I do a lot of driving for my Houston apartment renter’s insurance business. A GPS is a necessity for me. After reading several reviews I decided to try the Magellan RoadMate 1700.

The list price is $299 but my online sale price was $200 delivered. Setup was easy even without reading the included manual. The windshield mount works well for my car. I like the large and bright 7″ screen, and I was not able to find other brands that had a 7″ screen for a similar price. The usual GPS features work well including lane assistance and voice “turn by turn” directions.

The Magellan RoadMate 1700 has a very short battery life but that is not an issue for me because the only place I use it is in the car. This model doesn’t have real time traffic reports and there is no MP3 player or Bluetooth connectivity. Some reviews suggest that the 1700 is so large that it is only suitable for large vehicles. However I have a small car and it doesn’t obstruct my view when I mount it a little right of center. (Isn’t bigger better for everything?) Sometimes for short trips I put it on the passenger seat or in my lap and that works fine. If you are concerned about the unit being too large you could cut a piece of cardboard to the size of a 7″ screen, and then see if there is a good mounting spot in your vehicle that fits. The voice sometimes seems to mumble a little but that is really not a problem.

Overall I think this is a great GPS for the money if you want a large screen, and if you don’t have to have all the top of the line features.

Article by Glenn Lamb

Lamb Insurance Agency, Houston, Texas (Farmers, Apartment Insurance, Foremost, Voyager, Standard, and Pacific Insurance) Auto, Home, Mobile Home, Life, and Windstorm Insurance for Texas – Apartment Insurance.

Also visit our auto insurance site at Renters Insurance Houston.