so i'm looking to buy a Garmin device and have no idea what to get and what bells and whistles i do/don't need.

i will be using it mostly within the US but do have a few trips to Mexico planned for weddings/Vacation and was told Garmin is the only GPS system that works down there.

Otherwise, i only need it for directions. nothing fancy. i just want to plug it in, tell it an address (either speak or type is fine) and then be done with it.

can someone suggest a good device? i'm expecting to pay about $250 but Garmins range anywhere between $180 to $850 on the site i was looking at...


HELP!

If you just want directions I would say get the garmin street piolet. I have an older one the c310 and I would not go anywhere with out it. I love that thing.

Addicted to my Garmin Nuvi 660.

And TOTALLY addicted to the sandbag portable stand for it. Don't get a Garmin without getting the sandbag dashboard mounting thingie.

I got the 200W. It's great, and cheap.

I too have a Garmin nuvi and I love it! I'm not sure how I survived without it before. Oh wait, I just drove in circles... We paid $250 so not too bad. I'm not sure about Mexico maps though?

If you have a Sams Club membership you can get the nuvi 750 for $299 right now.

I also reccomend the sand bag, otherwise it ends up on the dash or on the floor!

I have been eyeballing the 350nuvi by Garmin....also about to purchase. I did read somewhere that some of the models before that one don't say the street names...for example, this one says "turn left on Magnolia street in 40 feet", whereas an earlier one might just say "turn left in 40 feet"...and that seems like it would still make me want to have a map to look at, thus defeating the purpose...but that is really the only feature I am gung ho about. I don't need to store photos or use it as a bluetooth phone device or anything crazy. anyone else have this model or one close? I will be interested to see what everyone has to say about these as well....i need to buy one this weekend. With the cost of gas, who can afford to get lost anymore?

Kate

thanks everyone! i'm looking into it some more!

does anyone know anything about the street names being mentioned? i agree with kate in that i need it to tell me what street i'm turning on.

thanks!!!

my garmin nuvi tells me the street i am turning onto - well, she doesnt speak it, but it says so on top of the map.

i also get bluetooth handsfree wtih mine. i love it. i also have the sandbag mount system.

I"ve got a Nuvi 350 and I LOVE IT. However.... she only speaks to me if i plug the headphone input into my cars headunit, i don't know why but the voice won't come through the speaker on the unit anymore. That's the only gripe i have with it. It gives awesome directions and recalculates routes sooooo fast.

amazon has this nice little link that shows all the differences between them.

http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-200-3-5-Inch-...=8-6#comparison

My husband has one for his work, and he disables the part where is says the street names. he likes it to just say "turn in 40 feet" & has the street name written up top. because by the time she finishes saying the street name he has already passed the street when he is driving in new orleans.

I think I'm probably just going to get the least expensive one for my car.

some food for thought here guys.

if you rely on a sat nav to get you to your 'wedding' destination -- get a backup!

seriously.

mine fizzled out one day and i had nothing. we had no idea waht went wrong with it. so that is when i got my really cool garmin nuvi (my other was just a plain black and white garmin).

the black and whtie one fizzled and we couldnt figure out what happened but it did come back to life. but why take the chance. so we bought the garmin nuvi and i use the other old one as my backup.

yes. another backup. whoooosh.

I have a street pilot - I believe it's the c340. It has the text to speech and tells me street names. I LOVE it. It has let me down a couple of times though, so I still print out mapquest just in case, but in the year and a half to two years I've had it (using it quite often), it's only steered me wrong twice... one time was a city that it said didn't exist (I had to call to get directions from the venue) and the other time it took me down a dead end road that it thought went through... I turned around, took a right and it picked it right back up and took me the right way. It's usually very quick to calculate and redirect, but sometimes it takes 5 minutes or so to calculate a route when you first enter it in. That could very well be the tree cover we have around here though - satellite reception is patchy here with my GPS, phone and Sirius.

Holy poop... I never, ever thought of that.... Thanks!!!!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EXS1BS/ref=dp...m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

i opted for the 360. it's the least expensive model that speaks steet names, and i liked that idea.

i love it. i bought it specifically for a trip that i never took, and figured i would never use it for anythng else... BOY, was i wrong - i use it every day. i'm big on data, and i love that it calculates when i will arrive - i don't rush any more. i've been able to prove that speeding is rarely worth it, and THAT fact alone has saved me enough in gas money to pay for the thing.
i have it on all the time, just to view the map. i've gotten more familiar with my own home town and it's been to napa valley and tampa and has never let me down. (i'm brave and i don't even print out mapquest directions any more!)

i just have the little suction cup thingy that came with it - everything you need comes in the box. (that wasn't clear wheni bought it.)

i'm fascinated with how these things work. i recommend the 360.

Anyone know the differences between Garmin and Tom Tom? Does one offer something the other doesn't? I've been interested in buying one but there are so many choices, I'm like a deer in headlights.

i've had both, they each have a few different features - the tomtom has a different screen, i found it confusing though and i didnt like it - it got me lost on its trial run so i sent it back and got the nuvi.

also, the sandbag holder which i posted about a few months ago - are (i think) only made by garmin - and these are life savers. and also since you cannot have anything attached to your windshield in california, a must have.

i'm not sure if the tomtom has bluetooth handsfree for your phone or not, but i love it on my garmin nuvi.

I've not had good luck with the TomTom...my father has one and I used it one day and it got horribly lost and confused (could be the user)...I've had a garmin since the GPS V from years ago and now have the Garmin Streetpilot c550 and love it. (I also have the Garmin Edge 305 for my Bike so it tracks my work outs. My cycling workouts)

Garmin : 2
TomTom: 0

I roll with TomTom he knows where I wanna go.

