I will be driving throughout England in the Fall. Where could I get a GPS system for my travels? I don't want to buy one but possibly rent one. I am renting a car, do they sell/rent GPS systems at most car rental/hire facilities?
Posted by
Anaheim, CA, USA
1455 posts
Natalie, go to the car rental website and they should have GPS Info. Some posters here said their cars came with it... so you may luck out
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
Natalie: the voting on the Helpline has been about 100 to zero in favor of using GPS in Europe. The problem is that they are expensive to buy and also expensive to rent on a per day basis if you are renting a car for more than a couple of days. I don't know what the cost is in Europe per day to rent a GPS from the car rental provider, because I bring my own--but Avis in the US charges ~$12/day and that can add up on a long rental. What seems to be the case is that, occasionally, people luck out and get a car that has a GPS built into the console--where they didn't even request it, but usually these are middle or high end rental cars; if you're looking for a small or more affordable car to rent, then these are not the ones that typically come with a GPS built into the car. It's a dilemma: GPS is great to have, but expensive to buy or rent. What are other people out there doing?
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9363 posts
I don't think a GPS unit is expensive to buy at all when you consider it in relation to the cost of your trip to Europe. Prices are coming down on them. You can get a good unit for less than $200, and there are sales all the time. I think if you consider it part of the cost of the trip it doesn't seem so bad. And you only pay for it once, but can use it over and over.
Posted by
Cedar Park, TX, USA
32 posts
If you bring your GPS from the states, where do you get your maps to download? My husband has checked several places and they are quite expensive or unavailable depending on the brand you have.
Posted by
OP
Spring Hill, TN, USA
81 posts
My husband and I have a Magellan Maestro but I think he checked and it won't service in Europe. If I could find a way to take the one we have, then I'm all set. Does anyone have any advice on how to take the one I already have??? Thanks again!
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9363 posts
Some brands and particular devices come with Europe maps already installed (such as some of the TomToms). Otherwise, you should be able to download them from the manufacturer's website if they are available for your model.
Posted by
Florida, USA
12172 posts
Two models that I know of come with both North America and Europe Maps installed. Tom Tom 920/930 and Garmin Nuvi (not sure the model number). Some other models may cost $300 to add Europe maps while still others are incapable of adding them.
I bought the Tom Tom 920 last month. The 930 just came out so the 920 price should go down quite a bit.
Owning allows you to get comfortable with it at home as well as set up points of interest ahead of time.
Posted by
NE, MI
57 posts
The Garmin Nuvi's with model numbers ending in 70 have the Euro maps preloaded on them. (example 670). Buying a different model and adding the maps made the cost significantly higher. I bought ours two weeks ago on amazon for $360.
One of the car rental companies did show a GPS was available to rent for $85US per week. Made sense for us to buy one. We love it so far!
Posted by
Florida, USA
12172 posts
Costco now has the TomTom 920 online for $300. It was $450 a month ago (I bought mine elsewhere).
Posted by
Newbury Park, CA, USA
51 posts
I have an iPhone. I just used that on my last trip when I was lost and found my way. You are charged by AT&T to use the feature - but not as much as buying or renting a separate unit.
Posted by
Marysville, WA, USA
8 posts
Check out http://www.autoeurope.com. I saw posting where you could add a GPS to any car in Europe for about $84 a week.
Posted by
Scottsdale, AZ, USA
1 posts
They do rent GPS for cars... though I found availability to be an issue... On my last trip although I confirmed with the rental places, 3 or 4 of them said they had over booked. Try GPS Rental on Google.... saw a couple of good sites... http://gpsrental.lowergear.com or www.gps4rent.com had good prices.
Posted by
NE, MI
57 posts
We are back from our trip and couldn't have been happier that we bought a GPS with European maps preinstalled.
It wasn't foolproof - as we got in Edinburgh, it wanted us to go on a roundabout to get on the expressway. They roundabout wasn't there anymore and a bridge replaced it. There was no way to get on the highway! We had to punch in detour several times to find our way to the airport to turn in the car. This was our only real problem with the GPS, but I probably could have spent time at home, before we left to make sure the maps were up-to-date.
Otherwise, it got us to the mostly obscure towns where we wanted to go. It also made it easy when we were walking and needed to get through busy and confusing-to-walk-through Amsterdam.
Well worth the $$ and now we have one to use at home, too.