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Posted: 11/27/2007 7:33:45 AM EDT
What is the best CAR GPS value for the money? I'm looking at the 200W for $299.00. It talks to you, can you give it voice commands? Any limitations?
Any other Garmin's to look at? Thanks  ps. I have a number of Garmin handhelds and have a number of mapsource products already. |
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Posted: 11/27/2007 7:36:39 AM EDT
[#1]
Garmin units are one-way... they tell YOU what to do... like a wife  I have a Nuvi 660. Bigger screen is always better, but you will pay for it. Mine has traffic indicators, which works pretty good. It will reroute you around slowdowns and accidents. I'm on the road a lot, different cities (new ones mostly), and I take it with me. I would be lost without it. I've been using Garmin products for about 8 years now and they rock. Garmin is #1 for a reason. Feel free to IM me with specific questions. |
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Posted: 11/27/2007 7:47:54 AM EDT
[#2]
Whichever you choose be certain you are not getting screwed - as the price you have listed is well above the $223 shown here for the Garmin 250 version:
Garmin 250 Always check out comparitive pricing sites on all electronics for the price varys widely and nope this ain't the only internet website that'll give you comparisions - just one I have found to be very helpful for devices such as this and other electronics, cameras, etc...... Shop smart!!! - for I saved boo-coo bucks on a Garmin 350 for my dad; for which prices at the time I bought it for him ranged from the $399 I paid to $799 some charged for the identical same item.  mike |
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Posted: 11/27/2007 7:57:01 AM EDT
[#3]
Nuvi 650 at Costco for $299
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11237450&whse=BC&topnav=&browse=&lang=en-US&s=1 I just picked up a Garmin c340 the other day at best buy for $259 and will be taking it back, and dropping an extra $50 for the 650. |
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Posted: 11/27/2007 8:00:14 AM EDT
[#4]
I bought a 200W from West Marine in Houston on Saturday and immediately used it on a 1100 mile road trip. I love the little fucker, and I got it for $215.
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Posted: 11/27/2007 9:58:45 AM EDT
[#5]
No Costco near me and I'm not a member... |
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Posted: 11/27/2007 10:03:06 AM EDT
[#6]
What does a Tom tom offer that Garmin doesn't?
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Posted: 11/27/2007 10:09:42 AM EDT
[#7]
The Costco offer is with a $150 rebate redeemable at checkout,,,,,HOWEVER it states it's good till supplies run out.
Tiger Direct has it for $359....still a pretty good deal and a reliable outfit. ETA Local Costco out of the 650 but it's still available online....$299.....this is the one I was going to buy the wife so I bought it. No bluetooth but she has a phone with bluetooth and doesn't use it so it seemed like a useless expense of another $100 or so for the 660. |
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Posted: 11/27/2007 10:14:05 AM EDT
[#8]
I am getting ready to buy the new TomTom 920. I have used both TomTom and the Nuvi, and the one thing that I really do not like about the Nuvi is that on the main screen, it doesn't tell you how far you have left in your trip. It only shows the ETE and the distance to the next waypoint. I do like TomTom's Mapshare feature that allows you to modify a map and share it with the world. Let's say a road is blocked, or there is a brand new road. With MapShare, you make a notation on the screen, then you dock the unit with your computer. It will upload your changes, and download other people's changes automatically. That alone is worth the price of admission.
Mike F |
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Posted: 11/27/2007 10:16:42 AM EDT
[#9]
I am leaning toward the 250 W. I don't need traffic stuff and an MP3 player. |
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Posted: 11/27/2007 10:18:03 AM EDT
[#10]
+1 on the 660. Worked better than the in-car navs of friends Phaeton, CL55 and our Lexus - we used it instead in every case. Has a blue tooth speaker phone - which is great, but sometimes hard for people to hear me. Like that I can call most POIs with a button on screen through the Nuvi. Great when you cant find something or they moved. Like it so much, I wont spring for in-car nav unless there some major changes. Luck Alac |
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Posted: 11/27/2007 10:18:57 AM EDT
[#11]
Are the changes vetted? Luck Alac |
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Posted: 11/27/2007 10:24:39 AM EDT
[#12]
I like the Nuvi 350 better than the 6xx models because of the enhanced portability. Of course the 6xx models have bigger displays, which is nice.
Either way you win. |
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Posted: 11/27/2007 10:27:16 AM EDT
[#13]
I got a 350. Its small enough to fit in your pocket, but still has a good-sized screen.
