Happy you bought a Garmin?

 

I will not mention the other (very well known and generally respected) brand - but share the experience. A relative bought another brand - near the top of their range. For a user who has just a little problem finding the on switch on a computer ( wink ) and who has never had a GPS before - soon well out of their depth. question

I have a Nuvi 250W (not exactly the top of the range) and do know my way around a computer, but admit to getting close to out of my depth with it as well. confused

Their manual was inadequate - unhelpful - on problems and you really had to understand the language to find solutions on the website and do a fix.

We tried to buy a needed map. OK - that bit was relatively easy - except there was no warning that a download like that would not work on 250kb link speed - the best they can get where he lives - (no explanation). Only found that after a search for solutions! evil

ADDED

OK OK - It was a TomTom - and I am telling you that because they have refused to help! Go to a friend and try it there! evil

I have posted a request for help on stalled downloads in the TomTom talk.... see what happens next!

Go GARMIN!

What happened next.

Still no real help from TomTom - but the download was tried again and actually worked so at least he has the map - but OH the trouble! Thoroughly convinced me where to stay.....

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I recently bought a 255W and

I recently bought a 255W and I'm still playing with it and trying out different things but I have the c320 since it came out years ago. I used it many times on our trips south in the winter. It was very helpful but one time she (Shirley my wife calls it) lead us in to a street that was blocked by a wall. Oh well,nothing is perfect. Good thing I wasn't pulling the 5fer.
I find it very helpful traveling at night. You can see a curve coming up before you see it in the headlights. Also traveling on a multi lane hwy through a big city when it tells me when a turn-off is coming up long before I get there.
I'm looking forward to go on a long trip with the 255W. I love my Garmins and wouldn't go anywhere without one.

--
GPSmap76Cx handheld, Nuvi 2557LMT, Nuvfi 2598LMTHD

Ditto

Garmin is the way to go.

--
"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there". __ Will Rogers

if garmin had custom map

if garmin had custom map update.. that'd be even better. i wish i could edit add/delete exisiting roads myself

--
A pedestrian is someone who thought there were a couple of gallons left in the tank.

Garmin for Life

I have 2 now and will always use Garmin. The customer support won me over. I am a loyal customer and always will be!

--
"If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score" Lombardi

Happy but...

Nuvi 760 volume isn't loud enough. FM transmitter is useless when I'm in town (Los Angeles). It only works when I'm out of town. I love the rest (Nuvi design and usability). This is one of the most useful gadgets that I've spent money on.

Garmin

Yes, I love my Nuvi 350

Yet another vote for Garmin

Love my Garmin! Should have bought a GPS long ago, and can't imagine taking a trip without my trusty Garmin staring back at me whilst stuck to my window.

In a word... kinda

I have a nuvi 770.

Does lots of stuff +++
Bluetooth poor and getting worse ---
Language guide doesn't work after update ---
MP3 player is good ++
Good to great POI database +++
European maps +++
Customer support from Garmin was wrong and rude ---
Gets me where I want to go in an efficient way +++
Traffic reports tend to be stale +
No exit POI (as on Magellan) --
Good screen layout ++
Cool hidden screens +

I just wish Garmin would fix what they broke!

2nd Garmin

I bought a C340 on closeout. Very glad I did as I learned from that model (at an extremely reduced price) the features I wanted. Now I have a 265T and love it. Does exactly what I want - no more, no less. Bought it last "Black Friday" on line at a super price.

--
Mark - Nuvi 265T NUVI 50LM

Best Toy

I bought a nuvi 350 when it first came out and have never seen a later model that I liked better. Don't know how I got along without it on trips or when trying to find an address.

Happy with Garmin

I'm now on my 5th Garmin. The first was a GPS III many years ago. The first two units, a GPS III and an eTrex had several problems. They were repaired or replaced by Garmin at no cost well past the warranty period.

My last one, a nuvi 750 was slow with acquisition time and had a really short battery life. Garmin replaced it and even provided a later version of the maps.

My 76csx is about 3 years old and I never have had any problems with it. The 76scx and its mate the 60csx are probably the best general purpose units the have produced.

Besides, now I have too much invested in Garmin maps to change brands.

Garmin

I had a TomTom for about a week. The product was OK, the support was terrible. So it went back.

I've had a Nuvi 770 for about 8 months - and I still think I made a good choice!

I'm happy with my second

I'm happy with my second Garmin. The first (200w) was way too slow in satellite acquisition (sometimes taking > 2 minutes). Now the 205w gets acquisition within seconds, which is what is most important to me so I can get in and go.

