jenbobblehead Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 I have a 12% off coupon at best buy that i can use on a garmin which i will need when i move to VA next month. The question is whether or not i should get it now when i have this coupon, or whether i should wait til the end of Feb when perhaps the price may have plummeted and only cost $15 then? Does the technology change as fast as things like cell phones and junk? please advise. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
remphish1 Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 I have a 12% off coupon at best buy that i can use on a garmin which i will need when i move to VA next month. The question is whether or not i should get it now when i have this coupon, or whether i should wait til the end of Feb when perhaps the price may have plummeted and only cost $15 then? Does the technology change as fast as things like cell phones and junk? please advise. I just used the 12% off and bought a magellian today. Came out to $220 in the store I think. Garmins are slightly more money but the magellian after one use seems nice. For the 12% off coupon to work the item must not be onsale! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bjorn_skurj Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 I don't think there will be that dramatic a price drop in those things. Watch out, though - they are good, but not perfect. Some dude in Westchester recently got his rental car stuck on the train tracks following one too closely. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jenbobblehead Posted January 12, 2008 Author Share Posted January 12, 2008 I just used the 12% off and bought a magellian today. Came out to $220 in the store I think. Garmins are slightly more money but the magellian after one use seems nice. For the 12% off coupon to work the item must not be onsale!ha! cool. was the garmin on sale? I want the Nuvi 350 (although i might be able to get armtwisted into the 760) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Speed Racer Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 My friend's father works for Garmin, and she gets free gear. Riding with her is my only experience with them, and BELIEVE ME, I would rather walk from Minneapolis to St. Louis than ride with her. If you get one, for the love of all that is sacred, be sure you watch the road more than that damned screen. She watches it like a TV, zooming down the freeway oblivious to everything else. Garmins show you where to go, not what's around you. That being said, I'm rather new to my surroundings, and getting lost has been a crucial part of my education here. I know more than she does (also a recent transplant) simply because I've been lost more places than she has. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
remphish1 Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 ha! cool. was the garmin on sale? I want the Nuvi 350 (although i might be able to get armtwisted into the 760) Hmm not sure if it was onsale? The one they were displaying was $350 or so which was out of my price range so I didn't pay much attention to it beyond that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hollow Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 We have the Garmin Nuvi 350, got it back in July 07 so have been using it for about 6 months. The nicest feature is the voice directions, as it's really difficult (and dangerous) to look at the screen when you're driving. I wouldn't get a GPS that didn't have the voice directions. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jenbobblehead Posted January 12, 2008 Author Share Posted January 12, 2008 We have the Garmin Nuvi 350, got it back in July 07 so have been using it for about 6 months. The nicest feature is the voice directions, as it's really difficult (and dangerous) to look at the screen when you're driving. I wouldn't get a GPS that didn't have the voice directions.yes, it is a non negotiable that it has text to voice. If i could read and drive at the same time i'd just use paper maps and directions all the time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 My parents, who are retired, LOVE their Garmin ... but they're constantly driving all over the country to do stuff. They sound kind of cool to me, but I don't leave this area all that often so I'm not sure I could justify the expense. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jenbobblehead Posted January 12, 2008 Author Share Posted January 12, 2008 My parents, who are retired, LOVE their Garmin ... but they're constantly driving all over the country to do stuff. They sound kind of cool to me, but I don't leave this area all that often so I'm not sure I could justify the expense.a garmin and a pony are part of the relocation package. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Elixir Sue Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 I got Dude the Garmin Streetpilot c340 for his birthday last year, and it's been great (although I think he's come to rely on it a little too much ). I want one for myself. Anyway, back to the point, I would go ahead and use the coupon now, but mostly because I'm an instant gratification kinda gal. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spawn's dad Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 tomtom 3rd edition $150 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jenbobblehead Posted January 13, 2008 Author Share Posted January 13, 2008 tomtom 3rd edition $150is that the one that you can have curt schilling be your directions voice? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jenbobblehead Posted January 13, 2008 Author Share Posted January 13, 2008 i ended up getting a garmin 760 because it has built in traffic reports and rerouting, and bluetooth technology and big screen. However, when i had it send me from home to the closest police station, it sent me to the parking lot where the police station used to be...5 years ago. Not sure what is up with that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Edie Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 I have used them in rental cars and generally really like them. Though one time we were following a colleague that had one, and he took us the crazy way (via side roads instead of the highway) to our client which turned a "no problem, we have plenty of time" trip into a nail biter. So use common sense too, and make it recalculate the directions for you. I have often referred to the woman's voice as passive-aggressive when she says "recalculating" (with the unsaid "You dumb fuck!") Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dixiecupdrinker Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 I have a Garmin that bought when I left MI and moved to VA and year and a half ago. I love it. It has saved my arse many times. That being said, no matter how new the model, they do get stuff just plain wrong. Do not abandon paper maps and a trusty road atlas for long trips. Also, I find it doesn't do so hot in D.C. and you can forget about it when you get into traffic circles. The models that have their maps updated and the traffic reports cost extra for a subscription, right? How much is it every month? anyway,dcd Quote Link to post Share on other sites
c53x12 Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 We have a Nuvi 350 from several years ago, when they still cost upwards of $600. It's a terrific little device, but my advice is this: if you plan to use it only in the car, then look into the Garmin "C" series (C330, C340, etc.) instead. The Nuvi tacks on MP3 playback, language translation, traffic, and other doodads in the smaller form factor, but you're not likely to use all those extra features if you don't travel abroad or carry the thing around with you. The functional GPS portion of the C series and the Nuvi's is pretty much identical, and the C's are much cheaper. Don't get suckered by larger screen sizes -- 3" is plenty if the thing has voice prompts; you will (and should) spend more time listening to than looking at it. Do go for the touch screen; buttons kind of suck on devices like these, but that's more of a personal preference. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
watch me fall Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 I have a Garmin that bought when I left MI and moved to VA and year and a half ago. I love it. It has saved my arse many times. That being said, no matter how new the model, they do get stuff just plain wrong. Do not abandon paper maps and a trusty road atlas for long trips. Also, I find it doesn't do so hot in D.C. and you can forget about it when you get into traffic circles. The models that have their maps updated and the traffic reports cost extra for a subscription, right? How much is it every month? anyway,dcd Didn't that thing get you lost on your way to Raleigh last year?? By the way, hey! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dixiecupdrinker Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Well.... um.... no comment. And... hey back at ya! dcd Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TheMaker Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 It took me seven posts to figure out what the remotest fuck this thread is about. For real. Anyway, I don't drive. I guess that's obvious now. P.S., "Garmin" is the most made-up sounding name ever. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
a.miller Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Anyone have anymore comments on these things? It seems like the most common complaints are that it takes you a rather indirect route (not freeways) and that the info on gas stations and restaurants is very out of date. I'm moving to Los Angeles in a couple months and am really considering getting one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
c53x12 Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Don't rely on them to guide you to unfamiliar addresses -- they frequently get address locations wrong, more so in some cities than others. (Danbury, CT apparently is laid out all wrong.) Have some directions, and use the GPS to know when turns are coming up or to improvise new routes when needed. They're great for exploring unfamiliar areas and always being able to get back to a known location. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mrs. Peel Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 I'm looking into the Garmin 360 right now, and I just found a site with awesome prices, in case anyone is interested.buydig.com Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jenbobblehead Posted March 20, 2008 Author Share Posted March 20, 2008 i have been getting a lot of use out of my garmin and i can tell you that the best thing is that it speaks to me so i don't actually have to look at it. So i really recommend the speech thing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Big Perm Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 are we talking about GPS? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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