Upgrading: Is Garmin still worth it?

When was the last time you updated the firmware? Version 4.0 is available for the 7x5's.

Just bought a new garmin 1350 LMT to replace an old 205 with a very old map. With map updates at around $75.00 my device has lifetime maps and traffic updates. The traffic ads are very small and not a problem. For $160 delivered this seemed like a good buy.

What map do you have now? If you're in North American and it isn't 2011.40, check for your free map update online.

I have the latest map 2011.40. According to Garmin a new map will be available very soon as this version dates back to February.

I've had the new 2460LMT for about a month now, at first the ads were very annoying, to the point I asked Garmin how to get rid of them. They are part of the free traffic update program so the only way to get rid of them is to turn off the traffic feature. The only plus side is they only appear when stopped.

I live in the Philadelphia, PA area and work in the city and have found the traffic thing is only correct about 50% of the time, outside of the normal rush hour stuff. Not sure I'd opt for the free traffic next time I upgrade as it doesn't seem reliable enough.

loadingzone,I love my 755t and got it lifetime map updates sometime ago. The lifetime map I purchased, after a few months of availability I paid ninety something dollars for it. But if even if it seems much it paid itself off. There was a time not long ago when a map update would cost you seventy nine dollars for a DVD and that was a once a year update. I have a 3790t and eventually I’ll get that lifetime maps as well.

I think those looking for a new model should look into the ones with nRoute technology which gives you “traffic trends” and “my trends”. The routing seems to be more of your taste. It’s not perfect but much improved.

I have a 2.5 yr old 760 and a 1450 with Traffic for my wife. Both are doing well for me.

I have the original Garmin nuvi. It works great except you have to pay for new maps and navigation. I've been considering getting a TomTom XXL 550TM that I saw at costco since it has a larger 5 inch display and free lifetime traffic and maps

It might pay to wait until the mess discussed in the thread http://www.poi-factory.com/node/32140 sorts itself out. It would be rather annoying to buy a new device now only to have it start malfunctioning in a few months. Newer GPS devices will probably need better filtering and older devices are not going to be upgraded.

I have found it only a little more expensive to buy new with the Black Friday and Christmas deals. I picked up a 1490LMT last Dec for $139 because of a sale price and a promo discount card.

I wouldn't buy the maps at this time.

It is best to figure out what whistles and bells you can't live without then use that list for comparative shopping

I have a new 2460LMT and love it. It seems that people don't like the traffic ads, but they don't bother me. Never show up when I am navigating and don't block my use of the GPS. I like the voice command and the traffic/myTrends.

I've had my 255W for about 2yrs now. I just updated the map about a month ago and made sure I have the latest software update.

I've had the itch to buy a newer unit but after reading reviews on various sites, I'm going to stick with my 255W. It does what I need and want it to do. It has given me zero problems and works like new.

I really can't justify buying a newer unit right now. If my 255W is still working 2yrs from now, I'll just update the map again.... maybe and keep on going and going and going......

I feel the same about mine. In fact, my original 360 works just fine...and I've had it over 4 years!

At first I thought I would hate them, but now barely notice them. Plus they only appear when stopped.

Free lifetime traffic has been around for a few years now with many new garmin’s. Over the years people have upgraded there garmin gps units knowing what to expect with the traffic ads. Those that complain about the ads are new to the free traffic world and usually are the first ones to cry without actually doing a fare test run with there gps. The ads were never annoying to the point you had to give up your gps unit and the ads never blocked any important information that was useful when they do show up.

I am new to the traffic thing altogether, the ads are annoying but I have gotten used to them, and they only appear when stopped, however on the 2460 the ad does pretty much covers the whole map, so if you're stopped at a red light and want to see what's ahead you need to click on the ad then close it to get back to the map.

I still like the 2460, it's eons ahead of the old Street Pilot 330c and has more features then my Zumo, so I wouldn't give it up because of the ads.

the traffic ads are very small and do not cover the whole screen. That said the traffic info itself is worthless. I was always a Garmin fan. Now, three of the last four GPS units I bought have been TT...the 130, 340 and 540...I still think the TT graphics are bad compared to the Garmin graphics...really surprisingly awful though the newer TT are supposed to be a leap forward (you can also download different color schemes from the TT website). The TT, however, shines brightly on the routing which is typically the way I would go...the user updateable maps...and I am getting used to the way POIs are handled and the weirdly backwards inputting for addresses (ie street then number v number then street)...all in all, if the 2325 has Garmin like grpahics...I am done with garmin after many years. Garmin continues to disappoint me with their software release glitches and the entirely weird routing at least locally.

