My Garmin 200w GPS bit the dust over the last couple of months. It is out of warrantee, so to replace it would be just about the same as to get the darn thing fixed. I'm on a very limited income atm, so need to think seriously about whether to replace the unit or not.

Has anyone had good luck with their GPS systems? Any not too expensive, yet do a good job on the road?

My GPS is on my cell and it works great.

Garmin nuvi 350. I have had it for about a year and a half, no problems at all. i am thinking of upgrading it to a model with traffic, like the 755T, which costs a bit more though. You should be able to find nuvis for about $150 or so. Walmart has it for $148.

Only thing is now my maps are expired, and you need to pay for map upgrades, but you do get one map upgrade free. I have been trying to upgrade my maps the legal way using the upgrade utility but it won't work right so I have to figure out how to get it upgraded.

Edit: You can use it if the maps are expired, it just won't have the latest places or new ocnstruction.
But the nuvi 350 is a good device, it can play MP3s with the built in storage, or an SD card slot, you can purchase audiobooks and load up pictures.
I like that you can use it walking or while on a bike.
Only thing I don't like about it is the battery life is not so good, about 5 hours maximum, so if you have an ac port in your car you can charge it.

I only need the GPS for driving - I wouldn't be using it otherwise, like for playing MP3s or audiobooks. What would people here suggest as a good basic reliable GPS? The Garmin seems to be the choice du jour so far...
Is the 200 series the best one without any extra bells and whistles?

(sorry to appear so stupid - I'm definitely NOT an electronics geek!!!!)

You probably didn't know, but your 200W had those features I mentioned above. You never noticed them because they were hidden. Thats why I like Garmin you have extra stuff if you want, but it doesn't get in the way, the interface is real simple. I have all those features on my 350 but I don't use them at all and they don't get in the way.

How about getting a 200W again if you liked it so much?

The only differences between the 200w and the nuvi 350 are that the 350 can play music and it has text to speech, instead of "Turn right Ahead in 100 feet" it will say "Turn right on Broadway in 100 feet" which is handy when looking for a specific street. And the 200w has widescreen, which can be nice, but it makes it hard to fit in your shirt pocket.

You can't go wrong with the 350. I spent 2 years reading up on them before I bought mine.

Thanks, Doug! That's very helpful!!

Suzie keeps suggesting we get one, and although I'm generally a gadget nut I tend to resist: I prefer navigating with an actual map, and suspect with us it'd be a gadget that would get used for the first fortnight and then forgotten. (We don't do a lot of drivng in unfamiliar places, so your milage may vary if you do a lot of parcel delivery or whatever.)

The only other thing to note is that GPS systems are becoming like inkjet printers: the printers themselves are vanishingly cheap, they get you on the ink refills. So the GPS itself is cheap, but the map updates can cost almost as much.

Consumer Reports, rates the Garmin Nuvi 255w, 255 & 200 as best buys. So I think that if you liked the one you have I would just get another one. Or just upgrade to the 255w or 255. I hope this helps.

pk

Thanks everyone for the input!!! If I can manage the funds I'd like to get the 200 again.. But other things are beckoning for my $$...might have to wait for awhile.

I have a Garmin nuvi 350, and I too have had it about 1 1/2 years. It is great for what I do. My maps probably need upgrading. there are some more upscale units, but for what I do the nuvi 350 is just right. I need to upgrade my vehicle first.

DB

garmin nuvi 350 user here too.

pros: small size, fairly accurate, includes canada and mexico as well.
cons: short battery life if using it to walk around, no blue tooth if you want to use it with your cell in the car.

I only use my nuvi in the car so I've never noticed the battery life. Houston is much too big geographically to walk around trying to find stuff. As for the blue tooth thing, i don't receive all that many cell calls to need it.

DB

Hey rudywoofs do you have a BJ's in the area? If you do they are having a sale Nov. 28-30 and are selling the garmin nuvi 250 for 169.99 (129.99 w/coupon).
I believe all bj's are the same throughout the US. I think you have to buy it online but I'm not positive.

pk

No BJ's in this area. I'll look it up - I'm going to look at the nuvi 350 as well...

Thanks pk..

If you want to get the 350, than why not purchase the 760 which is better and also a $100.00 savings at BJs for $249.99. Which I believe is cheaper than the 350.

pk

wow...what a great deal. But I just don't have the money to spend. I'm still trying to decide whether or not I can afford the nuvi 200 @ $128 or the nuvi 350 @ $148. Hard decision when you're hard up for $$.

thanks for the info pk..

I know what you mean. Thanks, anytime.

pk

Mio C310x here. Love it. Cost me a coupla hundred used..

Today they can be had for $119

I broke down and bought a Garmin 350 on sale. Any "quirks" I ought to know about it that you owners know about?

Much luck to you.

{Evil Neil mode-on]

Did they mention that it has the world worst break down rate?????

[Evil Neil mode-off]

We drove 250 miles to Fort Worth for thanksgiving. Used the 350nuvi all the way. That's the first time I've used it on the highway. It worked great. The only drawbacks I see is it doesn't have all the features you find on more expensive models. Also it,, and probably all gps, is fragile, so don't drop it.

DB

Now Evil Neil has me worried that I should send it back. Where did Evil Neil get his information?

What kind of mount do you have to mount it? I was sticking it in my dahsboard, if I flip the antenna up I can jam it in the corner. It falls if I have to break hard though.

[good Neil mode-on]

Ignore what the evil twin said. Evil Neil is pulling your leg....

There is a "good" one.

No kind of mount....I stuck my other one on the dashboard also.

No Liz ... this is not funny ... this is good news. We haven't heard this side of Neil before. I am looking forward to it.

Neil said:


Are you really serious, Neil? This is really important to me.