I bought a sat nav from Chris years back, used it about 3 times as I’m ‘map’ age. It wasn’t the most straightforward thing to plan on anyway, so… I looked at some stuff online and opinions etc, and my brain’s fried - people moaning about their phone not working through it very well and 3 seconds lag, and then, THEN there’s ones with a SIM which needs an app on your phone… whaaaaat?
Look, I just need something easy to use occasionally, that will get me properly through cities and help me with alternatives for the endless ■■■■■■ Highways Agency diversion puzzles.
I don’t need the whole of Europe on it, nor to mate it with my phone, or have another bloody app, or for it to tell ne how the yen is doing or read my horoscope. What would you recommend?
What would you recommend
Stick to your maps 
I was on a dreaded CPC yesterday., when I told the instructor that I used a bog standard car sat nav (with a bridge height map) he was horrified, and when I told him I did the same when I did Euro work, you would have thought by his reaction I’d told him I drive the truck permanently ■■■■■■■ 
My point is it suits me as long as I use a bit (or a lot) of common. 
So if you’re old school who has been around the block a few times,.and basically know your way around,.that should fit your needs… but it’s up to you.
Many, or most, on here are going to disagree., but there ya go. 
Let me guess, you also don’t want to spend £350?
So that rules out a branded sat nav.
You don’t want to use an app, so strike that one out.
The options are reducing to:
car sat nav
chinese truck sat nav (ebay)
maps
Google maps. It’s free. It’s on your phone.
My mrs moaned like hell about my first snooper sat nav at £400 , yet thinks nothing of spending god how much on tanning sessions , nails , hair , clothes , night outs with the girls etc etc , apparently it’s her money & she’ll do with it what she likes , any other time it’s our money
The moral is get a decent sat nav , might be hundreds , but if you don’t the mrs will spend it anyway !!
robroy:
I was on a dreaded CPC yesterday., when I told the instructor that I used a bog standard car sat nav (with a bridge height map) he was horrified, and when I told him I did the same when I did Euro work, you would have thought by his reaction I’d told him I drive the truck permanently ■■■■■■■My point is it suits me as long as I use a bit (or a lot) of common.
So if you’re old school who has been around the block a few times,.and basically know your way around,.that should fit your needs… but it’s up to you.
Many, or most, on here are going to disagree., but there ya go.
I totally agree with you Rob and when I was on distance I used the same, a garmin car sat nav and common sense! Amazingly you actually drive taking notice of what is out of the windscreen and not blindly following what the little box in the window says.
On a side note I was watching a youtuber earlier who had a truck sat nav, Google maps and street view and was still having a panic of where he was going! He never would of survived 15 years ago
Car sat nav backed up with Philips Truckers Atlas to check for bridges/weight limits for routes I’m not overly sure about has worked for me for years.
Paper maps are cute but they’re out of date by the time they get printed, let alone however many years later you’re still using the same well worn dog eared one you own. Plus do you really want to be trying to read an A to Z you’re holding in one hand, following a route over multiple pages as you go driving through an urban area with the morons we have on the roads today? Then there’s the inevitable situation you come across where there are no local streetmaps for somewhere and nowadays most petrol stations you’d have popped into to ask for directions are staffed by migrants who a few years ago didn’t even live in the UK.
the nodding donkey:
Google maps. It’s free. It’s on your phone.
Pretty much requires an app on your phone.
Google maps and common sense for me.
But I only drive a 7.5T flatbed.
I have a built in sat nav along with other useless crap on my Mondeo.Don’t know how to use it and don’t thinkI ever will.I asked the dealer to rip it all out but it seems it can’t be done.All those flashing lights and beeping sounds are what young uns like these days.
For all those wonderful modern electronics I have a yellow spanner warning light comes on regularly but 4 separate dealers tell me there’s nothing wrong.At £100 + a time.
I have another Mondeo 22 years old.none of the modern electronic garbage.No repairs in that time apart from a new alternator.
