most practicle Garmin

Nuvi 750, available at SAMs Club for less than $200.

See https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=134 .Based on what you want in a unit I would look at the 255wt or 265wt.The 265wt if you want free traffic even though it comes with Bluetooth.255wt if you don't care about the traffic but does give you a option to get it.The newer units come with the faster processors and hot fix as well as other new features.Click on the web page to see full details.

I would question whether the "faster" processor in the newer models actually translates to faster or better performance. I would dare say that the newer models are actually dumbed down because the processor can't handle everything.

Case in point - my older 750 is capable of higher map details than the newer 755. Why is that?

I also have a 265wt, which comes with free lifetime traffic -- at the cost of ads for stores near my current location. The bluetooth microphone is close to usells. I particularly like that it shows the current speed limit of major roads and always displays my speed, which my older Garmin didn't do.

The unit costs $229 at Costco. I don't recall the precise price of the 265w, but my recollection is that it was about $160.

I would not agree with that.Don't want to get a topic on discussing gps units.Have not owned a 700 series but based on all the posts about them I have lots of questions .The OP asked a question and I gave my opinion on what he was looking for. This is what it says about the maps on the 255 and 265.2-D or 3-D maps and smooth map redraw rates as you navigate. Its digital elevation maps show you shaded contours at higher zoom levels, giving you a big picture of the surrounding terrain.

My take on the thread topic is that I prefer the 700 series over the 200 series for the quick disconnect mount. I always remove my navigator from the bracket when I park in a public space.

My reaction to Gadgetguy2008's comment:

I agree to some degree with the comment about cause and effect - features being content-reduced to conserve processor power;

Certainly Garmin's programmers have been adding features; But there is a Moore's Law variant that says that programming will expand to utilise all the available processing power - Germin's navigators seem to be proof of that. I suspect they've also gone to higher level programming languages to reduce time to market . . . and while it is simpler to add 'stuff' to the application, those tend to be less efficient than low level programming languages.

Garmin has indeed reduced the amount of available map detail at lower zoom levels by reducing the number of map detail options from 5 to 3 with the most detailed providing local streets painted on the display to only 500 meters, where the older Nuvis would provide the visuals to zoom levels of 1.2 km (and gotta get the 276 from the boat to verify, but I thnk THAT goes to 2 km or better!!!).

In urban areas this isn't a major issue, but if you were an explorer type (like me) and/or are in less dense environments where you want to see a larger amount of map on screen it is indeed a handicap.

There's nothing more infuriating than riding along a road with the display zoomed out so I can see what's up ahead a few km's away and NOT seeing even the road you are driving along!! If it's a rural area, it appears as though I am driving through huge fields of yellow!!

(And then there's another of my pet peeves - Autozoom.)

Something else I've noticed is that my Nuvi 780 and Zumo 550 display the names of upcoming cross streets as I drive along (not navigating). My brand new Zumo 660 does not (and I'm told that this is typical of the new Nuvis as well) - in fact it does display upcoming exits on limited access highways, but does not display this information for regular streets like my 'older' units.

These two new 'features' form part of the reason why the new navigators have 'smoother displays', though Zumo 660 certainly does tend to update the screen in chunks - so much for 'smooth'.

Garmin; I'll take the map detail and upcoming street name displays over this 'non smoothness', thanks.

I may be returning the Zumo 660 and going back to my 550 and I will likely NOT be 'upgrading' from my 780 at anytime soon UNLESS Garmin provides adequate map details and the cross street name displays.

I have a new 750 and it works great for what I need. No real fancy stuff other than text to speech which is great...They are discontinued and you can pick them up new for under $200.

I've owned both and the screen redraw/refresh on the 265 is way smoother/faster than the 760.

Thank you for your comments, I appreciate them.

Currently I would also go with the 265WT. I like having both speed limits and current speed on the main screen. The Costco deal is currently the best, although refurb units are available at Amazon at the same price, but no shipping or tax.

Most all of the above comments have merit, but the newer Garmin software is definitely nicer, if you are willing to accept the less map detail. Lifetime traffic is a most definite plus for metro areas, and that alone can make up the cost difference when comparing to a 7x0 which either doesn't have traffic or else has only a 3 month subscription requiring renewal.