Among other things, metal detector, investment property, etc., I am looking at purchasing a GARMIN GPS unit.

Right now, I'm specifically looking at the Garmin StreetPilot C330 (even C340) GPS at BestBuy with the Garmin nuvi 350 as a second choice. However, also willing to consider a TOM-TOM.

Anybody here with any experience with either of them and/or other GPS systems that can recommend a good unit?

Reason I am looking at it, is I'm getting more and more involved with investing in real estate, in areas I am unfamiliar with, and most times, if not all, I just don't have access to the internet to get the MAPQUEST printout and/or I'm given an "on-the-fly" address over the cell phone and/or adhoc directions.

And attempting to read a MAPQUEST printout while driving is...well...dangerouse and/or confusing.

TIA!

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"The PRE10DR"

Ive never used a TOM TOM but there supposed to be the easiest to use ( in rental cars). Garmin is the industry leader as far as Im concerned.

I got a Garmin 350 and then hacxx0rred it with text 2 speech...


http://geepeeex.googlepages.com/text2speech

two of my buddies have a tomtom and are very pleased. I think with either one (garmin or tomtom) you'll find your way... its just personal preference I think.

I picked up a Garmon Street Pilot 330 in May. Very logical operation right out of the box. I used it to go from Florida to the Dells, to Kansas City to Memphis to Little Rock and back to Florida. I have used it to go from Florida to NY by way of Holly Springs, NC and back. Plus I've used it to get around Florida to some places I was unsure of. You can set it for the fastest route or shortest route. The difference is the fastest takes you via all highways/toll roads and the shortest may take you over less congested routes. What I have seen the time difference is maybe 15 minutes over routes where I have used both.

Even if you drive on routes not Garmon chosen, it will try to recalculate the new route to get you back on its map or modify its chosen route.

It has a nice feature of locating restaurants, or fuel stops with a push of a button. You have all sorts of options with map resolution of map styles. The maps are 2005 vintage, so some new roads aren't in the system. There is an interface where you can upload new map versions when thy become available and has a slot for a SD card for storage.

There were some a few glitches with telling you you the wrong dirction to turn, only to correct that error if you do.

I got mine at Overstock.com for $268

Garmin uses Navteq maps which are far superior to Tom-Tom's Tele-Atlas maps. NT maps appear to be more up to date and TA maps have taken me on some routes that seemed unnecessarily odd.

If you have a choice go Garmin.

I have both. As far as the user interface goes I think it's a wash but the Tom-Tom interface does seem a bit more user friendly. You'll figure out whatever product you get though.

TK

The Garmins do have better maps. Some of the Nuvi models are Bluetooth compatible, so you can use them as a hands free device to answer your Bluetooth cell phone. Some also have live traffic reporting (were available) and will reroute you around traffic jams. They also can store music and pictures and are more compact in size than the c330 models. I have the c330 and love it and my brother has a Nuvi. His has more bells and whistles but they both work just as good.

Garmins are good but pricey. I do like their maps. Check which antenna technology they use. My Garmin took several minutes to uplink. My Mio gps uplinks almost instantly. Map are good. With mio you can MP3, watch MPEG movies, address book, etc.

Or get the Nokia n800 with the blue tooth GPS.

Garmin 3600 here.. tad shor on battery life but excellent relyable service. Has GPS and WAAS

I have the Garmin Nuvi 200 and while it's only an entry level unit , I am pretty happy with it. I just wish there was a way to update the POI (points of interest) because I have used it several times to find specific brand gas stations, only to get there and find out the station has changed to a new brand, or no longer exists.

I bought a Magellan Roadmate 2200 on eBay, it uses the same Nav Teq mapping software as the Garmin.

The thing that I like about my Magellan is that 95% of the time it acquires the satellite instantly - the other 5% within a minute or so.

I can't say that for my friends Garmin - he is constantly complaining about how long it take to acquire a signal (and he has an external antenna on his car).

My Magellan was a factory refurb and was $200 - Way cheaper than a Garmin or a Tom Tom.

Just my .02

Jeff

Lastnight, I decided, and picked up the GARMIN StreetPilot c340 at BestBuy.

I found it very easy to setup and use right out of the box.

It plotted me a route to HOME, which I immidately programmed in, which I purposely deviated from and was impressed at how quickly it recalculated a new route, based on my current route. Programmed in several other WAY points that I will be using this weekend to get to a couple of properties were are looking at again.

Then I installed the drivers, and hooked it up to my PC lastnight, and updated the firmware, as well as "Dave's" voice and registered it at GARMIN, where it then gave me a map update, which it didn't allow me to do just from their support site alone when I wasn't registered.

