQ-ROUTES-GPS-SYSTEM-SAT-NAV-UK-IRELAND-MAPS-3918-/401277102517?_trksid=p2385738.m2548.l4275

 

Any recommendations welcome, thanks!

[stripped fred]

Something like that should be fine Rob but make sure it has European maps installed which that one doesn't.

[stripped fred]

How about something like this?

 

Look at this on eBay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/122565002770

 

Edit: just had another look and they go for £60 to £90 so may be above your budget.

[stripped fred]

This looks more reasonable:

 

Look at this on eBay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/322558170830

[RobT]

Great thanks.  No wonder the other one was cheap, I missed out the obvious lack of Euro maps.

[Eddie Honda]

I need a cheap as possible sat nav for European use.

 

You don't need, you just want.

 

If you have to, just buy a map.

 

http://amzn.eu/hGgJ6Ox[/size]

 

I'd only need it for finding hotels and whatnot, as I prefer to use maps for the most part.

There you go again. If you want to find hotels and whatnot just stop at a pez station and ask. #whatwedidintheoldendays

 

You'd be better off buying a half-decent cheap smartphone.

[castros_bro]

I'll lend you my £20 ebay one if you want, it is basic so easy to use and definately works France, Belgium, Neathetlands, Spoon, Portugal, Scotland and Jaywick

[bunglebus]

I paid £80 on offer for my Garmin Nuvi with Euro maps. Cheapest I could find as I didn't fancy getting lost and having to ask directions in foreign, as I don't know any. I'm pretty impressed with it so maybe look at 2nd hand units.

[stripped fred]

How about a 'truckers sat nav'. 7" screen, up-to-date maps, bluetooth, a sun shade and a name I've never heard of all for £44.

 

Look at this on eBay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/371720580224

[Dead_E23]

Get a Garmin Nuvi, then you can download free maps of wherever you like from openstreetmap.org and put them on a SD card. 

 

I think it's a bit harder to do on a TomTom, or so I read.

[RobT]

Thanks for the suggestions, I've just bought this cheapo for £35.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TOM-CAR-GPS-SAT-NAV-NAVIGATION-SYSTEM-TOM-FM-POI-FREE-UK-EU-MAPS-SATNAV/232131240015?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D43782%26meid%3D08d8de908246414f843eb6224c96c221%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D6%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D371720580224

 

 

 
There you go again. If you want to find hotels and whatnot just stop at a pez station and ask. #whatwedidintheoldendays
 

 

Still do sometimes.  But on the days when I'm a miserable sod and don't want to speak to anyone the sat nav is a winner.

 

[Six-cylinder]

Mine gave be a surprise in May when ventured into Germany and I entered a black hole! I have had mine for 4 years used it in the USA, France, Belguim, Holland and then found I did not have Germany.

[strangeangel]

 If you want to find hotels and whatnot just stop at a pez station and ask. #whatwedidintheoldendays

 

You'd be better off buying a half-decent cheap smartphone.

 

Nah, because #progress, and my foreign isn't all that good.

 

I bought a Garmin Nuvi for £20 with a dead battery and 2015 Euro maps on an SD card. A new battery was £7 and took 10 mins to fit. What sort of a smartphone are you going to get for that kind of money?

[stripped fred]

Thanks for the suggestions, I've just bought this cheapo for £35.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TOM-CAR-GPS-SAT-NAV-NAVIGATION-SYSTEM-TOM-FM-POI-FREE-UK-EU-MAPS-SATNAV/232131240015?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D43782%26meid%3D08d8de908246414f843eb6224c96c221%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D6%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D371720580224

That looks a good deal Rob. Let me know how you get on with it as quite fancy one myself!

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

There you go again. If you want to find hotels and whatnot just stop at a pez station and ask. #whatwedidintheoldendays

 

EXCUSE EM WAH. UH-EHRE IS LUH... uh, what's the French word for Hotel?

[Lacquer Peel]

The Euro maps are easy enough to find for free.

 

Phone nav is fine but I prefer having a dedicated sat nav unit.

