Do You Use You GPS Routinely In The Car Or Only When Needed?

It's usually in the house except for longer trips. It has worked great in Europe, New Zealand and Australia!

Most of the time the GPS+LT power cable is away for security reasons (not because of loss of the unit, but because of the potential for theft damage to our vehicles). Then there's the matter of the same bogus routing becoming tedious. OTOH there's Jill and all that ancillary data keeping company on long trips.

So, like so many things in life, "it all depends."

I basically use it every day to see during rush hour to gage the traffic situation.

Kids keep theirs in the glove box and only use when needed. They use to need them more, but now use their smart phones generally that have GPS directions when in the city.

I keep mine in the house and only use it when needed. I may use it 2 or 3 times a month, sometimes more, sometimes less. I use to keep it in the glove box, but once it got so hot that it would not turn on. Once I took it into the house and it cooled off it worked fine. I don't have a need for a smart phone, so use my Garmin more.

I usually leave it home except when needed for a trip I don't know where I am going.

I only use my GPS resources when needed as I find there are already too many other in-car distractions while driving.

Mostly when away from home base especially for detours.

Went to Leesburg outlets yesterday. Still have time after done all shopping. I was able to use my nuvi to find a good restaurant nearby. Use it as a directory.

Depending on where I am going. If it is just a few miles away then no. But if I have to hit the L.A. traffic areas then yes. Mostly for the traffic info.

On the dash and functioning. I use the speed display often while driving. It helps me to be aware of my surroundings.

I also use the ETA and definitely the traffic feature on the freeways in both the Phoenix and Las Vegas areas that I frequent.

When I first got GPS, I did use it on most trips, and after several months of that found my internal ability to navigate without it was deteriorating, and didn't like that feeling.

Now I'm in that less-common group of people here who use it locally only when I don't know the route, but use it on all long-distance trips more than an hour or two away. Neither of these conditions occur often for me.

If I had a traffic feature on mine and found it reliable, though, I would use it more often, because traffic here in the Chicago area can be a serious problem.

I always have mine in my car.

I use it to find the RLC's when I leave my neighborhood. Otherwise it is unplugged and kept from view.

I always have a GPS with me, but use my smartphone most of the time if needed to view directions, traffic, etc.

I use the GPS when going places I don't regularly travel. Mostly in case I get lost, but also to warn me about red light cameras I'm not aware of.

In between.

For very local errands, no. I'd prefer not tempting fate and break-ins.

Any trip that might run into traffic in an area I don't know escape routes in, yes.

One exception for local stuff: If I will be going between errand points I don't usually go between, I might take it to figure the best way to triangulate, and to warn of RLC/SC ambushes.

OTOH I slip my Oregon + flipcell in my pocket whenever I step out of the house, hiking or not. That Oregon is usually used as a fancy pedometer.

and since it's relatively new we only use it when going somewhere unfamiliar or on trips. Slightly paranoid so I like to know it's safe at home unless it's needed.

I do love using it, though. My favorite toy and trips are a lot of fun now that I know it can guide me around anywhere in the continental 48!

i have it on all the time. even to go home. i am so busy , i lose track of going home. i enter the address for next day location, so when i power up the next day, i go to the correct job.

I installed a switched outlet leave it mounted in a vent bracket so it's always on and handy when driving. I use the traffic information and sometimes make an impromptu route change in a big city on unfamiliar roads. With the quick power-up I just start the car, the unit comes out of standby and I have a functioning unit by the time I leave the parking lot.

Most of the time a Nuvi is in the car- never know if I'm going to take a notion to cruise and do errands both.

For road trips, we've got two units running. Mine a Nuvi, hers, Magellan.

I prefer the routing options on the Magellan, and it has updatable AAA Tour Book information built in.

We travel in Canada fairly often, one is set to read KPH whilst the navigation unit uses miles.

And just for the fun of it a couple of times when I've been really bored on a solo trip, I've set both to navigate and let them fight it out.

Geo/ATL

Just like my AMEX, I never leave home without it!

I usually have the nav page up when driving my BMW. I only use my GO930 when traveling. However, on business trips, I usually have Google Maps up on my Android to help me around a strange town.

I always have my unit with me especially on the motorcycle. I often take the long way on that and it's the back roads that are the most fun. The GPS is great so I don't end up too far out of my way.
In the car I always have it with me in case of traffic. I'd rather go down some country road than sit on the interstate in bumper to bumper traffic.

It is with me 90% of the time, between the nav syst in the car and the Garmin i still get lost.... lol

I use it all the time.

