Garmin sat-nav question

Last year I purchased a Garmin Nuvi 250. I have found this very useful but
have come up against a major drawback. Yes, I know I should probably have
checked first, but didn't!

It is, of course, the fact that updates for the maps are going to cost
almost as much as the original instrument. Is there any alternative to this
and is this the case with all sat-navs?

Regards and thanks in advance,

Pat Macguire

but
ave
is

It seems to be true for all Garmin units. I forget update costs, but
they might be the same as buying a new map package which is usually
about $100. I don't know the situation with other manufacturers.

Where I live and seem to travel the updates would not be of much use.
The roads stay the same and so do the points I enter.
If you live or travel where there is growth then you might need the
updates.

but
ave
is

The policies are pretty similar. The GPS makers don't make their own
maps but buy them mainly from two other companies: NavTeq and
TeleAtlas so they have to pass along the cost somehow.

If you plan to update the maps frequently you might consider the
'lifetime' nuMaps program being discussed on another thread here. You
pay about as much as a couple upgrades would cost and get as many as
needed.

But you may find that updates aren't all that critical. I still have
a GPS in regular use that has the maps from 2001 and it's not much of
an issue - a few POIs have changed ownership but usually they're still
the same type of business and some roads and interchanges have been
added, but not all that many.

but
ave

is





With the maps being as costly as they are... I would recommend doing
what I do.
Download the latest maps via torrent, create your unl via garmin
unlocker and enjoy it for free.
Many may agree or disagree, but this is what the majority of people do
I believe

However, if I were buying maps I would definatley get the lifetime map
subscription. It will pay off very quickly.