How Many of You Buy the Map Update?

my opinion is depend of your budget

of course if you can get free updates is great. before i got my garmin 650 5 years ago, they didnt have lifetime map update.

today i got the 1390 with traffic and map lifetime update.
it is funny how they price it now, you can buy with lifetime for $200 at bestbuy or futureshop in canada

or buy same 1390 without the lifetime update for $160 at visions.ca

so extra $40 is worth to buy the lifetime.
the only worry i have is that if garmin decide to change its mind, or there is some fine print that we dont know that they can stop anytime.

i dont think it is necessary to update every 3 months, once a year (or even once every 2 years) should be enough if you need to pay.
and if you dont want to pay, there is always way to find it on the internet. if you know how to download and install it in your GPS.

i use my GPS for trips that i never gone before, chances of going into roads that have be changed and your GPS map isnt, are very rare.

you have to remember, GPS is a tool that help you going to places you want, doesnt mean that it will 100% take you there. if the GPS tells you to turn right, and you dont see any road on the right, do you still turn right?
or if tells you go foward to the bridge, and there is no bridge, do you keep going forwards?

I haven't updated my Garmin since 2009 and have had no problems.

I haven't updated since 2009 and I have not had any problems.

Lifetime updates are totally worth it. I bought it two years ago and every time an update happens I just download it and I'm set.

I have purchased 4 nuvis so far. My first one is with my daughter, a nuvi 350. Works fine but maps are 2008 vintage. I next purchased a 760 (in 2009) which is my backup currently. My bimmer has a 885t that uses a liftime traffic power cord originally for the 760 (works on any of my current 3) since the original, which got MSN, died. I upgraded the 885t to lifetime maps recently since I don't plan to purchase more nuvis for awhile. My most recent purchase was a rebuilt 765t which resides in my SUV. I bought it less than a year ago and got the one free upgrade to the maps. In a year or so I may think about upgrading its maps. For awhile there, I was buying a new nuvi every year and that gave me at least one with reasonably up to date maps. I want MP3 playback so I do not plan to buy a GPS at least until the new ones have this or 2 of my old discontinued models die.

It's nice that all 3 of my nuvis use the same power cord and the 760 and 765t use the same cradle. I have semi-permanent mounts in both vehicles and remote microphones for the bluetooth. I keep a little gadget bag with a suction cup mount, the ad based traffic cord of the 765t, an aux cord, and a remote microphone for trips and just grab one of the nuvis - probably the 885t at the moment since it has the most recent maps. So I am OK both around town and on trips. I worry about the maps mostly when I am out of town.

Jim

I have bought several TomToms and haven't seriously considered an update until this year.
Then I saw a sale yesterday at CompUsa for the 4.3" XL330S for $69.99 with lifetime traffic.

It's a big improvement over the One 30S (3.5") in terms of screen and features. We had no trouble downloading an updated map and getting signed up for email notifications of new maps for lifetime traffic.

And yes, here in Raleigh, NC, the roads have changed and the new map is much better.

I buy a new Tom Tom every year, so there is no need for me to update. Every year they make thinner models, better maps, faster processors so why update and when you can get great prices on boxing day! I pass on my older models to friends and family who do not have one.

This is exactly what I do, buy a new one every year, instead of spending money on an update. There are always newer models that can do so much more!

...update about every two years. It doesn't really seem to pay in the area where I live to update any sooner than that.

Mine are free on my Droid Smartphone!
Stopped updating PND's, they are for backup if I were to lose my phone.

Roads don't change that much, and when I do find a road not on my GPS, road signs still work well until I make my way back to a an "older" road. So, I haven't seen the need to buy the map updates.

Sign me up as one of your friends and ship me your one year old tom tom in January 2012

Thanks, your new friend

I happen to have an XXL540 with Lifetime Maps, so it is a moot point for me. However, if I were a customer for whom it was necessary to pay for updates, my willingness to pay would vary depending upon where I lived.

In the area where I live, there are very few changes each year, so I would not be willing to pay more than perhaps $5.00 per year for updates - and possibly even less. However, my daughter lives in Phoenix, and she says that there are so many new streets and street changes in that area every year that updates are almost a necessity if you do any real driving in the Phoenix area.

