Sat Nav in USA (Sorry newbie!!!)

[Bravia]

My wife wants a Sat Nav and it would be useful if we could get one which would work in the USA for our forthcoming West Coast visit.

Some friends of our say they took theirs to California recently (I don't know what make/model) they reset it once there and it worked.

I didn't think you could do that.

Wouldn't you have to obtain US maps in advance?

Would it be easier to rent one from the US car rental co?

[TarMoo]

You can get the TomTom 910 from about £225 on Ebay. This has European and US maps, although they may be a little out of date.

[gilesme]

Or the Gamin Nuvi 270 for around £230 also - has full Euro Maps also.

[lynx]

Originally Posted by gilesme

Or the Gamin Nuvi 270 for around £230 also - has full Euro Maps also.

While having full euro maps is handy, their usefulness may be a little limited on the west coast of the US.

[Bravia]

Thanks guys. I will have a look at those models.

[Bravia]

Originally Posted by lynx

While having full euro maps is handy, their usefulness may be a little limited on the west coast of the US.

Looks like it has both N America and Europe. So that was actually a good point!

[gilesme]

I was very tempted to jump in last night with a "how do you know it will never get used in Europe ?" comment !

Glad I took the moral high ground now....

p.s. - recommend as a newbie you consider how "pocketable" these things are. The 200 series is very slim, with 5 hour battery life. You can download "walking tours" of West Coast cities from t'intenet (www.garmin.com has links).

[Bravia]

Originally Posted by gilesme

I was very tempted to jump in last night with a "how do you know it will never get used in Europe ?" comment !

Glad I took the moral high ground now....

p.s. - recommend as a newbie you consider how "pocketable" these things are. The 200 series is very slim, with 5 hour battery life. You can download "walking tours" of West Coast cities from t'intenet (www.garmin.com has links).

My wife was just asking about how the thing would fit in her bag so that's another useful piece of info. Thanks!

We will probably be going on hols somewhere in Europe next year so the Europe maps won't be wasted. It's definitely the Garmin Nuvi 270 for us!

[Bravia]

Done it! Lowest price was £219.99 from Comet online, with free delivery, so I have ordered one from them.

Thanks for the advice

[gilesme]

Excellent price (plus can return for a refund in 7 days).

See other post on here should you want a carry case (none provided in the box), plus other tips on "undocumented features".