Garmin RV890 or Cell Phone for Navigation?

I have had a number of people ask “Why buy a GPS system when your phone has maps and GPS built in?” I also had someone ask “Why didn’t you just buy the truck that has GPS built in?”
ONE GREAT QUESTION and ONE SILLY QUESTION (hey… I don’t pull punches) :-)
To answer both questions… here goes. I’ll answer the easy one first. To add the RV GPS unit from the factory would have been a bit over $1000 as opposed to the Garmin which was $499. Also we originally thought that we could just use our phone so why have it installed. AND trading the truck in for a truck with GPS is way out of the question. (hey, we’re on a retirement budget!)
NOW, what GPS instead of phone. fIrst of all most phone route GPS apps don’t take in the dimensions, weight and restrictions (such as traveling with propane) that the Garmin 890 RV has built in. In reading the reviews of the ones that do, they are not that accurate with the data. I felt it would be more cost effective in purchasing a $500 GPS as opposed to replacing two air conditioners and a roof that got peeled back from a low bridge. :-/ Yeah, I know I’m being a bit dramatic. Another reason is I guarantee that when we are trying to maneuver through a tight city environment, one of our kids will decide to call us and then the phone GPS switches to the phone!... How likely is this? It has already happened 5 times in the last two summers… that’s 5 times too many. Imagine if you will Siri leading you on a city tour of Tacoma Washington in search of a gas station that sells diesel… then the phone rings with your daughter asking “Just wondered where you guys are” - Not to mention the Garmin 890RV has a ton of other awesome features designed for the RV traveler. I haven’t found anyone who gives any sort of a discount on this item, however you can order on from all of the major online stores.

Here are a few links for you to compare:
AMAZON - $499.99:
https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Navigat...

Walmart - $499.99:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Garmin-RV-...

Best Buy - $499.99:
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/garmin-u...

GOOGLE Comparison of 25 different online stores:
https://www.google.com/shopping/produ...

Hope this information was helpful and you enjoyed this part of our adventure with us.

Safe Travels!

Steve, Dawn, Atka and Sierra