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Wanda Kenton

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I am looking to buy a GPS device. I've heard Garmin and Magellan are good. Any advice on what to get? What model? etc....



There are so many. I am a "bells and whistles" kind of girl. I like gadgets, but I've never had a GPS before.

I already have bluetooth installed in my ST. I want a GPS that is not huge (deep) and I would prefer not to have to pay extra all the time to update it.

Any help would help tremendously.
 
some people I know just got the 4 inch Garman, loaded , good toys and things to play with...

Todd Z
 
I have a Mio Digiwalker C310x. It was 1/2 the price of the others and works GREAT! Had it for a year and have used it ... jeesh ... at least 50 times. Been all over the east coast - Key West to Connecticut ... far west as western Tenn. NEVER steered me wrong yet (not once) and, like I said, it was MUCH cheaper (cost) then the "other" more popular brands.



 
You can't buy a better one for the price.....comes w/out mount...I

velcro'd mine to the dash.....updates are free via the web...:D



 
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I just ordered this Harman Kardon GPS510 for my wife's Christmas present. It's on sale for $359, and is only available online. I looked at the GPS310 in the store, and I love the clean map graphics. I searched for a few of the newer streets in my area, and they were all on there, so it appears the maps are very current. The 510 handles audio and video files for entertainment, when not navigating. The 310 handles audio files only, but it is $299 in the store.



 
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Which specific model you get will depend in part what application you have. Road mapping? Off-road geographical mapping? Marine mapping? Geocaching? Hiking? Hand-held? Mount to dash? Battery power? Power from vehicle (or other source)? etc...
 
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I'm one of the minority dissappinted with my Garmin Nuvi 350. I got it about 2 years ago, and it was fairly expensive being a newly released product. It worked great.

A couple of months ago the speaker stopped working. Now that it's out of warranty, Garmin wants $250 to repair it. So now I'm looking to buy a new one as well. The Magellen Maestro series has caught my eye.

My one reccomendation is to make sure the unit does text-to-speech

This means that the unit not only signals you with a tone to turn, it also says the name of the street. This makes for much safer driving because there's no need to take your eyes off the road to look at the GPS.

Happy shopping!
 
My dad just got a TomTom 720 for his X-mas/60th b-day present. He called me today while on one of his road trips and said he loved it. Granted, this is his first GPS, but he was said he was very impressed with it.
 
I bought a Magellen a few months ago after doing much research. Whatever GPS you get, I would suggest getting one with the SiRFstar III chipset. The SiRFstar III is very accurate and can support up to 20 satellites simultaneously.



Some GPS models might cost more, but have an inferior chipset and less performance. The performance makes a difference when you miss a turn and the GPS needs to recalculate.
 
I agree with Curt about the SiRFstar III chipset. The thing about that chipset is that you get much better reception of the satellites with it, which means it does better in large cities with concrete canyons(or any other canyon too). I like Garmin, and have had several in the past 10 years, but all portable ones. Their customer service is second to none and they seem to do the extra mile all the time to make sure you are happy.



I currently have the 76C(2 years old), which is now called the 76Cx with the chipset. It's a handheld though, and it sounds like you want something larger. The handhelds have 2"x2" screens and do not have voice capability. That's the trade off between portability and functions, but since I use it for my boat, my ST and geocaching, it's what I need.



 
Well, I did my homework...thanks to you all I had the right information. I got the Garmin Nuvi 350. They have it on sale at Best Buy. But I went to Walmart and had them price match it. Walmart is much easier on their return policy, in case there is a problem. AND Best Buy charged 15% for a restocking fee. Walmart...none.



It has been out of the box maybe a couple hours and I am already thrilled with it. I put in my home address. It told me how many miles away I was and my arrival time.

I am gonna really like this. I am a gadget girl. So this is right up my alley.



Thank you guys for your help!!
 
Good choice,I can certainly appreciate your thorough shopping acumen.:)



Consumer Reports has the 350 ranked 2nd amongst all GPS devices for '07, so it's undoubtedly an outstanding device.



I have the older Street Pilot, one of CR's best buys, and I like - not a lot of frills but it gets the job done.:cool:



D-
 

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