I use Garmin for cycling training (edge 305) and its not what you need; however, their service and tech support are second to only to Home Depot. I use mine for racing Mt. Bikes and wrecked one racing early this season. Racing voids most warranties but they are one of the few companies getting it (people don't spend big bucks and toot around the block) and covered it and had it to me BEFORE my next race the following weekend!!!
Sorry to add it here but when you get service like that you have to plug them somewhere.
Oh and the unit survived and allowed me to upload the race afterwards (the screen was mashed and case smashed).

Just to give insight

quote Originally posted by kinboyatuwo: I use Garmin for cycling training (edge 305) and its not what you need; however, their service and tech support are second to only to Home Depot.

Is that good or bad? I'm not overwhelmed with my local Home Depot, so I'd guess "bad". But it sounds like you were treated well?

I have the Garmin C550. Great little toy. Travelled from Houston to Boise with it. Took me on a route that saved me about 100 miles from my normal route and had many hotel phone numbers already loaded for the late night stop-overs.

The blue-tooth works great. Select a location on the GPS push the call button and it used your phone as the connection and you can talk throught the Garmin. No need to use the phone.

Some neat features included are downloading traffic-cam locations. Now I know which yellow lights I can run without worry...lol

It has a memory card slot so I can add music or photos and some videos I think. I haven't had much time to play with all the features but I am very satisfied with the performance it gives. Although the directional voice could be better.

quote Originally posted by WhiteDevil88: Is that good or bad? I'm not overwhelmed with my local Home Depot, so I'd guess "bad". But it sounds like you were treated well?

I had lost my receipt and a 2 month old skill saw went dead. Brought it in and took less than 5 mins and I was out with another new one. Not sure about the states but up here they have a no questions attitude. I

have always had the best service and returns and exchanges.

Years ago bought a miter saw and after a week, and about 10 uses, realized I needed a better and bigger one (sliding) and went in and was looking around and talked to a guy in the tools dept. and told him about the new one and how I needed a better and bigger one. He arranged full credit for the old one returned towards the one I needed! Since then I use Home Depot when possible.

How are you doin there Mr. IwannaIRM?

Long time no see and/or talk too.

My brother, his wife and kids live in Boise, so I may travel out there sometime.

Any "sushi" places in the area? Still got that hotrod toy you gave me a ride in when I was down in Dallas after 9-11?

Those of you who may own GARMIN's...does your lock up/freeze if you press the STOP button and then go back to "VIEW MAP" and/or after you arrive at your destination, or spontaneously power off?

I was showing my wife how to "detour" from our route to a restaurant that we are familiar with, and continue to our destination via the "via point" by answering "YES". We arrived at the via point, went in and had brunch, came out, and the unit took us around the block and back to the restaurant. Tried it again, and it took us back to the restaurant again. I looked at the unit and told it, "The food really isn't that good here", and reprogrammed in our destination.

Next, we mapped our route HOME from our last destination, and interrupted it to guide us to our friends place that was on our route. Again, a via point and YES to continue to our final destiantion. When we left their place, instead of wanting to take us back on the route to HOME, it attempted to take us back to our last destination that we were coming from in the first place.

I emailed GARMIN Support on Sunday morning regarding the problems.

I may just take this unit back to Best Buy tonight and either exchange it, or trade up.

Wife was thinking about a GPS unit for her vehicle.

My C330 does not have the problems you describe.

Once I reach my destination I get the voice: "You have reached your destination" then the screen just goes to the navigation map. If you don't get the "arrived message" the unit still assumes you are on the road and reroutes you to that location. When I add a new destination I get a screen message "Do you want to continue to the original destination" YES or NO response. It inserts the new destination for arrival then continues on to the final destination once you arrive at the intermediate destination. This will happen if you go to a fuel stop along your route. You'll get directions to the fuel stop, the rerouted to you final or next programmed stop. If you don't arrive at the intermediated destination, it will always try to rerout you to that destination. If that happens I just say stop, then reselect the original route and Garmon programs my destination from where ever I am currently.

When I push the stop button, mine does go back to the View Map feature. I would expect that as you have just canceled the programmed route. The view map, I see as the default screen.

When I have any "problems" I just push stop, go back to WHERE TO, the look up recent selection and select that.

Also when I first turn mine on, the navigation map screen starts me out from where ever I was last. Until the unit gets a satallite reading, the unit does't have a clue of where it is.

