GPS in Europe

I have never rented one. I just take my own, which has Europe maps installed. Rental costs can quickly add up to almost the price of buying one.

the cost for two weeks is $65. I plan on using it in France and Italy but I will be renting separate cars in each country. How much does purchasing a GPS with Europe maps cost?

Check eBay for a used one. A new one with Euro maps can be as low as $100. You might be able to find one used for less. One good thing about taking one you own is that you can program in some of your destinations before your trip - and you can practice how to use it before you need to depend on it.

Ditto Nancy. Buy it here, and practice here. A good used one with EU maps will work fine, but new ones are soooooooo good, and so cheap, it's best to go "new". If you get one from a service it will take you a week to figure out how to use it. Bring along a Michelin map of the country you wil be in, and a compass.

Steve gives good advice. The Michelin map and compass is for when the GPS tells you to turn down a single lane road and leave the 4 land motorway.... which it might do occasionally. The map is so you can see your route and avoid any GPS "side trips". Just because a cow path might save a few miles as determined by the GPS, if you know your route you will quickly decide to stay on the four lane motorway. A compass comes in handy on cloudy days and is good to have when you exit an underground metro or get turned around in a city and don't know what direction to go to get to your hotel.

Your rental car may include a GPS as a standard feature of the model. The presence or absence of a GPS as a standard feature generally has no effect on the price of the rental, the size and mark of the automobile is generally the determining factor. Of course, if you rented a car without a built-in GPS, it would cost extra to rent a portable one.