Hey everyone,


Saw a post below about car installing a GPS unit in a car to track it.  Seeming I couldn't post in that topic, I thought I'd start a new one and talk about my findings.


For me, getting a GPS unit in my car was very important - I have had 2 cars stolen this year!  I guess they are 'boy-racerish' kind of cars (I'm no racer and I dislike them - hey, I'm a guy and I like my toys :P).


With some research into what sort of solution to go with, it really comes down to how much you wish to spend (and keep spending!).


If you really want top-of-the-line/hurt-your-wallet solution, then I would suggest going for a company that provides GPS as a service (usually for fleets, but do personal).  Best one I found was Snitch - http://www.snitch.co.nz/ - helpful, professional and a pretty site (always a plus :))


This kind of solution will set you back for start-up, your looking at over a grand and a yearly subscription.  Mmmm, I decided against it.


Option 2 would be to install a GPS unit which hooks into your alarm, this will run you about $700-800 and you will have the upkeep of topping up a cellphone to txt you when you want to know where your car is.  Personally, if you had the money, this would be the best option.  As always, I try go for a brand I trust.  I found that Mongoose (maker of awesome car alarms, and that are NZ Insurance approved) make them - http://mongoose.co.nz/gps-tracking/vt201-vehicle-tracker.aspx . Only downside of this is that if the thief is a professional, they will probably see that this is linked into your alarm and still get away with it!


Option 3, poor mans option (my pick for my car :P).  This would be to go buy what the market calls a 'personal GPS unit', here's the link to the one I bought - http://www.trademe.co.nz/Electronics-photography/GPS/Automotive/auction-226180200.htm (tip - this trader does sometimes run $1 reservers and I managed to pick mine up for $201, I feel sorry for the poor bugger that set his auto-bid to $200 - hahaha - sucker!).  Now this little unit, you just need to buy the SIM card, make yourself a bestmate on Vodafone ($6 a month), hide it somewhere in your car and your a go-go.  Only downside of this option is you need to recharge the battery every 2 days, kind of like a cellphone.  Does come with a spare battery, but can be a pain when you forget and the unit start sending txts every 30 seconds because it's going to die at 4am!


Anyway, any questions, feel free to post in here or PM me and I'm more than happy to help.  Sorry for the massive-post-of-death but all the info's there :)  Have fun guys and gals!