I have many Garmins

But I will admit I learned more about it from this site and others here than I learned from the Book. I also don;t download huge software files if they can mail me a disk that is not corrupted in 3 days. I love my Garmins...And have helped many friends and family with them. I am not sure Garmin hasnt saved more fuel that hybrids.

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Dave_ Nuvi 660 , 760,1490LMT Wooster, Ohio

Happy I bought a Garmin

I have a 250w it sure has saved me a lot of grief ,it's not fancy but it gets me there.

--
The Home of BLUMARU HOUNDS

I love my 755T

I absolutely love my 755T over my previous Magellan 3250

--
regards George Garmin Dezl 750LMT, Nuvi 755T, & 255W

I will only own a Garmin.

I will only own a Garmin. My Nuvi 350 has saved me numerous times. Besides all the research says the Garmin is the best.

--
I tripped going up the escalator and I fell for an hour and a half!

Good But Could Be Better

As I have said in other threads, Garmin continues to have the best UI, features and Customer Service in the business and charge a premium price for those features, but they also have a poor record of quality control. I have owned 3 models my 350 was sent back twice b/c of power button failure (the reason they switched to slide switches on the 7xx series), my 750 also went back twice, and now my 765t is on its way to Olathe for battery problems. I kept my 750 after I bought my 765 just b/c I did not want to be without a GPSr while my 765 was inevitably heading back to Garmin and today am glad for my foresight. Garmin really needs to get this problem under control b/c it is only a matter of time before customers realize the problems outweigh the benefits.

Love my Nuvi 760

It is the first GPS I have ever owned and apart from a few minor gripes, I am tremendously pleased. I love the UI and it has always been very accurate in getting me where I want to go. It is especially useful when enhanced with the POI files from this site.

--
Nuvi 3597 LMT

I had to convince my wife we

I had to convince my wife we needed to purchase a garmin 350. She was against it. Now she uses it more than I do.

Started good, downhill from there.

I'm not really very pleased with my Nuvi 760. It started out good but has been a disappointment mostly since then. I have the 2009 maps and the latest software/firmware. I also have the MSN receiver.

It won't hold a battery charge. No matter what I do, it starts raising low battery alerts every five seconds within about 15 minutes of turning it on under battery power. I can only use it on the car's 12V source. When it was under warranty, Garmin sent me a refurbished unit that was even worse (after charging my credit card for several hundred dollars that), so I sent the refurb replacement back.

But that's not even the full extent of the problems. Recently I went on a road trio from St. Louis, MO to Sebring, FL and back. I almost threw the Garmin out the car window on several occasions. Every time I stopped the car (powering off the unit from the 12 V source), the Nuvi disconnected from its voice. I had to completely power it down and restart it before I could go into system setup and restore the voice. Nevertheless, I missed several turns on my trip because I counted on it announcing waypoints, and it failed to do so.

The problems didn't end there. As often as not, it would forget I had a route entered, forcing me to put it in again. On several occasions, it did not start up at all. I had to execute numerous hard resets (i.e. holding pwr off for 10+ seconds). In addition, it got confused about what my route should be several times. I'm not sure how to even explain what happened. We broke out a paper map to help. What does that say when I have a GPS but still depend on backup maps?

The MSN traffic is mostly worthless too. It frequently tells me about traffic problems that no longer exist, and it fails to warn me in time about real traffic problems, so I've never really been able to make any practical use of it. In fact, it caused me to go through an unnecessary and lengthy detour through Atlanta. I told it to detour when it reported traffic problems, but it failed to reset or even give me that option when the traffic was clear according to the receiver. By the time I arrived at the point I had forgotten it was set on a detour and realized it too late to recover. Totally untrustworthy. I will not renew my subscription.

I don't like the interface either. Too many taps to get to things, and no easy way to get back to the map view (that should be possible with a single click).

I'm currently shopping for a replacement.

LOVE MY GARMIN

I have 2 garmin a nuvi 5000 and a 200w the 200w was my first gps unit and was given a nuvi 5000 i would not buy another gps but garmin any problems i have i call garmin and they fix it or help me get a round the problem

NUVI 5000 AND NUVI 200W
(LIFETIME MAPS)

Old Street Pilot c330

I love this old girl!

--
Flip Garmin Street P.330 Garmin 255WT Garmin LM50

All in all Garmin is the

All in all Garmin is the most bang for your buck. Not perfect and probably not good at all in some areas, which you may not know up front. But, I wouldn't leave home on a trip without it. Someday I will own two, so I can have a backup but I am not there yet.

