Most care manufacturers in the US offer a sweet electronics package that includes an in-dash GPS system as an option. If you’ve ever wondered if there are any “gotchas” in buying these systems, here’s one: map upgrades. Let’s take a quick look at the costs to upgrade these systems.
The stand alone GPS device market peaked a few years back. Now, GPS units from companies like Garmin and TomTom have receded in prices and picking up a decent one will run just a little more than $100. There are plenty of bargains to be had as they face stiff competition from smartphones like Android based phones that offer free, voice-guided GPS.
So where’s the catch? If you can swallow the upfront costs (or push them off on a loan) of your in-dash GPS system, there’s map updates to consider. Most in-dash GPS systems have maps loaded in memory from which they spout directions. As the times change with construction, improvements and the like, so must the data in your GPS system.
Car manufacturer Honda sent out this message in hopes to get customers of its in-dash GPS system to buy the upgraded maps:
Without a map update, you may not find new destinations, addresses or points of interest. With a map update, you can save on fuel costs with the optimal route to your destination, and minimize wear and tear and mileage on your vehicle. You’ll also reduce the environmental impact of your ride.
All true. The map update costs $185 but customers can save 20% buy purchasing before June 30th. Honda’s update works by putting the update on a DVD which is inserted into the system.
Conversely, updating maps on stand alone GPS systems is far less costly. Garmin offers Lifetime updates for $89.99 for most of it’s recent stand alone units. TomTom offers 4 updates per year for the lifetime of the product for $99. These prices seem a bit more reasonable than Honda.
Read: [Honda]
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