Posted: 7/15/2008 9:14:41 AM EDT
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OK. I am buying 2 GPS nav units (one for me and one as a gift) I am looking for recommendations The features that I think I want are preloaded maps, voice announced street names, route recalculation, and nearest gas info I am not interested in "wide screen" I have several handheld GPS units and have had good luck with Garmin, but that was for backcountry navigation Any and all opinions welcome |
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In the last 4 months my immediate family has gone from ZERO nav units to 4 Garmin Nuvis. My brother, dad and I have the 200W - on sale at Best Buy right now for like $187 or something - and I got my wife the 750W for her birthday. They are really great machines. I have a good sense of direction but you cannot beat having a navigator on your dashboard telling you how to get where you need to be! So, +4 for the Garmins. |
Location of gas stations or are you talking about gas prices, etc?
Any reason why?
Nope. To get the features you specified in a non-widescreen, you want a Garmin Nuvi 255. As far as the Nuvis, they all have maps and recalculation, the voice street names and nearest points-of-interest are the distinguishing features. The only non-widescreen Nuvi with both those features is the Nuvi 255. |
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I have a Garmin 760. It is normally $500-600 (Best Buy or Circuit City). I caught it at BB for $350, while Circuit City was selling it for $600 at the same time. With the CC price match, I paid $325.00 for it. It does everything that you are looking for and more. Real time traffic as well. |
no wide screen because I like to watch the road as I drive and I would like to encourage the receiver of the gift (the 2nd unit) to do the same--hence the voice directions with street names |
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Why would you want wide screen? When I'm going down the road, I'm less interested in seeing what I'm passing than I am in getting maximum notice about what's coming up. As I see it, widescreen sacrifices advance warning for the marketing keyword "widescreen" that is so popular in TV/Movie land. |
 The 'roadview' mode lets you see further around coming turns, long street names are more likely to display fully, easier to hit the buttons at arm's length, etc.Plus you can zoom in with less scrolling required, great at stoplights. The widescreen models are the same height as the non-widescreen, just ~1" wider. I have a 660 (Widescreen, bluetooth, traffic) and my dad has a 350 (normal screen, no bluetooth or traffic), we both agree mine's a better unit. The 660 will read the street name, I forget if the 350 does or not (but its important to realize that sometimes the GPS does not use the name commonly in use, such as the number instead of the formal name or the reverse). Kharn |
Huh?!?! I'm not seeing how a 1" wider screen would in any way "sacrifice advance warning for marketing". |
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I have the Nuvi 660 as well. I like the widescreen. However, there is one good reason for choosing the 360 vs the 660. If you use your GPS often as a walking GPS (i.e. for finding restaurants while walking around town) then the smaller unit is much easier to pocket. |
+1 but, then again, he is Amish. |
Nope. Nuvi 350.....regular (non wide) screen, pronounces street names, shows nearest points of interest. I own one and it is great. $199 at BuyDig.com or amazon.com |