Accordingly, if I were to live there I would probably be willing to pay more. How much more? I have really not thought about this seriously enough to quote a firm value. I would probably be willing to spend about $25 a year, but I would definitely not be willing to spend $50 per year.

my unit is approaching 3 years old, haven't seen the need

I bought the Lifetime maps almost three years ago and am glad I did. It was a good investment for my Nuvi 760 to keep it current. There haven't been any features that have enticed me to purchase a new GPS. I suspect I'll e using a smartphone in the future to accomplish this when my 760 is not up to the task.

Instead of buying the update for my 3 yr old unit I decided to buy a newer, larger unit with lifetime updates.

I bought the Lifetime updates deal on Amazon a year or so ago for my Nuvi 750 and am pleased with it. They've been doing a pretty good job keeping the roads in our area updated and have noticed some better routing when it comes to driving on the HOV lanes in the DC area that were a problem when I first bought the GPS.

I have a 1690 and purchased the lifetime for $59.

I was sure I did not want to spend money for updates. THEN: A large Junction View file changed my mind. Navigating through St. Louis interchanges was made easier. At one point, I thought a sign told me to stay in right lane, Jill and JCV directed me to the left lane. Suweet. The latest update also has more lane assists than before when on city streets.

the lifetime map subscribtion that was included with my 1390. But, even with the LM I am going to hold off updating as I would if purchasing a single update if I already have the 2012.20 map. I do not want to give up the junction views that are now linked to this map, made possible by one of the members dealing with Garmin. There's no telling if it will be passed on with the next update.

The cost for lifetime is less then the cost of two map updates.

You're in a part of the country that has a lot of changes, you travel to parts of the country that has changes or you want to make sure you're as current as possible. Lifetime makes sense.

You plan on getting a new GPS every year or so. The maps that came with your unit seem OK. Save the money and don't update your maps.

Garmin's cost for lifetime maps is less then the cost for a single map update for most factory GPS units. Less then the cost of a single upgrade for many GPS units.

Forget about quarterly updates. Lifetime maps makes sense if you only plan on upgrading annually.

Got a good deal on a 2460LMT with lifetime maps. Previously, I updated every 2 - 3 years and that seemed to work OK but it'll be nice to have the latest.

Where you live and where you go. I use my garmin very little when I'm close to home as I know how to get to where I'm going. If I traveled alot updated maps would mean much more.
I purchased lifetime maps for the simple reason that $45 for 4-5 years (hopefully many more) of map updates makes sense to me on a cost basis. If I lived in an area where roads never change and didn't travel to much off the interstates or main roads maybe it wouldn't matter as much.
As units now are available with lifetime updates when I buy the next one that will be a must have feature.

I just bought liftime for 2 of ours, my 1490 came with

I've been told that the "current" roadmap data from any of the major GPS manufacturers is already two years old. In other words, the "current" map update that I bought in 2010 actually contained data from around 2008. That seems to match what I've seen when my TomTom has gotten confused, particularly w.r.t. highway realignments and significant reconfiguration of highway interchanges.

knew it was old but hadn't heard that much ...

Has anyone been able to download a garmin map update

With the current hardware pricing, it's hard for me to justify buying a lifetime map deal. Of course everyone's needs will determine the value. Personally, I don't mind buying last years hardware at a discount so I'm more likely to want to buy new rather than update. That's just me though...

Bought a Garmin 760 early in 2009, and bought the lifetime updates shortly thereafter. Have downloaded the updates as they became available every quarter since and found it worthwhile. Not only have I seen roads and intersections added or changed, I have noticed updates to the built-in POI database. There is a significant lag time for changes to show up. But, for the few that were very important to me, I submitted change requests to NavTeq (http://mapreporter.navteq.com) per the guidelines on the Garmin web site, and they appeared corrected within one or two update cycles. To see many other POI changes more quickly, like a new location for a chain restaurant nearby, the POI Factory fills the gap nicely!

i get free quarterly upates ans yes i use them to stay current

I bought lifetime map updates for US for my Garmin 275T about a year after I purchased the unit. It well paid off already.

I use old maps for EU however as I do not go there much, but if I considered visiting it more often I would definitely invest into lifetime update as well.

android navigation (Google) is not too good in some EU countries, especially if you do not have the international dataplan or no reception over there at all LOL!

for such use, GPS is the cheapest way to go.

I just wish the GPS map updates were more frequent than quarterly ... too much road work is going on, they are always out of date, at least per road speed limits here and there... I noticed my Garmin was reporting mostly wrong (either too high or too low) speed limits almost all over I-95 in Virginia and North Carolina, also in some places in Delaware and New Jersey.

Not I!!!