Under the category of there not being any stupid questions but it probably is anyway....
I just want to make sure that the European auto electrical systems are compatible with the US voltage my Garmin uses. I plan to bring my unit over with me and save the outrageous rental fees.
Is there any special law against sticking it up on the windshield like some US states have?
Yes, it's exactly the same. I don't bother with the suction cup mount, though. I just set it in the cupholder. You can also get doodads to attach it to an air vent instead.
Mine worked fine in Ireland. I put it in the cupholder while driving, hid it away when I was out of the car, and removed it from the car at night. I never put mine on the windshield. When you take it down it leaves a telltale mark. Someone may break into your car looking for the GPS. That can happen anywhere, even here!
You do understand you need to load Europe maps unless you already have them on GPS I checked yesterday it would cost with tax 180$$ in Seattle
We drive around with ours attached to the windshield. We take it off at night and put it in the glove compartment
Unless you are in a major city like Dublin, Belfast or Limerick crimes like car break-ins and petty theft are almost non-existent.
I bought my all-European map set a little while ago on Ebay and paid $80. I've stuck it in my Garmin and it found Trim Castle and Dingle.
Just got back from Ireland Yesterday, we brought our Tom Tom, worked like a dream. It plugged right into the Nissan Micra car we rented from Budget. We took the windshield mount so that we both could see it. We downloaded all the European maps before we went. UK only was $69.99 but for $89.00 we got all of Europe. It saved our lives. Made driving so easy. We did realize that they rent you the same type of portable device if you rent one. And you would pay there by the day and we already knew how to operate our own. It was great!