My first GPS

is the Garmin Nuvi 200! So far it is pretty cool. Can newer maps be uploaded to it?

Car With Built In GPS

My Step-Father-In-Law (Mother-In-Law's husband) has a GPS that's built in to his Prius. He hates it and can't get it to work. I tried it so I might be able to help him with that. The uaser interface seems to have been designed by an engineer, for engineers. Then tested for ease of use by more engineers. Nothing about it is inherently obvious.
He plans to get a Garmin because he took a trip from Chicago to Florida with his son who has a Garmin Nuvi.
After looking at the built-in, I told him, "That's definitely the way to go."

Oh, I'm very happy with my Nuvi760 & my wife is happy with the Nuvi260 I bought for her based on my experience with the 760.

Support

The best feature about Garmin is the customer support. I have had to call on them numerous times and must award them a blue ribbon.

--
Zuma314

Garmin is #1 for GPS

Well, I have you beat... Garmin makes the most reliable GPS's on the market, both marine and auto. I have 4, 3 for my cars (1 is a spare) and I have a 3206 on my boat. how did we ever survive without GPS's????

Try the Garmin 265. I love

Try the Garmin 265. I love it. Traffic alert works wonderful... And there is no subscription for traffic. I love it. Also, try calling Garmin support, they are GREAT...

Love my Garmin

korndogg27 wrote:

if garmin had custom map update.. that'd be even better. i wish i could edit add/delete exisiting roads myself

Those are 2 things I wish my c330 had... but otherwise I have used and seen Nextar, TomTom and a few others in action, so far Garmin has been the best in my personal experience.

--
Garmin c330 w/ 2011 maps

Pretty Happy So Far

With my Nuvi760... Impulse buy at Costco, but it does what I want, and is simple enough to use. Bonus points for the bluetooth phone connection, and ability to hold audio books, both of which I will use.

--
Magellan SporTrak, Garmin eTrex & nuvi 760

Couldn't Be Happier

This is my first Auto GPS (265wt) and I have no regrets about the purchase. I'm still trting to learn how to use all the features.

I have a GPS in my BassBoat and wanted on for in my truck.. I did a lot of research and thought this one was the best bang for the buck.

Love it....

Better then the rest...

Kowabunga!

zch888 wrote:

Ever since I switched from Magellan to Garmin, have owned i3, i5, C320, C340, C530, C550, C580, Nuvi 350, 360, 650, 660, 670, 200, and 260. Garmin is the best.

You must REALLY like Garmin!

I only have the c340, and if were to get another GSP, it would be a Garmin.

Still a few more years of use on my current GPS, before I buy, as I am quite satisfied with it.

--
Ted in Ohio, c340, 1490T with lifetime maps

So far so good

I'm very happy with my nuvi 780. It does everything i want it to do, recalculates very fast and the lcd is bright enough so i can see while driving.

I own 3

Garmins and feel that they are a bit above the rest. Like someone else said it's a tool and not perfect but it's tool. I feel the same way.

--
John_nuvi_

I have no real complaints.

I have no real complaints. My Nuvi 200 is the first (and only) gps for vehicle use that I bought (after having owned 2 handheld Garmin units), and it still works fine. My only gripe is with the fact that the maps aren't up to date, and that's not really Garmin's fault. Even the newest map update available doesn't include many of the changes in highways where I drive frequently.

--
"Recalculating... drive 0.2 miles, then abandon vehicle." ------------- [ETrex Venture CX; Nüvi 40; Drive 52]

MapSource to upload new maps?

Dsorgnzd wrote:

I have no real complaints. My Nuvi 200 is the first (and only) gps for vehicle use that I bought (after having owned 2 handheld Garmin units), and it still works fine. My only gripe is with the fact that the maps aren't up to date, and that's not really Garmin's fault. Even the newest map update available doesn't include many of the changes in highways where I drive frequently.

Yes, newer maps would be helpful. Can MapSource be used to load a newer map to the Nuvi 200?

MapSource to upload new maps?

bump...

i just bought one today! i'm

i just bought one today!
i'm so excited!
i haven't driven with it yet though. in the process of learning how to upload poi's before i start heading out!

what model

ddalg1o04 wrote:

i just bought one today!
i'm so excited!
i haven't driven with it yet though. in the process of learning how to upload poi's before i start heading out!

what model did you get.

hey

yep love it! had a small problem in opuerto rico because of teh close building proximities and new roads otehr then that it's always worked lie a dream. like all technology I always say don;t bet your life on it

PR part of CN North America map?

jclarkr6 wrote:

yep love it! had a small problem in opuerto rico because of teh close building proximities and new roads otehr then that it's always worked lie a dream. like all technology I always say don;t bet your life on it

Does the CN North America map include Puerto Rico?

