Garmin GPS

[sammy]

It seems lately that the Garmin GPS 650 I got for my husband last Christmas is getting slower and slower at finding where I am to start with and seeing me make turns. It was a medium priced model last year - I believe I paid $300 and it was a one day super-bargain-deal that was very rare last year (or so I thought )

I got online today and found the 650 is discontinued, map updates are $69.99 for a single update; or $119.99 lifetime.

Any reason to buy the upgrade when I might be able to get a brand new model, one with lifetime traffic updates, for around $160? I'm guessing even the newer models do not come with lifetime maps. Do any include free map downloads (in the <$300 price bracket)?

 

[csudell]

you may want to call Garmin. Garmins do not get free upgrades. you can download them from bittorrent sites but I do not know if the updated map will fix your issue. My hubby's Garmin had that problem but it was a few years old so we replaced it and it is back to speed.

 

[tompalm]

The Black Friday ads are excellent for the Garmin 255 and 255w. I think that Sears, Best Buy and online you can find it from $115 to $129. It has a faster processor and it would be better than spending money on new maps. I read in GPS magazine that the Nuvis ending in 5, like the 265 vs. 260 have a faster processor for finding the satellites and computing the route.

The maps will not make it work faster. They only provide new route info or points of interest. I wouldn't buy maps unless you live in an area where everything is new. However, sell your 650 on Craigslist for $90. Someone will buy it and think they got a good deal.

 

[pcgirl54]

Like Garmins the best. Bought the 750 for our sons last year at Sam's Club as a Black Friday online sale. Just bought 780 online Walmart special of the day last week for $178 with .97 cents shipping.

They have the 750 for $157 that I paid $199 last year as a BF special and sold elsewhere for well over that.

You can order online for the same price I just looked. www.walmart.com

The 755T $256 has lifetime traffic as does the 785T for $338

Not worth upgrading yours for $70 plus. They are models with less features for a little less.

 

["Roger"]

I can't imagine why the Garmin 650 is getting slower. (Any takers on what could cause such a problem? I can't think of any reason why this would happen.)

One comment on a Garmin 600 series versus 700 series. I have the former, my brother/sister in law the latter. Theirs will often lose reception where mine does not. I bought mine when Garmin was making the changeover from the 600 series to the 700 series and reviewers were listing reception difficulties as a negative for the 700 series. (I suspect that this is tied to the fact that the 700 series has an entirely internal antenna, while the 600 series has the old fold out antenna.)

[By the by, I have seen no change in the speed of my Garmin.]

 

[Transit]

I'm not upgrading my Garmin because the maps are expensive as compared to the price of a new unit.My unit is only a year old and was useless in recent trips to Tampa and Miami where traffic infrastructure is complicated road construction is on going.Many exits /offramps were missing or wrong.I'm just using my phone GPS now.

 

[pedro47]

Have you check the battery in the unit?

 

[humuhumu nukunukuapua'a]

Websites with Garmin GPS deals

I hope it's not too late for "sammy" to take advantage of the buying recommendations for GPS at the following two sites:

http://gpstracklog.com/

http://www.gpslodge.com/

 

[janej]

I am pretty sure it is because of your battery is dying. We have a Garmin 320 that we paid about $300 and used for a few years. The battery is dead. It takes forever to get it to start working. But once it starts, it is fine. I found the battery replacement instruction online and tried to do it myself. But the battery I ordered was not the same as the one I found in my unit. So we bought a new one and just use this as a backup. I read many people get free replacement of battery from Garmin if the warranty just expired.

 

[sammy]

255WT or 265WT?

Excellent feedback, thank you!

OK, new one it is!! Any suggestions on whether to get the 255WT or the 265WT? Both are moderate price; about $50 difference.

