Navigation systems

[pingpong]

OK I am in the market for one, and I have been doing lots of searches, and window shopping :nuts: Nothing like walking through Best buy and Circut City just to try and figure out which system I want to buy. Anyways, I am sure a few ppl on the board own one. My question is which model, why did you buy it, and whether or not you would buy it again. Also what you like/disliked about that model.

 

Thanks In advance for your help

[lostissues]

I got myself the Garmin Street Pilot 340 last black Friday, when I brought it home my mother said where is hers? So I ended up getting her one also. I love it, and she does too. I wouldn’t go with any of the models lower then the 340 the main thing that you get is a text to speech feature. More or less the lower ones will say “turn right in 300 ft” so when you are driving there could be 3 roads on the right and you have to have really good reactions to turn when it tell you to. The better ones will tell you “turn right in 300 feet on to Main Street” it just make it a bunch easier to fallow. When you go up from there you can get things like Bluetooth, mp3 player and picture viewer. Most of those things I wouldn’t use so I didn’t bother to get them.

Garmin really seams to be the brand that sells the most, it’s the easiest to use (my mother can use it) and it seams to be the most accurate (though every one will have its off moments). The only thing that I regret about it is not getting a Nuvi model which is slimmer than and not quite as bulky as the street pilots. But for me I don’t really care that it’s a little bulky so it’s great for me. Oh the other down fall is that if you leave the suction cup mount on your windshield for a long period of time it bonds to the windshield and you have to take it off in chunks and with a razor blade. So after the first one I just take if off all the time and reattach it when I need it.

 

Hope this helps you out.

 

Jonathan

 

also if you get it at a retail location, really think about the extended warranties. I have seen them help out a lot of people.

[CEThomas]

I have an Garmin III that I have had for years that I got for my bike and when I was flying. Nothing like the new ones :eek: but over the years it has been good and they have years of exp.

[rockhardzj]

I have a Mio c310x, and I added a few more maps to it, but i wouldnt trade it for anything else. I have a year of use on it, cost me $150 last black friday at circuit city. it has voices you can understand, but the only thing i see it lacks is mostly just that it doesnt know street names, unlike a Garmin.

[summerinmaine]

OK I am in the market for one, and I have been doing lots of searches, and window shopping :nuts: Nothing like walking through Best buy and Circut City just to try and figure out which system I want to buy. Anyways, I am sure a few ppl on the board own one. My question is which model, why did you buy it, and whether or not you would buy it again. Also what you like/disliked about that model.

 

Thanks In advance for your help

 

What do you want it to do?

 

I have about five different GPS systems, each intended to address different needs.

 

Unless you know what you need, no one can help you. Unless you just want to throw a lot of money at it.

[pingpong]

Basically What I want is a device to tell me where to go when I am on a trip. I would also like the feature of knowing how fast I am going, or when I should arrive. My wife is not a very good map reader, and when we get lost, or are trying to find a place... well she lacks the ability to make the distinction between which way to go. She is getting better at it... but my patients are wearing thin. :brows:

 

The other thing that somewhat intrests me is the POI's. Nothing like being in a different area, and wanting something besides a franchise meal. I love my Outback, and Red Lobster, but I like to support the mom and pop places,

 

 

I have been leaning towards the Garmin Street pilot series as well. I have played with the c330, and the c340. I can get the c530 for a lil more, but I am not sure if it is any better from the reviews I have been reading.

 

I shall do more research.

 

More opinions and advice will be appreciated

[Xacto]

I also bought the Garmin c340 recently and it will give you the current speed, avg. speed, top speed, time moving and time standing, and est. time of arrival. It also has the POI you are interested in, although it couldn't find a store here that had been around for a year already.

 

The mapping is very accurate from what I have seen so far and aside from a few odd ways of pronouncing things like the word "county", the voice prompts are great.

[Tracker]

Garmin has been pretty good for me. I'm not up on the latest model specs and such but I can say the company has great tech and customer support. To keep current with retail establisments and such you have to get the computer attachment and do the free updates once or twice a year. This gives you the free software upgrades too. My 10 year old Etrex is still my favorite for foot hiking. The external antenna is a must for driving. It eliminates the suction cup stuff and gives maximum satellites almost anywhere you go.

A friend went camping with me this weekend and brought his new Garmin hand-held to test. This thing did a lot of neat stuff that my relics sure wouldn't do. I didn't get the model # but it wasn't too big and it still had the "Street Pilot" software in it. He said it was about 5 bills though.

[pingpong]

I have wanted a gps for some time... the price has always kept me from buying one. :brows: Looking at the sale flyers got me curious.. so I looked online, at some of the more reputable places, and have found them to be way more affordable then I thought. That is why I came on here and asked for ppl's personal experiences, especially since you hardly ever hear negative stuff about a product from a buyer, especially on a site trying to sell you one. :eek:

 

Incidentally the cheapest place I have found for GPS has been Amazon.com for new one, and for factory refurbished with all the warranty and stuff has been Refurbdepot.com. More then likely I will buy one from amazon, but I have found a jeep I might want more then a GPS.

 

Keep the comments coming guys

 

thanks

[lostissues]

if you do decide on a garmin, i know that if you go to walmart and stoers like that they will most likely have them cheaper then your best buys or circuit citys. the thing is that they have a lesser version of their software on it. basicaly walmart said "hey garmin i want to sell this gps for this price, make it happen i don't care how" so garmin said here are your units with pooier software.

just so you are aware.

 

Jonathan

[skimore11]

I have a Garmin Nuvi and a Magellan Sportrak. I use the Nuvi in car and Sportrak for on my feet or mountain bike.

 

I am not sure what models have it (Sportrak does) but if I really like the bread crumb feature so you can find your way back. I would find a Garmin that has it because Garmin has tons of online support and continues to improve. Also get a newer unit with the SiRF Star III antenna. It is the newer antenna and is much faster and capable of getting a signal where the older units can not.