A major consideration if you live in an area where the inside car temp gets hot enough to melt lead in the summer. |
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Posted: 11/27/2007 10:29:35 AM EDT
[#14]
Do some research on who Garmin and Tomtom get their maps from, before you buy. Last I looked (6 months ago), Garmin had far and away the most up-to-date, accurate maps. |
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Posted: 11/27/2007 10:32:13 AM EDT
[#15]
Another +1 for the 660 - but I wouldn't go as far as saying it's better than in-car nav units. My wife's Acura has an excellent GPS system - far much faster and easier to use than my handheld 660. The only other thing I don't like/use with the 660 is the FM transmitter option - everything else is great. |
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Posted: 11/27/2007 10:32:23 AM EDT
[#16]
Yeah, I have to push one whole icon to get that information. |
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Posted: 11/27/2007 10:38:21 AM EDT
[#17]
That's my point. You don't have to push any icons on the TomTom. It's right there. |
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Posted: 11/27/2007 10:44:08 AM EDT
[#18]
Not anymore Tele Atlas = TomTom Navteq = Garmin http://www.gpsreview.net/navteq-vs-tele-atlas/ |
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Posted: 11/27/2007 10:48:08 AM EDT
[#19]
Garmin map updates are something like $70. The software updates are free.
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Posted: 11/27/2007 10:59:49 AM EDT
[#20]
Thats true, Acura has the best system in-car system Ive come across. Even my SILs older MDX was great. But it was 4x the price (perhaps more) than the 660 - and its not portable. I hate FM transmitters in general - the 660s sux as well. only other issue is the power plug is very long - crowds some shifters/switches when its plugged in. Luck Alac |
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Posted: 11/27/2007 11:27:49 AM EDT
[#21]
Just to note... the reason the power plug is so long is because it houses the traffic receiver. |
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Posted: 11/28/2007 5:30:43 AM EDT
[#22]
Is the text to speech converters worth it?
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Posted: 11/28/2007 5:41:57 AM EDT
[#23]
I think so. I started with an eMap... all it gave me was an arrow. Basically "head in that direction."  Primitive, but it worked.Then I went to the iQue3600. Gave me the "turn left in 300 feet" prompt, but the TTS on the Nuvi660 (and others) is very helpful. You're looking for a road. Nuvi pops up & says "Turn right on 14th street." You don't have to search the GPS for the street name and miss your turn while you're looking down. You keep looking at street signs and it gets you there. Plus there's the "cool factor" which can never be overlooked 
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Posted: 11/28/2007 5:54:44 AM EDT
[#24]
check out the Nuvi 200 :
nuvi |
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Posted: 11/28/2007 6:12:35 AM EDT
[#25]
Crappy mapping?????? My house that has been here since 1973, but my friends TomTom shows it to be 1.7 miles away?, or maybe the 'road' it shows running through my house? Take your pick. I have a Nuvi 350 and have had ZERO issues with it. They can be had at circuit city for under $300.00. |
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Posted: 11/28/2007 4:13:49 PM EDT
[#26]
Ide guess roads that actually exist..Garmin maps are hard to update from my experience with the Quest..I consider Garmin over rated because they supply GPS to aviation maybe. But its sure better than no GPS .. |
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Posted: 11/28/2007 4:16:44 PM EDT
[#27]
Took me 30 minutes and a DVD to upload the latest maps to my Nuvi. You must have had a PEBKAC issue 
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Posted: 11/28/2007 4:20:27 PM EDT
[#28]
Have you had to update your maps since? |
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Posted: 11/28/2007 4:27:20 PM EDT
[#29]
They come out every 12-18 months and are about $75 for the upgrade. What I do it look online in the map viewer to see if areas that I'm interested in have been significantly modified. If so, I upgrade. If not, I wait a year. |
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Posted: 11/28/2007 4:35:35 PM EDT
[#30]
I just got a TT V2, bluetooth, SD Card, not half bad for $200, so I ordered a V3 for $125 - wife can even use it - I'll bet.
Coming from an old timer with a moving map GPS that has waypoints and everything! There's nothing under the hood that's user adjustable.... Oh, my bad??? |
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Posted: 11/28/2007 4:35:46 PM EDT
[#31]
+1 for the Nuvi 660. Bought one for my directionally challenged wife and she never goes anywhere without it. |
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Posted: 11/29/2007 5:17:29 AM EDT
[#32]
Do you have to be Costco member to buy?
