Help please

If you go to the Garmin site at https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=134 .It will show you the current models and features.You will see discontinued on the left side of the screen.That will show all the models that have been discontinued.You can also put check marks in and compare the units.You are right to look for a unit that says street names.The 255 does that plus shows arrow on top of screen for direction of the next turn.265 comes with Bluetooth and free FM traffic.Newer models have faster processors and other goodies.It all depends on what you want.Get some good deals now on the discontinued models with lot of extras.

is the nuvi 660 for the price and performes well. We have three in our family and they are used all over the country . Mo, Wa, Ut. with no problems.

I had a 760 for a month and then it died on me. I liked the unit, but I opted to replace it with a 265wt. My guess is that it has a lot of features that you don't need or care about.

The things I liked about the 760:

• Powered cradle and easily removed from the cradle with one hand
• FM transmitter (though weak power output is difficult to use in areas where the dial is crowded) - I did like to use the MP3 player on occasion through my car stereo
• ROUTING - planning a route before you go and being able to save it.

Things I like about the 265wt (identical to 255w but with bluetooth and free traffic):

• Free traffic for life, although ad supported they are none intrusive (760 has only 3 months free then you must purchase a lifetime subscription for $60 - no ads)
• Faster processor results in faster screen draws than the 760 - THIS was the second major reason I opted for the 265wt.
• Screen seems brighter and more touch sensitive and speaker seems louder (subjective on my part as I never had them side-by-side)
• Better map display, the upcoming turn arrow present on the 265wt is really nice and is lacking on the 760 - THIS is the major reason I opted for the 265wt as a replacement.
• Favorites sort into categories.
• Bluetooth seems to work better. The folks on the other end say it is clearer and they don't hear themselves. The 760 was a little muddy and had echo for the caller on the other end. But if you are looking at a 255w you don't care about bluetooth.
• My experience has been that Samantha (american english) on the 265wt is easier to hear and understand than Jill (american english) was on the 760. Might be the louder speaker. I'm a wee bit deaf and don't have a good ear for hi-fi sounds, so the slightly degraded voices on the 265wt don't bother me. To be honest I can't hear what those people that talk about this are hearing.
• Ability to attach a picture to a favorite, minor feature but kind of nice

Things I don't like about the 265wt:

• The cradle - much better cradle system on the 760. 265wt requires two hands to mount and remove.
• No pre-planning of routes.

The 850 for $300 sounds like a pretty good deal too. The voice recognition might be kind of nice if you like to play with the GPS while driving. It is likely to have way more features than you need as well.

Keep in mind the 5000 has no battery so it cannot be used outside of your car. As of 3/8/2009 12:08AM Amazon has the 5000 for $295.76 with free shipping. $100 less than Sam's.

My $0.02

Whatever you buy, watch for price changes. Three days(3/5) ago the 255W on amazon was $202.00, the last two $275.00. Why, I don't know. Just be sure you know what features you will use. The post by "Alokasi" above is informative. His $0.02 is worth a million.

JOHNM..... thanks for the quick reply and recommendation of the 660. Like I said in my first post, the more I read, the more confusing the mix gets.. Thanks again.

Roland

ALOKASI...Thank you for your reply. You mentioned that one of the things you liked about the 260wt over the 760 was that it had a faster processor. I went to garmins web site and the only thing it says is that both have "high sensitivity receivers", but dosn't differentiate between the two. Can you tell me other than the 260wt / 260w, what other models are equipped with higher end processors, and is that important to me? I keep finding myself going back to the 5000, primarily because of the screen size.. I know it dosn't have some of the features offered on the newest models, but it appears from what I've read to be a very reliable unit. I am aware there is no battery, which to me is just plain stupid on garmins part, but not a deal breaker since I can power it up in the house via the computer or purchase an ac adaptor. Do you have any knowledge of the 5000 as far as chip sets, processors etc.? I'm assuming the 850 has top of the line everything in it, and truthfully because it's not that much more than the 5000 I am considering it also. Your thoughts? And again, thank you for your help...

Roland

Buy the cheapest unit that meets your requirements. That way you will feel less bad a few years down the line when new features come on-line and you want to update.

