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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