[dieselnutjob]

 and have my work smartphone as back up if I don't.  

 

Install maps.me and download the maps on wifi.  Once the maps are downloaded it works without any data.

Also Here WeGo works to some extent without data.  In my experience I couldn't always find destinations without data but once they are found then it would actually navigate.  The trick was to find the the place on wifi and then get in the car.

[dieselnutjob]

I have also heard good things about Cygic but I haven't tried it.

[strangeangel]

EXCUSE EM WAH. UH-EHRE IS LUH... uh, what's the French word for Hotel?

 

Hotel?

 

HO-TEL?

 

No, let me try

 

HOOOOOO TEEEEEEELLLLLL, you know, HOOOOOOO TEEEEELLLLLLLLLLL

 

und so weiter...

[Vince70]

I find the cheapest option is to buy a cheap iPhone 4s and chuck an app on it called Waze which is available on OS9 and its free and doesn't use any data as it just uses the GPRS on the phone.

 

I've now got two old iPhones which I bought for £8 and £2 off eBay (admittedly I did have to repair them) and the cost of the repairs was free as one just needed a factory reset and I had an old motherboard already for a factory locked one.

 

The bonus is you have a sat nav and a iPod for less than a tenner and if you want to sell some old chod on scumtree you can chuck a free sim in one then chuck the SIM card when you've finished.

 

I now just keep them in the gloveboxes of my cars with a cheap cable and use them when needed and stick them to the screen with a £1 magnetic holder.

[stripped fred]

I find the cheapest option is to buy a cheap iPhone 4s and chuck an app on it called Waze which is available on OS9 and its free and doesn't use any data as it just uses the GPRS on the phone.

 

I've now got two old iPhones which I bought for £8 and £2 off eBay (admittedly I did have to repair them) and the cost of the repairs was free as one just needed a factory reset and I had an old motherboard already for a factory locked one.

 

The bonus is you have a sat nav and a iPod for less than a tenner and if you want to sell some old chod on scumtree you can chuck a free sim in one then chuck the SIM card when you've finished.

 

I now just keep them in the gloveboxes of my cars with a cheap cable and use them when needed and stick them to the screen with a £1 magnetic holder.

That is a true autoshite soluton! I have a replacement screen for an iPhone 4 that was never used so might give this a go.

[Pillock]

I find the cheapest option is to buy a cheap iPhone 4s and chuck an app on it called Waze which is available on OS9 and its free and doesn't use any data as it just uses the GPRS on the phone.

 

Be careful with this - GPRS is data. It's the level of data you get when there's a G on your phone, so slower than Edge, 3G, H and 4G. But it's still data and you'll still get charged.

It uses the GPS for location, but Waze is a dumb navigator. Whereas actual Tomtom devices etc work offline and contain maps and navigation logic, Waze offloads all these calculations to a server.

 

What you can do is set up your route using the WiFi at home, and then turn off the data on your phone and it will work - although you won't get any of the clever traffic avoidance etc. But, if you run it as usual on a SIM card that doesn't have data allowance, you may get charged for the dribs and drabs it does download.

[Eddie Honda]

But it's still data and you'll still get charged.

Subject to contract and EU "roam like at home rules". http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/telecoms-internet/mobile-roaming-costs/index_en.htm

 

I'm allowed 5.3GB data on roaming now as part of my package (15GB at home)

[Pillock]

It was more of a case of being told it *doesn't* use data, so the risk is putting a SIM that doesn't have any data allowance, or one that's exceeded, and being charged a fortune.

[Eddie Honda]

It was more of a case of being told it *doesn't* use data,

Yeh, I got the point about mis-naming things, but just thought I'd slip something in.

[stripped fred]

Rob, I'm assuming the sat nav you ordered is a tom tom copy? Am I right? It's called a Tom isn't it? Can you let me know if it's any good as I'm thinking of ordering one for my trip to France in a few weeks.

[Pillock]

Yeh, I got the point about mis-naming things, but just thought I'd slip something in.

Aaah right fair enough