Cheap Sat Navs - How a Cheap Sat Nav system saved my marriage

I do not know about you but I was in no way especially great at using a map at the best of times and trying to navigate to a location at the same time as driving was even worse. When I got married it appeared the only time we had an argument was on a long trip with my old map I had had for the past five years wherever it didn't display the most recent motorways. So you can imagine my delight as I purchased my first Sat Nav. Family trips became a delight and in the end I didn't even bother to plan my trip prior to setting out on a long journey - my marriage was saved.

So let us take a look at the constantly increasing number of Cheap Sat Navs arriving on the market what should you be looking for?

Well, an in-car satellite navigation system ought to in my opinion come with Spoken instructions and this ought to come as standard. The whole advantage of using a Sat Naw is so you do not have to stare at the screen. The spoken instructions should describe the route step-by-step. On the Sat Nav I use you can even choose a female or male voice. I have selected a female voice and we have named her Jane. It is fun on a long journey if Jane goes quiet. We all think she is reading Hello Magazine in the rear of the van or having a floppy (as my daughter says) with us if we have elected to take a different route.

You really want route update so that if you are forced to deviate from your original direction the Sat Nav or Jane will recalculate the route for you. On my Sat Nav Jane even checks the traffic situation prior to leaving the house but you will probably find that you will have to purchase a subscription for this. Other Sat Navs also come with a Speed Trap warning which is really useful

Your Sat Nav ought to also come with maps and the more expensive ones will even have European routes. This is always a comfort if you have a moment of mistrust with your Sat Nav. At least you can always see what the entire route looks like. An additional function I like is the Postcode function. I have had numerous journies trying to get to friend's houses and the easiest way of obtaining the route is with the postcode.

A decent screen size is useful although I do not tend to look at the screen a great deal but if you can acquire a 3.5 inch one that would be good, although what I do like is a touch sensitive display which is easier to use than a console

If your Sat Nav comes with a battery this will allow you to use it outside the vehicle although I always attach mine to the cigarette lighter so that I don't have to remember to charge mine the night before a long journey

Additional options you are able to get are internal hard drives that store your previous routes. Some even allow you to play music on them although I personally would not choose this option as I want to hear Jane's instructions not the latest Foo Fighters album.

You may want to look at a PDA solution if you have a Smart Phone. I own one on my Blackberry which is really useful and you can also purchase Sat Nav software for additional products such as the Apple I phone

So what ever solution you are looking for you can buy a Cheap Sat Nav starting from as little as £200 going up to whatever price you are prepared to pay

For sat nav deals, sat nav reviews and cheap sat navs visit www.cheapsatnavs.com/ now

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