So my cars speedometer stopped working and its going to cost a lot to fix. I do not intend to sell it anytime soon and its paid off so I'm not worried about re-sale. So Im thinking about buying a GPS unit that runs off the car that will show speed and tell me how to get place's cause I seem to get lost all the time. I also have a few road trips planned that it would come in handy. On the other end of the situation does GPS work everywhere and would it accurately gage my speed to where I wouldnt have to worry about being pulled over. Thanks in advance... discuss.
What should I do buy GPS or get my car fixed??
- Thread starter be-radd
- Start date
I imagine you would be ok, but would it be legal, it should be accuarte, as long as its wired to the car battery, or has batterys with a decent charge at least.
My guess is that you need a working speedometer to pass inspection yes? So you'll have to fix it sometime. Might as well do it sooner than later and save the risk of a ticket.
Maps are only a couple of bucks, you know.
Maps are only a couple of bucks, you know.
yeah but i have friends at the inspection place so that issue is covered, and i thought about a ticket and id just tell the cop it just broke, i know it would only work once but would save me money till then. oh yeah, me and highway maps dont get along ill leave it at that.
another question do you have to suscribe to a service for GPS like Sat. radios and such?
another question do you have to suscribe to a service for GPS like Sat. radios and such?
No. 45be-radd said:
Go with the GPS ,
I ran my car with out a working speedomenter/odometer for almost 2 years!
1) how is a cop going to know if you Speedometer isn't working ?
2) On car inspections the only way they know if it is working is when they Punch the odemeter milage into the computer , it has to have changed from the year before ( at least in Mass it really is that stupid )
3) and on the highway , just look at speedometer in the car next to you.
4) and by the odometer not increasing means you are helping the resale value !
I ran my car with out a working speedomenter/odometer for almost 2 years!
1) how is a cop going to know if you Speedometer isn't working ?
2) On car inspections the only way they know if it is working is when they Punch the odemeter milage into the computer , it has to have changed from the year before ( at least in Mass it really is that stupid )
3) and on the highway , just look at speedometer in the car next to you.
4) and by the odometer not increasing means you are helping the resale value !
Recently i bought a handheld garmin 60c gps and i love it. you could rig it up in your car and buy the add on street maps. as far as speed and its reception you wont have any problems.
Go for the GPS, my mom has the maggelen (sp?) 300, and it was only $300 and has worked so far
A speedometer is required to pass inspection, but if you've got your inspection taken care of... hell, mine was broken for a while. My solution? I found one of those police trailers that tells you your speed as you were going by (it was set up on my way to work) and each morning I'd drive by in a different gear or speed, note my RPMs, and after a half dozen trips, I had a good idea of how fast I was going (within 5mph) based on my gear and RPMs.
My dad has a Garmin Nuvi and when he was down visiting, I got to play with it. I was suprised at just how good it was. Easy to use, too.
He who dies with the most toys, wins.
My dad has a Garmin Nuvi and when he was down visiting, I got to play with it. I was suprised at just how good it was. Easy to use, too.
He who dies with the most toys, wins.
I think that this may vary by state.binary visions said:
Gotcha. Well it's required in New Hampshire anywayjohnbryanpeters said:
GPS. There's no need for a speedo when you have it. I don't even have a speedometer in my race truck, but I do have a Lowrance 6500C. As for passing inspection, I kind of doubt they'd notice a broken speedometer.
If you do get a GPS, make sure you get a color one. Grayscale is pretty hard to see in the sunlight. I, along with everyone I know prefers Lowrance, but Garmin is just fine too.
If you do get a GPS, make sure you get a color one. Grayscale is pretty hard to see in the sunlight. I, along with everyone I know prefers Lowrance, but Garmin is just fine too.
What the Hell is this "inspection" everyone is referring to? 
It's a racket mainly on the right-coast. You have to take your car in to a gas station that is "certified" to do inspections and pay them to check to make sure your signals and brake lights work and a few other things if you're lucky.SkaredShtles said:What the Hell is this "inspection" everyone is referring to?
Then they give you a sticker to put on your car. If you don't have an updated sticker you can get pulled over and cited.
I worked with a guy in NH that got thrown in the slammer for doing inspections at his station without being certified and had obtained stickers illegally.
working speedometers are over rated. I lived with an inaccurate one for 6 years on my old truck. I got used ot it pretty quick... especially considering I rarely pay attention to my speed, I just go with traffic.
I changed the wheel size / tire size on my truck about 3 years. I did the math and figured that my speedometer would be off by around 10%. speedo reads 60mph, actual speed around 66. Last Xmas I got a gps and so I checked it. I was right on.
Another cool thing you can do with a handheld: Sit next to the window on your next flight and see what you are flying over and how fast you are going. Really cool. Although I do get some strange looks from the people sitting next to me.
Another cool thing you can do with a handheld: Sit next to the window on your next flight and see what you are flying over and how fast you are going. Really cool. Although I do get some strange looks from the people sitting next to me.
When I was playing with my dad's Nuvi, I noticed his top speed was something like 480mph... I didn't think he could get that crappy rental going that fast, but apparantly it had more power than I thoughtjdschall said:
I say bag the car and the GPS and do the obvious best thing:
Get crack and hookers with the cash.
Get crack and hookers with the cash.
Had he been playing with it on the plane? or just on the ground?binary visions said:When I was playing with my dad's Nuvi, I noticed his top speed was something like 480mph... I didn't think he could get that crappy rental going that fast, but apparantly it had more power than I thought
Actually mine does that sometimes on the ground. When you first turn it on it doesn't always get a good read of where you are and your position will jump around (as will your velocity) until it settles in on a more accurate position.
My high speed in the air was 520 mph. There must have been a tail wind. I did think commercial jets went much over 490.
He was playing with it on the plane. He said he couldn't always get an accurate location read on the plane but it was cool to see the speed.
Qman said:
Plus every other year, there's a required emissons test.
We have those, but just in the Front Range area.berkshire_rider said:
Plus every other year, there's a required emissons test.
binary visions said:
Hmmm. Mine works really well most of the time. (on the two flight's I've tried it on.)
