"Cheap" and "Gas" don't belong in the same sentence anymore, but we all want to find the lowest available price for the stuff. There are some Web sites that help you compare gas prices, but even better would be a way to track down the best prices when you're in your car and on the move. That is now possible with an in-car portable GPS that can run the MSN Direct service.
By using a Garmin Nuvi 780 car GPS paired with MSN Direct, I was able to easily locate gas selling for 10 cents per gallon lower than the going rate, at a station near my commuting route. And with constantly updating price information on my GPS screen, I'll be able to continue to put it to the gas man.
Current gas prices served up in your car are made possible by a combination of three technologies:
- An in-car GPS constantly updates your location and includes a database of gas stations.
- When matched with an MSN Direct receiver and a subscription to the MSN Direct service, gas price data is received continually and updated to the GPS for display.
- MSN obtains its gas price information from the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS), which gets its data from credit card purchases at the stations.
Here's how the gas prices feature works in the Garmin line of car GPS receivers. Press "tools" on the touchscreen, and a list of options, including MSN Direct, will appear. Press MSN Direct, and "gas prices" will be one of eight options presented on the screen. Press gas prices, and you will be presented with a list of stations (ranked by distance, with nearest first) including station name and address, gas price (for regular only) when the price was last updated (yesterday, today, etc.), distance to each station, and if you are moving, a directional arrow.
To travel to the station, simply press the screen at the station name and the GPS will provide you with its standard map and turn-by-turn directions to reach the station.
In my road testing, I found that gas price updates were most often listed as being updated "today" with a few listed as updated "yesterday." The information isn't perfect. For example, some prices weren't correct, and I even found a "phantom" station listed that wasn't actually at the described location. However, there are so many stations in most regions that you don't need a perfect list to find the best price. When it's nearly time to fill up, just put the GPS in gas prices mode until you spot a station that's beating the competition. It may not pay to drive far out of your way for the best price, so I found it most effective to simply scan for prices as I commuted to work and ran errands.
The gas prices and nearest stations listings update constantly (with nearest stations shuffling to the top of the list) when your GPS is in gas prices mode, so you're effectively sweeping your entire route for the best price for miles around as you drive.
One way I'd improve this feature is by adding a rank by prices (rather than distance) option, which is not available.
To get into GPS gas price hunting, you'll need an MSN Direct-compatible in-car portable GPS, an MSN Direct receiver to capture the radio signals, and a subscription to MSN Direct.
MSN Direct is currently offered only with the following GPS receivers:
Garmin GPS models
StreetPilot c580
Nuvi 205
Nuvi 205W
Nuvi 255
Nuvi 255W
Nuvi 680
Nuvi 750
Nuvi 760
Nuvi 770
Nuvi 780
Nuvi 850
Nuvi 880
Nuvi 5000
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Listed as "coming soon" by MSN Direct include:
Avis Where2
Alpine PND-K3msn GPS
Pioneer GPS
Some higher-end Garmin models include the MSN Direct receiver, but it is also available as an aftermarket accessory.
Be sure to check the coverage area of MSN Direct before you purchase the service. It covers most major metro areas, but is not available in many parts of the country.
MSN Direct costs $49.95 per year, and when matched with a compatible GPS includes other services, such as traffic detection and avoidance (another gas saver), weather, movie times, stock quotes, news headlines, and local events.
You may not be able to justify the cost of a car GPS and MSN Direct service over the short term based on gas price savings alone, but it's a nice plus in addition to the other services that come with a car GPS equipped with MSN Direct. It's also one of the few ways you can fight back against spiraling gas prices.