Differences between 255Wt and 265WT are listed on BestBuy as (Garmin doesn't even say 255WT US exists )

Number of Channels 12 / ?
Bluetooth Built-in No / Yes
Hard-Drive Storage Yes / No
Download Capability Yes / No
Mapping Software No / Yes
PC Connectivity With optional cable (not included) / Yes
Backlit Display Yes / No
Battery Included Yes / No
3D Map View No / Yes
Map Provider Navteq / ?
Antenna ? / No
Programmable Routes ? / Yes
Topographical Maps ? / Yes

I don't understand some of these, but I'd think the major ones are Bluetooth (I don't think we need), download (255 better), hard drive storage (255 better), antenna (according to prior posts, maybe better in 255), programmable routes (265 better).

But in any case, one is not a clear winner over the other....

 

[wackymother]

Amazon has a very useful chart for comparing the different Garmins. Scroll down on this page to look at it. I've been watching them for ages, so I've looked at the chart about a gazillion times! Hope it helps---

http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-265WT-...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1259525728&sr=8-1

 

[csudell]

I have a 255W and love it.

 

[mas]

Excellent feedback, thank you!

OK, new one it is!! Any suggestions on whether to get the 255WT or the 265WT? Both are moderate price; about $50 difference.

Differences between 255Wt and 265WT are listed on BestBuy as (Garmin doesn't even say 255WT US exists )

Number of Channels 12 / ?
Bluetooth Built-in No / Yes
Hard-Drive Storage Yes / No
Download Capability Yes / No
Mapping Software No / Yes
PC Connectivity With optional cable (not included) / Yes
Backlit Display Yes / No
Battery Included Yes / No
3D Map View No / Yes
Map Provider Navteq / ?
Antenna ? / No
Programmable Routes ? / Yes
Topographical Maps ? / Yes

I don't understand some of these, but I'd think the major ones are Bluetooth (I don't think we need), download (255 better), hard drive storage (255 better), antenna (according to prior posts, maybe better in 255), programmable routes (265 better).

But in any case, one is not a clear winner over the other....

I have the 265WT that I paid about $200 from Amazon roughly a year ago. I've used it on several trips(including a long road trip from MN to Key West and back home vie Houston) and it has worked like a champ.

Looking at the spec of both units, I can't see any differences. If you really want to know, I'd send a question to the tech support at Garmin, otherwise I would just find the lowest priced ad for either unit and go with that one.

Also, I bought the lifetime maps for North America from Amazon for ~ $85 at the time. It seems that they are now about $10 more. I think this item on the Garmin site is ~$150. I've since downloaded several updates from the my-garmin site with no problems.

 

[wackymother]

The 265WT has the FM lifetime traffic updates, and the 255 does not. That's the main difference that I see. Some of the Amazon reviews say the traffic feature isn't that good...but I ended up getting the 265WT anyhow today.

Amazon does have a really good deal on the 255 right now--I think it's about $110.

 

[tompalm]

Here is some good info on links below. I have the free traffic on the 755t that Costco is selling for $199. However, the traffic info doesn't work well in Hawaii, but reports for traffic are pretty good in major cities in the mainland. I would go for the 255 if I had to do it over again. The forums seem to say the 255 is the way to go.

http://forums.gpsreview.net/viewtopic.php?t=10696

http://forums.cnet.com/5208-7811_102-0.html?threadID=322395

 

[bestcuts66]

The 265WT has bluetooth and the 255 does not. This is an advantage if your cell phone has BT. The Points of Interest (ie., restrauntes, shops) can be dialed just by touching the screen. Your cell phones, phonebook will show on the GPS.

 

[kiyotaka]

I still use old Garmin streetpilot 2610 w/ many waypoints inputted. If I buy a new Garmin unit, how can I transfer those waypts into the new unit?

 

[PigsDad]

I still use old Garmin streetpilot 2610 w/ many waypoints inputted. If I buy a new Garmin unit, how can I transfer those waypts into the new unit?

If you can download those waypoints into the GPX or CSV format, you can load them into a new device with Garmin's POI loader. The CSV (spreadsheet) format is fairly simple to construct, so even if there was any way of getting a text download of those waypoints on your streetpilot to your computer (even if not in the right format), that would be the way to go.

Kurt