I've had an eTrex Vista HCX since roughly 2008. It's ok.
The screen is really too small for my preference. At the time, I thought it was great.
For $50ish, you could do worse. If you're looking for something to take out in the field or something, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better alternative than a used eTrex for the price.
One thing to keep in mind with these older units is the software is kind of a PITA.
I guess it really depends upon your use case and what you need. I'd recommend the eTrex route just to get an understanding of what you may want in a unit without spending a lot of money.
If you're looking at something for off-road navigating on a vehicle (ADV bike, ATV, etc.) I would spring for a unit with a big screen right off of the bat. My primary use case is ATV rides and I only check the thing if I am totally lost. The small screen is almost useless in that regard. At best, I can look at breadcrumbs or use it to orient myself in the OnX or Polaris apps when cell service is almost non-existent.