Thanks!

Yes & no, as to liking my Garmin...

I have two: a nuvi 350 and a GPS 76CX. The Nuvi has served me well, but lately it's been getting crotchety, taking several minutes to find satellites, and asking me 'Are you inside? Is this the day today?..." Not sure what's going on, but I can drive 10 miles before it gets the satellites fixed.

The 76CX has been good - until both battery terminal springs broke because they were made so cheap by the Taiwanese manufacturing plant. To their credit, Garmin has agreed to fix the problem for free - and this is 2 1/2 years after I bought the unit. My suspicion is that they've had a lot of problems with the terminals. When I first bought the GPS I thought they were ready to break right then and there, they looked so flimsy.

Frankly, I'm tired of buying crap from China and Taiwan, and am doing my best not to support such countries any longer. It's hard given that everyone uses the far East for manufacturing. But, I think if enough people complain, companies may start to have second thoughts about importing so much trash. That China in particular has been in the news repeatedly for unsafe products, be it food, medicine, toys, or whatever, should make a difference too.

Bottom line: I like the way Garmin units are designed, and their after sale support is excellent. But there's a price to be paid for their being as short sighted as everyone else in exporting jobs overseas to slap dash idiots who don't care about quality, and who are also interested in harming this country in more ways than one.

GC

--
Nuvi 350, GPS Map 76CX

Totally!

Yep, my 760 is the primary item I cart around, I've got 1800 tunes and the amount of times it's helped me out of a jam are uncountable... ok... probably countable, but I just can't be bothered smile

Plus the fact that my 6700 PPC Apache phone syncs with it better than any other BT headset I've got, is a major bonus...

It's nice to be down to 2 devices in the car for long trips... it used to be a laptop, a BT GPS hookup, the phone and a BT headset, plus the fact that my wife had to have the laptop on her lap the whole way... ick!

--
Roleplaying Canuck Gamer with: Nuvi 760 & 2595 LMT (Map Ver.: 2019.30) 2012 RAM 1500 4x4 Big Horn Quad

Love mine.

I love my nuvi 660. Makes getting around so much easier when traveling.

--
Nuvi 660. Nuvi 40 Check out. www.houserentalsorlando.com Irish Saying. A man loves his sweetheart the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest.

buing Garmin's top model nuvi dissapointing...

Tuckahoemike wrote:

Garmin produces great products, but not so hot manuals. Only the barest essentials are included. It's great that poi-factory, and similar web sites help fill in the gaping voids! Why doesn't Garmin provide more complete manuals with their products???

And yes, I very happy with my 260W.

I have the same opinion, but if you buy lower model with basics it might be understandable, because you save money.

I decided for one of the top models, because I was expecting I will get what I pay for... this is not true with Garmin.
I purchased nuvi 765T very nice designed unit with great features. Buying it I was expecting to get more than buggy product and becoming Garmin's beta tester...
I have exactly the same observations as other nuvi 765t owners. It seems like unfinished gadget on market with premium price.

It is very sad to see, how nice product is getting negative reputation just because of lack of quality control and software testing from Garmin.

--
vk

beats Magellan customer service and POI loading

After owning a Magellan Roadmate 700T that was updated to 760T and needing to repair twice I am very happy with the bottom of the line Garmin Nuvi 200. The repair and checking for updates with Magellan was awful. Explaining to folks in India that I was calling for a status check and yet they insisted on troubleshooting on phone with me when the unit was out to in their shop. I finally started all calls with "Don't ask questions, just read my ticket history, then we will talk." Customer service was among the worst with any product I have ever used.

Loading software is also far better

I love mine !!!!!

I started off with the Nuvi 660 unit which I bought when it came out which was the best. I just bought a new unit the 785T which is comparable to the 660 which has all the same features and and more. I love the Garmin units. One of the big pluses of the new Garmin units is that you can add more than 1 way point to a route.

that's true but...

zuma314 wrote:

The best feature about Garmin is the customer support. I have had to call on them numerous times and must award them a blue ribbon.

I agree support technicians do excellent job, but it seems like they are the only ones at Garmin who take care to get customers satisfied.
It needs a load of patience until you get connected with them. There are terrible waiting times for technical support, inadequate manuals, inadequate tech. specs., not included software disk with mapsource etc...etc...
Garmin have nice products, but not such a nice attitude to keep the customers 100% happy with their purchase.

--
vk
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