If you've been in the market for a car, truck, or SUV
recently, then I'm sure you've seen the vast number of vehicles sporting shiny
new auto navigation systems as part of this or that package upgrade. These systems
are delightfully handy when you find yourself stuck in traffic that is moving
slower than the snail that just passed by or that roads are closing due to
nasty weather or traffic pile ups. The truth of the matter is that they can
come in equally handy when faced with every day driving if you allow them to
be.
Many people unfortunately purchase these systems because
they seem like a good idea at the time and then never really get their money's
worth. Very few investments in technology are worthy if you aren't going to at
least get your money's worth. Auto navigation systems are great when you find
yourself lost in the woods so to speak, but they can help you find alternate
routes when traffic is busy on your traditional drive to the grocery store. They
can help you avoid roads that have been closed for maintenance, or even find a
quick way around work that is being performed along your route. These devices
can also help you find shorter routes to events and such than you may have been
aware existed before and they aren't commanding nearly the price they brought
in a mere two years ago. In other words, this convenience is becoming much more
affordable.
One thing you must keep in mind when considering a new car
or a new auto navigation system for an existing car is how much you think you
will actually use your system. Even if you save it for emergency use alone, it
is quite possible that in an emergency this nifty device will be worth ten
times what you originally paid for it because it could save jobs, time, or even
lives (particularly if you are lost and searching for a hospital). For me, it
is hard to put a price tag on the comfort that owning a device such as this
would bring but it is definitely worth the $500-$1,000 that is currently being
charged. Keep in mind that when these systems first hit the market $1,000 was
on the ultra low end.
If you never use this system and only get it because it
looks cool, then you definitely are not getting your money's worth. Technology
is only good when it's useful to someone. Sitting there unused it is assisting
no one and is essentially a waste of money. On the other end of the spectrum
however, you have people like me. By 'like me' I mean those of us who could get
helplessly lost and flustered finding our way out of the driveway on dark and
moonless nights. I use my auto navigation system like an extra pair of eyes. My
system is not the top of the line system that advertises an uncanny ability to
help you parallel park your car, but it is nice enough to help me figure out
where I am and how to get where I'm going from there. For me, that is exactly
enough to be worth every penny.
Beyond that, my navigation system doesn't require tricky
folds or my pulling off onto the shoulder in order to read. It talks to me (without
losing it's temper) and tells me where to go, I love that about my system. I
don't know about the rest of you, but map reading is not something I've ever
been gifted at. That fact may have a little to do with the fact that it was not
something I was ever terribly interested in. Couple that with my poor attention
to landmarks and I was a driving disaster. Literally, I got lost at least once,
if not twice a week before making the move into the modern world of navigation.
I have absolutely no regrets and while I can't promise that you will love your
auto navigation system as much as I love mine (all systems are not created
equal), I can pretty much bet that your driving, particularly on long road
trips, will go much more smoothly than without one.
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