[zcaveman]

I am now thinking about getting a GPS device. My spouse wants to move into the 21st century. I want something simple and inexpensive to start. Baby steps. Also, I have never seen one in action except on TV shows.

I asked my friends and they recommend TomTom and Garmin.

In doing my research, it seems that Garmin gives street names - a biggie for the spouse. So far I like the Garmin nuvi 255W.

I have also looked at many of the posts on TOTV but I still have a few general questions.

Can you plug it into the power source on the car when using it so it does not run down the battery?

It comes with preloaded maps. Is that enough? How often can you update it for free?

Can you give it an alternate route to use forever? Instead of rt 42 to 27/441 to Belleview, I like rt 42 to 301. Can I make that the default? Or will the GPS recalculate if I take the left instead of the right out of TV onto rt 42?

Is there a power cord for in the house use and charging?

Any help will be appreciated.

Z