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Posted: 11/29/2007 6:16:55 AM EDT
[#33]
Yea, guess you can use the shorter plug but you'd lose traffic - not an issue in my Cruiser, Lexus or Odyssey - but couple of cars Ive had it in are kinda crowded. New Audi S5 - Germans cant get Nav right. Do love the Audi Music Interface (Ipod hookup) but the Nav isnt all that intuitive. Maybe once I got more time on it it'd be better. Luck Alac |
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Posted: 11/29/2007 6:20:23 AM EDT
[#34]
I have a Nuvi 350
LOVE IT |
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Posted: 11/29/2007 9:44:09 AM EDT
[#35]
Yes, they ask for your card # online and at the store. |
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Posted: 11/29/2007 10:10:20 AM EDT
[#36]
From the article: "I’ve always recommended to people that the map vendor should not be a large factor in choosing between two GPS devices." You can buy a new TomTom with a built-in USA map for $125. Does Garmin have anything at that price point? Their map upgrade alone is about $75.... |
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Posted: 11/29/2007 10:15:42 AM EDT
[#37]
I bought a Garmin C330 at Sam's Club for $130 on black friday. Has the great Garmin user interface and 5 million POIs but isn't expensive like the Nuvis.
I have found not having the text-to-speech isn't a problem as it tells me when to turn. But YMMV. |
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Posted: 11/29/2007 10:31:10 AM EDT
[#38]
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Posted: 11/29/2007 2:16:47 PM EDT
[#39]
Hey thanks. You just saved me $200.00. Actually was going to have to buy one with a lot less features, now I get everything.... Again Thanks... |
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Posted: 11/30/2007 5:24:15 AM EDT
[#40]
Glad to help. I'll probably buy a Nuvi 660 myself one of these days. And I don't even own a car! I think the Bluetooth and FM transmitter are very nice features.
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Posted: 11/30/2007 5:50:19 AM EDT
[#41]
You'll probably never use the FM transmitter... unless you don't listen to FM radio |
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Posted: 11/30/2007 6:22:52 AM EDT
[#42]
The FM transmitter is not to listen to the radio. You use it so that the audio commands from the Nuvi (e.g. "turn right on Broad Street"), your Bluetooth cell phone calls and your mp3s are played through your car's stereo system. The Nuvi broadcasts those items to a set channel on your FM radio and your car plays it through your car stereo. That way you're not limited to the rather small speaker on the Nuvi, you get the full power of your amp/speaker system in your car. Neat! |
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Posted: 11/30/2007 7:44:38 AM EDT
[#43]
I understand, I have a 660. What I'm saying (poorly) is that when you use that feature, you won't be listening to any other FM traffic, the Nuvi's transmission will keep that from happening. So unless you have two stereo systems in your vehicle, you lose them all. |
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Posted: 12/1/2007 8:43:21 AM EDT
[#44]
Anyone else found the 660 on sale this weekend? I need another one.
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Posted: 12/2/2007 4:42:45 PM EDT
[#45]
I found that BuyDig has the 650 for less than 4 bills this weekend. |
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Posted: 12/2/2007 6:41:35 PM EDT
[#46]
The price on the 600-series will probably really start dropping now that the 700-series is out.
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Posted: 12/3/2007 7:18:23 AM EDT
[#47]
Sounds like you like your 660! I would sign up for FatWallet.com and set a topic alert for Nuvi. They are a good place to find deals and it will automatically e-mail you when somebody posts a new deal on a Nuvi. |
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Posted: 12/3/2007 7:19:00 AM EDT
[#48]
Yeah I like the "intermediate stop" option of the Nuvi 7xx series. Will have to see what pricing is like in the next few weeks .... |
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Posted: 12/3/2007 9:05:16 AM EDT
[#49]
From what I see, the 'cool' difference in the 7xx -vs- 6xx series is that the 7xx will allow multiple stop, while the 6xx only allows 1-stop and a final deestination. I would hope that Garmin would offer this on a 6xx firmware upgrade as it's only software. |
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Posted: 12/3/2007 10:30:24 AM EDT
[#50]
Costco sold out two different GPS deals fairly quickly. Instore they were out before the online store was. I probably got one of the last Nuvi 650's as the site said sold-out the next day after I ordered. It did ship today. Costco has a Magellan unit now on sale, not sure of the model.
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