So anyway, I've now got a car down in Londres and am thinking of getting a Sat Nav for those journeys around and about the place

Can anyone recommend a good (and ideally cheap) one?

Cheers

Yeah, get a map. I'm serious. Sat navs are a total waste of money.

Honestly, start using a sat nav and you become totally reliant on them and you lose all concept of direction or where places are in relation to each other. In four and a half years driving all over the shop for KPMG, I have never once felt the need for a sat nav. If I can do it, so can you.

If you do get one get a tomtom. any up-to-date one will do. just get a uk one unless likely to drive abroad (usa or europe).

its like the iphone of gpses - v easy to use.

There's no question; TomTom are the tree's knees of SatNavs. The TomTom One is relatively inexpensive (though not actually cheap), really easy to use and clear as anything. Jonnyboy is right in that you'll not learn your way around while using it but if you have the sense of direction of a dead homing pidgeon (as I do) then it'll be invaluable. Maps are great but less good for use whilst driving. I tend to crash.

i see jonnyboys point... but then almost completely disregard it...

satnav is fecking awesome. and getting tomtom on my phone was one of the best things i've ever done. since moving to the jesus phone, i really do miss it.

maybe that emphasises jonnyboy's point... maybe i should de-disregard it again.

it might be worth holding out for the g-map app on the iphone which is supposed to offer an offline map navigation thing... due Q1 2009 apparently.

While tom toms are truly amazng contraptions (I've actually driven through the West End of London safely with one when I thought taking a car through central London was on a feat par Moses and the Red Sea) but it also did put me on the wrong side of the road on an exit to a dual carriageway at high speed.

Yes I did need to change my trousers thereafter. But they are amazing.

Jonnyboy, surely you forgot to add the 'Territorial Army - Be the Best' tagline at the end of this post. I heard the foot stomping in my head I did.

Surely the Territorial Army, almost by definition is second best?

Not when you say it the way Jonnyboy does.

IF I CAN DO IT, SO CAN YOU SUCKA.

In caps Jonnyboy sounds like Mr T.

There some crazy shit going on here man.

Territorial Army is for pussies. I'm the SAS Commando of the auditing world.

I still stand by my assertion that you'd be better off spending your money on something more useful. Like a chocolate teapot.

Sat Navs are ridiculous and a rip off. Ask yourselves: how many of us here have ever been truly lost to such an extent that we were unable to stop and ask anyone or look at a map and some road signs to get back on the right track? So lost that the only solution is to let a disembodied voice tell you to 'make a U-turn at the next opportunity' like you are some sort of cretin? Then ask yourself what happened to people who got lost before Sat Navs were invented - presumably they just died in their cars, or became wandering cannibals.

Driving in London without a Sat Nav should hold no fear for anyone. Just read the road signs, you'll be amazed at how easy it is. Sucka.

While we are on the subject of Mr T, he is actually the only reason I can think of for getting a Tom Tom. You can download his voice so that it tells you to 'turn left fool!' etc.

Trust me you don't want to be in a car I'm driving while I'm worrying whether or not I'm on the right track instead of looking at the road. I'd gladly pay 90 quid to disperse any worry about directions from my driving brain.

I did once eat a hitchiker I hit whilst reading a map...had to get rid of the evidence you know.

The trousers are amazing? Was that before or after?

As for the sat nav argument I hate them with a passion but I can see their appeal. I don't have one, and don't want one pretty much as per jonnyploy, however they do come into their own when you manage to use onw and still get lost. I like their re-routing capability. But if you use a satnav, surely you won't get lost... some sort of self-defeating argument there i think...

So in the end I think we have come to the following conclusion:

If you want a Sat Nav, buy a TomTom. If you don't want a Sat Nav, don't buy a TomTom.

It's up to you in which camp you want to pitch your tent Dub.

i agree with king...

to be honest, i'd rather pay the £90 or whatever and know that i dont have to worry about remembering directions/roadnames etc. im happy to take the hit and relax while driving.

but then again, i am one of the laziest people i know

I do agree with Jonnyboy to a certain extent. i.e. I know how to read a map. I've got a fairly good sense of direction.

However, having said all this, I want a new toy to play with. So ner.

Having gone on that rant I should say that were I forced into getting a Sat Nav I would get a Tom Tom, no question. Tom Tom is to Sat Navs what Ipod is to MP3 players.