I'm a bottom feeder in that I bought the bottom of the line when I purchased. My next unit will do three things:

1. Text to speech (speak street names)
2. Allow routes
3. Wide screen.

Now, traffic may be an additional feature I add, but it doesn't make the list of requirements. The advantage to buying the bottom of the line is that you have time to decide on what is important and what is fluff.

The 350 and 600 line won't use some of the new features such as custom voices Garmin is releasing, so even though they are excellent units, changing to a custom voice may be important to me in the future.

Don't let the word 'discontinued' cloud your choices.

Make your decision based on what is or is not important to you. You can use the garmin site and compare models.

Many models are similar in features. Some only differ in the MSN or TMC traffic feature that may be optional or supplied with unit.
Some only differ in maps, ie North America only or Both North America and Europe.
Some don't have bluetooth capability.
Some newer features like ecoRoute, Lane Assist or 3D view may be important.

Make your decision on what is important to your usage. If $$ is not a concern, go for the one with all the bells and whistles. If $$ is a concern, go with the features that are important to you.

As far as battery, initially, I would have thought I'm only using it in the car....Well, I've used it out of the car and away from a computer. Such as walking the streets of NYC. Helping people at work find a particular place, restaurant etc or when someone asks...how far is it to?

Things I've found that are important to me are
TTS
Bluetooth
Audio out jack
MP3
Traffic (I am using TMC and it works fine for me)
Rechargeable battery

There aren't really any "bad" choices.

I have now bought and set up 4 760's and have had no probs what so every. They work great and only cost $250 at costco.

Costco has the 750 for $199.95...I have one and like it allot. You would be paying an extra $50 for the 760 to have bluetooth...

here is a link:
http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-4-3-Inch-Widescreen-Portable-Na...

I have the nuvi 255w. It acquires the satellites fast. Screen is very clear. I have to hit stop when I reach the destination, but that is minor. I got it for $187 at buydig.com a month ago. Prices seem to jump around, but if you are patient, you should find the one you decide on for a good price.

There is some good advice here. Focus on your requirements. Then compare the units that meet those requirements. Don't worry too much about the occasional problem that is reported for a particular model.

I was in the same position as you, trying to decide which GPS to buy, and I found the following web site to be a GREAT help gpsmagazine.com The reviews of the various units gave me a lot of valuable info, including an idea of what the screen displays and other features that the various units have. Based on those reviews, I made my decision a couple of weeks ago (Garmin 255W) and have been happy so far.

Here is my assessment for what it is worth!

You took the trouble to find this forum and post. That tells me you may want a GPS with more features than some others might, you just might not know that now! To stay satisfied, I suggest the 765T if you want Bluetooth to connect to your cellphone, or 755T if no Bluetooth. 765T Bluetooth does work well with many phones, except volume is sometimes low hearing the caller..... But the features the 765T has will keep most happy for awhile, and with the latest updates is very stable.

As others have said, over time, audio out jack is important, and now having the MP3 player is, if for no other reason than to be able to use MP3 files for POI's....

I can't comment on features because I'm still using an old Garmin c330 but I can't say enough about the ease of use on the Garmin. For all the glitches and problems people have especially with higher end units Garmin whatever you get your not going to be disappointed. Especially having experienced somewhat of an off brand.

My 2 cents

Flip

I have a 760 and really like it. I have had it for about 1 1/2 yrs and it still does what it is supposed to do. Althought it has bluetooth, I still prefer my bluetooth headset. Yes, it does an OK job, but I didn't get it for the bluetooth, but you still won't go wrong the the 760. It comes with a 3 month TMC Traffic trial. I bought the MSN to go with it and I like it.

The other gizmos are nice (MP3, FM transmitter, etc). No matter what device, the FM transmitter doesn't work all that well. It's not the fault of Garmin. Just limited signal strength governed by the FCC. Again, I didn't buy the 760 for the MP3 player or the FM transmitter. I bought it because I wanted something that works. Everyone will have gripes about something, including me hahaha.

I think the 760, 765T or the 265 would be worthy.

my brother has a 265 and i have a 660 both are are good. 265 picks up sat. faster