I've heard that the Tom Tom doesn't have as many maps and satellites directing it as Garmin. Not sure if there is truth to this, but with people talking about getting lost with, maybe so!

My experience with the TomTom wasn't so good. I had a wedding down in Sarasota, Fl. I bought a TomTom. It didn't know where the FBC Sarasota was, he rehearsal dinner restuarant, or the reception site. My buddy's Garmin knew where every one of them was. I took TomTom back and got the Nuvi 200W. It seemingly knows everything.

if one of them said "uses Google maps" I'd buy it.. till then.. TomTom for now.

On TomTom's website, it seems like they have a lot more features in Europe...

i use microsoft streets and trips on my laptop (using a usb gps by microsoft) it works pretty well for me and my limited use of it, but obviously it's a bit clunky compared to a portable car unit. it was good to have when we were in europe. delorme street atlas is cool because it has voice commands and tells you street names. but i'm straying from the original question

i hear garmin is great for the us and tomtom seems to be best for europe, but i have no idea if that's true or not.

this thread helps a bunch! i would never have thought to get the sandbags!

does anyone know if there is any truth to it being the only one that works in Mexico?

i'd google it, but coming to OSP seems to be the equivalent to google! lol.

that amazon link is really informative....i am looking at the nuvi 350 and 360...the onlu diff really seems to be the bluetooth capability. anyone who can tell me how this works I would appreciate it so I can decide if it is something I would ever use or not...? you can talk through it on your cell phone or what? I am in the dark ages, I know also is the "dashboard disc" that comes with it not the same as the sandbag thing? I wasnt to make sure to get that and I can't see if it is a sold separately kind of thing....

thanks-- you guys are the best. sounds like several of us will be on board with a new garmin soon :-)

Kate

My vote is for Tom Tom! I've had a Tom Tom for over 2 years and only when there is really new construction have I had any issues. I haven't updated it, so that is more my problem I guess. I have a friend that has a Garmin. You have to get that sandbag thing because it will not say on the window - just sent her that link. Her sound has gone completely out, too. When it did talk, the Garmin talked A LOT more than my Tom Tom. Hers, whatever model, constantly is saying "recalculating".

I don't really have any issues with my suction cup sticking to my windshield... it has only come off a couple of times - once when I didn't put it on very well, the other when it was 100 degrees. Usually it's stuck so well I have trouble removing it to switch between cars!

I have the Nuvi 350, LOVE it! Best money I ever spent without a doubt. I use the window suction cup mount, never a problem with that either.

Yep, another reason I print google maps directions to every location I have a job - in case my GPS craps out or for some odd reason it doesn't get a signal. I also have the iPhone but that's dependent on cell towers (yes, even for GPS - beacuse it has to load the maps graphics over the cell network)

Printing directions on one page is easy, and you can jot down other notes on that page during the day (if you're into saving paper like I am)

As far as your purcahse goes, once you make your decision on which garmin to get, check amazon.com - they have a great selection and awesome prices. Amazon rules!

I don't have any input on ground-based garmin units (mine is some off-brand that my friend gave me for xmas but it works well so I don't complain) but all of my aviation garmin stuff has been a lifesaver (almost literally) and I wouldn't consider purchasing anything else!

Enjoy!

its not just issues of sticking - th esuction cup leaves a mark on your windshield - thus tellng thieves you may hve one in your glove compartment - they then break into your car to find it. with the sandbag, there are no marks.

good thinkin'---that's the last thing I need is someone breaking into my car. I am pretty careful to hide laptop and cds when they are in the car, but the nav would be more obvious...

kate

I have the Garmin nuvi 360 with the bluetooth... basically, it turns your GPS into a speakerphone/dialing system. So if you search for a hotel on the GPS, you can hit dial and call. Also, depending on your phone, it syncs to your address book - so when a call comes in, it will show the name of the incoming caller on the screen. Pretty nice that you don't have to look at your phone, etc - but I don't like speakerphones, so....

Garmin vs. TomTom... personal preference really... but on the Top 10 seller list last holiday season, the Garmins dominated the list over any other brand.

From a business perspective, I like how Garmin operates their business more than TomTom, while their stock doesn't reflect it right now, Garmin has made some smart choices (and a few stupid ones) over the past few years and I am very confident that the company will continue to serve my needs for a long time.

thanks scott- that's what I thought-- I am not huge on the "speakerphone" voice either--if i feel like I am on it the first thing I say is "take me off speakerphone" ha ha. but for 20 bucks more it might be worth it for the occasional use to call a business or whatever. I think I am going to pull the trigger and order that one while it is still on sale. My birthday gift to myself is to no longer waste time/gas being lost. :-)

Kate

oh i forgot to add... its the law over here - you are not allowed to use your cell phone while driving unless you have hands free.

my car was broken into twice becasue of the suction cup marks!

you've been gone too long tami - it's the law here as well!

is it? ewwwwww.. i did not know that!

It isn't in Oregon (yet), but in Washington it is, but as a secondary offense. So a police officer can't pull you over for talking on the phone without a hands-free device, but if you are pulled over for speeding or some other violation AND you are not hands-free, then they can nail you on that too.

Lawmakers are so dumb.. they really need to research stuff before they go making a law that is clearly just a way for them to make money on tickets.

Talking on a phone in the car is the same level of distraction as talking to the person next to you. If your talking to your passenger, or holding a phone to your ear, or using a hands free device they are all the same. Those that can't multitask should just focus on driving!

Maybe they should enforce the law to "keep right except to pass" instead!!!!!

Sold! Got it today.