Mine locks up after it reaches its "final" destination. I can't access the MENU, zoom in or out, select the navigation buttons at the top of the screeen, bottom left and/or right hand corner either. It just will not respond. If I continue to drive past my destination, the icon representing my position does not move what-so-ever after that, speed doesn't change and/or the compass heading...which is stuck in the last known direction of travel.

If I select STOP from the menu...and then select "VIEW MAP"...it locks up every time and again the above scenario happens.

When I first start it up, instead of selecting "WHERE TO?", if I select "VIEW MAP", locks up there too and again, I'm unable to do the above.

We only had the two issues with it taking us to our via point and at the first, I just thought it was attempting to get us back on our original route, when we were stopping to eat and afterwards. I left it on while we were in eating. It wasn't until it took us around the block and back to the via point the second time, that I realized it wasn't responding correctly. That's when I reprogrammed it for our destination, and it seemed like it was taking us around the block again, but it did turn us in a different direction.

It wasn't until the second destination, when we stopped at our friends for about 10-15 minutes to chat and say hi, that I realized it wasn't plotting us on our home bound course when we left...but wanted to take us back to where we were coming from.

A few times, while enroute to properties we were looking for, it would be giving us a voice direction, and wouldn't complete the sentence (short such as "In .3 miles Turn Ri..." for example), but would continue to work thereafter. Other times, it would lock up/freeze at that point, while giving a voice direction.

Before I did the firmware upgrade later that night, on the day I bought it, it was doing the same thing, right out of the box.

quote Originally posted by JSocha: How are you doin there Mr. IwannaIRM? Long time no see and/or talk too. My brother, his wife and kids live in Boise, so I may travel out there sometime. Any "sushi" places in the area? Still got that hotrod toy you gave me a ride in when I was down in Dallas after 9-11? Those of you who may own GARMIN's...does your lock up/freeze if you press the STOP button and then go back to "VIEW MAP" and/or after you arrive at your destination, or spontaneously power off? I was showing my wife how to "detour" from our route to a restaurant that we are familiar with, and continue to our destination via the "via point" by answering "YES". We arrived at the via point, went in and had brunch, came out, and the unit took us around the block and back to the restaurant. Tried it again, and it took us back to the restaurant again. I looked at the unit and told it, "The food really isn't that good here", and reprogrammed in our destination. Next, we mapped our route HOME from our last destination, and interrupted it to guide us to our friends place that was on our route. Again, a via point and YES to continue to our final destiantion. When we left their place, instead of wanting to take us back on the route to HOME, it attempted to take us back to our last destination that we were coming from in the first place. I emailed GARMIN Support on Sunday morning regarding the problems. I may just take this unit back to Best Buy tonight and either exchange it, or trade up. Wife was thinking about a GPS unit for her vehicle.

Hey, how's it going?

I'm doing well, been travelling a lot and not many see or hear from me...:P You know, working for one of those 3-letter Agencies always keep you on the go and in the dark.

Yes, I still have that hotrod...it's all locked up under a car cover in my garage. Haven't driven it for over a year since I have been on the go.

Well, if I recall, there are some Sushi places, Japanese places, Thai places, etc... I'm tired of Thai food now and ready for some good ol' American cooking.

My Garmin has never locked up. We always put in detours just to play and see the accuracy of the GPS. Our GPS seems to be a car length and a half off. But we can live with that.

Spoke with Garmin Tech Support.

They released and posted software v4.40 update today to their support website, to address the very issues I described...including the random power off issue.

I will see what happens after tonights upgrade. If it still has problems, I'll take it back to BestBuy, and will exchange it, as well us trade up possibly to the c550 which I also had looked at.

If that didnt fix it, you might have just gotten a defective one. Mechanical stuff does break. Im not familiar with your model, but could you inadvertently programed it to shut off or stop at destination? Ive accidently set some stuff in mine that took me a while to figure out. I set mine to simulate the intended route accidently once, thought it was still tracking me untill i figured out it was running speed limits in the simulation and I was way ahead of where it said i was.

v4.40 apparently has taken care of the issues to which I wrote.

Bad part about it, when I uploaded the update lastnight, it "wiped" out all my Favorites that I had programmed in...so I lost multiple addresses I was given and/or that I marked as as a POI to properties on several lake shores that we had looked at over the weekend, that are next to impossible to find otherwise.

I also ordered a Garmin StreetPilot c550 today. Wife wants a GPS, so she's agreed to take the c340, because she doesn't need "street level" announcements, MP3 player (I don't either) or bluetooth capabilities (which may come in handy when I throw my POS Motorola away for something that I don't have to send in every other month for repair).

[This message has been edited by JSocha (edited 08-28-2007).]