My TT sits in it's cradle/dock on my desk. Only use it for unfamiliar areas.

I use mine all the time. I made a custom mount for mine where it sits flush in space below my radio that appears to be designed to hold business cards or credit cards. Not really sure, but it was a wasted space and hole and perfect for my GPS.

Plus I drive about 50-75 miles a day working a newspaper general assignment photographer/videographer and it comes in most handy. Especially for calculating travel times between assignments and locations.

The 750 is always in the car, and usually turned on. However sometimes it gets turned off by wife or daughter because they don't see the humor in some of custom alerts that go off sometimes. (I still have not figured out how this is happening .....they think I have something to do with it.... but come on... )
The 40LM usually stays home resting until called upon to lead us on an adventure away from known surroundings.

But its always with me

I use the GPS often for the traffic and cameras. The traffic aspect of my garmin is lacking at times and sometimes I am sitting in traffic and then the garmin shows that there is traffic ahead.

My 260W stays in the glove compartment of my car, and only comes out for trips into new areas or over 50 miles or so distance. I find the ETA and the "miles to go" features to be very useful, and occasionally, when I take the wrong turn, it gets me back on track.

The battery is shot, so thinking about getting a new one. Will wait for the 2013 models to come out.

I never use it locally and my Garmin usually stays home. I only bring it along when flying out to other countries.

I use it on work trips and other trips. I also use it as a geocaching supplement to my 78S. I'll be taking it on our upcoming cruise to Hawaii to help navigate with the rental cars and also, again, as a geocaching supplement. I can't imagine using it to get around town.

it is part of my driving, i use 100%

Put in the car as needed.

I tend to use my Garmin GPS more when I know there are active red-light cameras in operation.

Except for a brief errand, I tend to have the GPS running. It is helpful for the "Where am I?" emergency feature, and also the traffic reporting and RLC alerts.

I use it far more often now that I have loaded the red light cameras.

Every day going to work mostly for bluetooth and RLC

We only have one Garmin so it goes in the house each night in case the other has to use it the next morning.

I just put in a red light POI file so if the red light POIs work out well on the Garmin, we may pick up another and then both can stay in the cars or not.

I use the GPS every time I drive the car.

I hate commercials, so I play music on my TOMTOM when it isn't giving me directions. The FM transmitter in the TOMTOM plays the music over the radio, when it isn't giving directions.

It also warns me when I am going too fast on the road. It keeps my insurance rates low by ending speeding tickets.

Even when I am not driving I bring it. If I want to return somewhere I can easily plot it, and return later.

I always have it with me but for everyday use I only use it for cameras.
Around town it is off.
Trips, it is always on.

All the time. Basically as where I live (S.E. London, UK), there are 8 speed cameras or traps within one mile! So on as a reminder.

Some people want a new-featured GPS, and others prefer the arguably built-to-a-higher-standard GPS units of a few years ago. If yours otherwise works great and the battery is the only issue for you, and especially if you have lifetime maps for it, you can replace the battery yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v29DOYKET0

The kit to change out your GPS' battery which includes the needed tools and basic US shipping is $24 from the website that created the video, and it's reasonably easy to do with the video to guide you. It may be cheaper to buy the battery somewhere else if you already have the tools.

There are also services that will replace the battery for you for a reasonable cost if you don't want to mess with it. Good luck.

(For folks with a different model who want to try this, search at YouTube for battery change for your model.)

The Suburb we live in is not centralized, and when we visit others, "Across Town" the GPS comes in handy.
On Vacations, of course it comes with us...
When we visit our planned retirement area, it's a necessity, as it's in a mountainous area, and it's needed to know which mountain road goes where...

But we many times use it in the house, when computer isn't on, without antenna, to display the locations we're discussing at the time... and to pre-program in locations that we'll be needing to add for upcoming trip, across town or out of town...

For me, I switch it on routinely in the car, whether needed or not. It helps keeping the battery fully charged in addition to giving me name of coming street before I can read them. It also give me useful traffic info.

If you have a Barreries Plus nearby, they may do it for you. At least the one near my house said they could do it.

http://www.batteriesplus.com/

Used to use it about 90% of the time, but now only about 30% & when I really need the directions. I keep it inside, but should really use it more & keep the charge topped off. Keeping it topped off really prolongs the battery life vs. letting it go dead & then recharge, it seems.

I used 90% in Orlando and 100% in the State of Florida, just because they add a red light cameras all the time, is important to turn OOONNNNNN