What’s the best car GPS on the market. I’m sure that there are a number of opinions, and I suspect you might not agree with me, but let’s take a shot and see if we can sort this thing out.

For one thing, I’m already going to hedge my bet and give you about three “best” car GPS’s not just one.

Okay, that might not be fair, but after all this is my article and I can do what I want to. (Although, my goal is to help you understand the marketplace, so I was really just sort of kidding about that.)

To get a grip on the best GPS, we really have to divide the marketplace into at least three segments. Entry-level, mid-range, and high-end. Let’s take a look at the entry-level segment first.

Best Entry-level Car GPS

By “Entry-Level” I mean under $200. Really with the recent drop in prices that should maybe be under $150! But we’ll stick with under $200.

There are two entry-level best car GPS systems. The Tom Tom One, 3rd Edition and the Garmin nuvi 350.

The One, 3rd Edition sells for about $150 and has a ton of great features like pre-loaded maps of the U. S. and Canada and voice instructions that tell you where to turn.

The Garmin nuvi 350 has a few more features like real-time traffic and weather, but it sells for about $50 more–just under $200! Actually, most people don’t think of the nuvi 350 as an entry-level device, but who can question selling for less than $200 and offering all of these features?

Best Mid-Range Car GPS

Although Garmin has several good mid-range car GPS systems, like the nuvi 760 and the nuvi 660 (both of which sell for under $400), I really think the best device on the market as far as price and features is the Magellan Maestro 4250.

The Maestro 4250 only sells for $250, and includes a wider screen and Magellan’s deal with AAA where they actually have AAA’s famous Tour Book right on the device. For AAA lovers like me, that’s a big incentive.

Best High-End GPS

Garmin absolutely dominates the top of the GPS market. If you want cutting edge technology then the Garmin nuvi 880 has to be your best choice. It sells for almost $900, but it can do everything except tie your trout fishing flies for you. (They’ll have a newer model next year that can do just that. Just kidding!)

But seriously. When Garmin set out to make the top of the line absolutely best car GPS, they succeeded completely with the nuvi 880.

Of course, choosing a GPS is a very personal matter. You might not want any of the one’s I’ve mentioned. And there are certainly many very good GPS systems out there.

What will make your choice a lot easier is a good, informative website where you can browse products and check out their current selling price.

By: Rick Cole