If money's an issue, tell your friend to spend his hard-earned cash on flying instead!
I've logged nearly 10 hours in my Europa so far, the first aircraft I've flown with a GPS. (Well, second actually, but the first was a rental that I didn't have use of for very long, so never bothered to learn to use the GPS.) Already, I've noticed myself becoming very lazy, and refering to the GPS instead of the chart. And, as a result of that, I'm far less certain of where I am. Yes, I did say "less certain of where I am" - the GPS is fine for getting you to an airfield, or finding a motorway, but as soon as you move away from the features which are on the GPS, situational awareness goes downhill very quickly, in my limited experience - and it'll show when your pax start asking what that town is down there, or how far you are from something which is off the edge of your moving map.
I'm now getting into the habit of selecting a mode on the GPS which doesn't include any position information, so that I'm not tempted to "cheat". No doubt that GPS can be a useful backup, but I don't like them. Unfortunately, I can't turn mine off, since it doubles as a radio. (It's a Garmin 430, by the way - so not suitable for your friend since it's not hand-held.) If it was my choice, I'd put a couple of VOR/DMEs and an ADF in an aircraft, and, for VFR flying, would only turn them on if I became lost.
Sorry,
FFF
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