Gidders:
I have a built in sat nav along with other useless crap on my Mondeo.Don’t know how to use it and don’t thinkI ever will.I asked the dealer to rip it all out but it seems it can’t be done.All those flashing lights and beeping sounds are what young uns like these days.
For all those wonderful modern electronics I have a yellow spanner warning light comes on regularly but 4 separate dealers tell me there’s nothing wrong.At £100 + a time.
I have another Mondeo 22 years old.none of the modern electronic garbage.No repairs in that time apart from a new alternator.
Middle of winter I’d rather sit in my mrs car with heated seats than mine without , same as first thing I do on my girls when I use it in winter is bang on the heated steering wheel & seats , maybe I’m getting old but I’d rather have all the extra bits and bobs than not
Recently went to clacton on sea , I could of got there with a quick google for the last bit to site , but just bunged on focus sat nav & turn left , turn right & was there , much easier , my next car will have sat nav , heated seats , heated steering wheel , massage seats , reversing camera , rear sensors ( who wants to ■■■■ about looking over there shoulder to reverse ) , anything for a easy life
I bet you go down the local stream to wash your clothes !!
Surely Road Lords is the answer, not recomended for shop deliverires but it is adequote for occasional use.
Waze and Google…
Maps for me. I know all the drops and collections anyway but it makes me look important and kwalified with lots of tech stuck to my windscreen.
Middle of winter I’d rather sit in my mrs car with heated seats than mine without , same as first thing I do on my girls when I use it in winter is bang on the heated steering wheel & seats , maybe I’m getting old but I’d rather have all the extra bits and bobs than not
Recently went to clacton on sea , I could of got there with a quick google for the last bit to site , but just bunged on focus sat nav & turn left , turn right & was there , much easier , my next car will have sat nav , heated seats , heated steering wheel , massage seats , reversing camera , rear sensors ( who wants to ■■■■ about looking over there shoulder to reverse ) , anything for a easy life
I bet you go down the local stream to wash your clothes !!
[/quote]
from Dozy.
Heated steering wheel and seats? Ye gods.
I wouldn’t want to return to the days when vehicles had no heater.(One boss left a blanket on the seat of one driver who complained of the cold in an AEC Mercury in the late 1960s.)
There’s a lot to go wrong with all that electronic garbage,and I reverse my car using mirrors,don’t need camera or sensors.
Wouldn’t know about washing clothes.Little woman does that.
Macski:
Surely Road Lords is the answer, not recomended for shop deliverires but it is adequote for occasional use.
Delm8 for shop deliveries
I use Google Google maps for traffic and alternative routes and at times. Car satnav does it for me.
Bear on mind non have low bridges on though.
Google maps is normally.pre installed on Android phones.
And go local cex store cash generators buy a used sat nav
Thanks for the replies, I’ll try Cex and Road Lords.
Noremac, why did you automatically assume you knew my budget, and give a dismissive, sarcastic and frankly pointless response based on that?
the nodding donkey:
Google maps. It’s free. It’s on your phone.
This. Google Maps has successfully navigated me across Europe for a decade. Last time I bought a standalone Satnav is approaching 15 years ago at this stage
Gidders:
I have a built in sat nav along with other useless crap on my Mondeo.Don’t know how to use it and don’t thinkI ever will.I asked the dealer to rip it all out but it seems it can’t be done.All those flashing lights and beeping sounds are what young uns like these days.
For all those wonderful modern electronics I have a yellow spanner warning light comes on regularly but 4 separate dealers tell me there’s nothing wrong.At £100 + a time.
I have another Mondeo 22 years old.none of the modern electronic garbage.No repairs in that time apart from a new alternator.
Always found it a bit hilarious how some seem to see refusing to learn something as something to be proud of 
Gidders:
For all those wonderful modern electronics I have a yellow spanner warning light comes on regularly but 4 separate dealers tell me there’s nothing wrong.At £100 + a time.
Maybe you should have listened to the first dealer then and saved yourself £300? Just a thought 