The Garmin Streetpilot C550 is a great GPS unit for your car. You can buy one from Amazon.com (link below).

When I decided it was time to get a new “mapping” GPS receiver for my car, I wanted a good “feature set” at a good price. I didn’t need the latest whiz bang unit with every feature imaginable, but I did want one with all the basic navigational features and a simple to use interface. After a lot of online research, I decided on the Garmin C550. I’ve had it for several months now and I am pleased with my decision. It is so well designed that I haven’t opened the manual yet (although I should do that just in case I am missing out on some neat hidden feature).

I can leave the C550 in basic map mode and it shows me on the map where I am at and the direction I am going, and how fast. Or I can enter an address with the onscreen keyboard and it will map out a route. It shows every turn on the map, and gives verbal directions too (you can turn the volume down or off). If I wander off the prescribed route, it automatically recalculates a new route to my destination. It can also route you around construction zones.

The receiver senses day and night and changes the screen display accordingly. In the daytime, you have a bright screen with a white background, just like a paper map. As it get dark, the screen gets dimemr and the background of the map changes from white to black. Visibility is excellent in daytime as well as at night. You can manually switch the unit back and forth between the day and night displays.

You can view the map in three ways. In the 2D mode with north at the top, it looks just like a highway map. Or you can have a 2D map with the direction you are going always up. Or you can choose the 3D mode which simulates the view ahead as you drive down the road and you can see roads appear in the distance and get closer as you drive toward them

You can zoom in so the screen covers an area as small as part of a city block and zoom out far enough to see the entire United States, or anything in between. The GPS unit automatically zooms in and out depending on where you are (i.e. highway or city streets) and how fast your are driving. If you are driving down the highway, the screen zooms out so you can see several miles ahead. If you slow down to exit the highway, the screen zooms in. You can override the unit any time to zoom in and out any time you please.

I could say a lot more more about this fine unit, but the reviews at Amazon.com will tell you pretty much everything else you need to know.