The navigation features on my Droid (for free, might I add) are making my Garmin unit more dated every day. All it's really missing is the speed limit item that I love.

I agree, my Droid is updated constantly and it's not free, but it is included in the package that you have no choice in buying. I think the phones are sadly overpriced but now that we have them it's practically impossible to imagine life without them.

My 765 works better with firmware updates, much better than when I bought it 2 years back. Do I love it? Certainly now. Does it work? Sure, it does, takes me from point A to the next one. POI Factory even makes it a sweet deal for me with all the community involvement and files. Will I buy any "new" version of a GPSr at this point? I do not think so. I have lifetime maps on the 765 and I can always supplement that with the many, and admittedly, weaker GPS offerings on my cell phone. It appears that newer versions of GPSrs are worse than prior versions. I can spare myself the headache and the drain on my wallet. Garmin is still worth it but I do not know by how much.

I have a 750 and a 760. Both are working fine, though the 750 battery no longer holds charge.

get garmin mobile XT and a nokia N8. awesome combo.

Might be worth it to get a new Garmin, but I don't really like my TomTom units. The batteries in them die even when the unit is off. Garmin batteries are far superior and last far longer.

Actually you're right they don't cover the whole screen, but they do cover half of a map area of the screen.

I have my unit set up so I am always traveling toward the top of the screen. The ad covers everything (of the map, not the stats) except my "vehicle" and a small portion of where I've already been.

It's funny. After 3 months of use of my 1490LMT, I haven't seen a single traffic ad yet. I've always turned on traffic, despite the fact those traffic data are quite unreliable.

As for Garmin Maps, the most critical drawback I see is that there's no option to avoid particular roads in the suggested route. I've heard that this feature is there in nuvi 800 series, but none of the others allow it. It's funny that even the $50 GPS units you can buy at ebay has this feature.

Added a 1450LMT to supplant my old 750 (battery issues) and so far no problems. 750 still going on vehicle power but I'm trying to decide if it's worth upgrading the maps.

on the 1490 it appears very small; even then I don't use the feature because the info is so bad...but covering the screen like you describe, I'd take it back!

Again, the ads only appear when you're stopped so not a huge problem AND since the traffic feature really isn't that good the ads go away altogether when you turn the traffic feature off it's not worth sending back as it is a good GPS, so far.

The Nuvi 2460 does allow for avoidances that you can specify.
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Here's a day and night shot of one of the ADs. Like I said I have the unit set up so my vehicle is always traveling toward the top of the screen.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x101/soberbyker/Photo186....

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x101/soberbyker/Photo190....
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My very uneducated guess is that it won't be long before all your electronic gadgets come with a GPS chip making a separate unit for the car unnecessary. My ol' Nuvi 680 is holding up for now, so I'm holding out for a GPS enabled iPod Touch.

It's quick, easy, and cheap to put a new battery into the 750. My old 760 had a battery problem but I bought a battery online and installed it myself with very little time and effort involved. There's a simple video on youtube that I followed. I don't have great vision or very good dexterity and I was able t make the swap easily.

The 750 and 760 are excellent units. I'll take my 760 over any of the newer units.

I just realized why Garmin's map updates are so absurdly overpriced: They would rather sell new hardware than software. That's what most people do when faced with the absurdity of map update prices. They simply purchase a new unit, many times with lifetime maps included.

You are assuming Garmin owns the data and does the maps. They buy the data from Navteq and then heavily modify it for their units. The cost of the data is fixed through a contract, and Garmin spends more money modifying the data received so it will fit the memory installed in their units along with the routing engine and other software providing the features.

It may very well be the upgraders that pay the majority of the money needed to create the installed maps. It's probably more like the inkjet printer model. Sell the unit cheap and make the profit on the cartridges (maps in this case).

I just placed an order for a replacement battery for under $30 including tools and shipping. Sure, I could've saved about $15 if I had the tools, but I didn't have a torx driver that small. But if I have to replace my 760 battery, I already have all the necessary tools.

After reading about the newer units, I think I'm going to stick with the 750/760 for the foreseeable future. With my preference toward small cell phones (and small screens), I can't imagine my phone replacing a Garmin. Maybe when a built-in unit becomes as common as the air conditioner "option."

Bought lifetime maps and it continues to function just fine for me. I have been experimenting with the mapping available on my iPhone.

I still have my 880 and a hate to part with it because it is one of the last units that I know of that will allow you to remove the battery which has saved me headaches in the past, by just removing the battery and waiting for a few minutes, I am able to unlock a frozen unit in a matter of minutes.

The only reason I would change from my 255W would be to get one that excepts routes which mine doesn't.

I can use via points sometime and get pretty close but not all the way usually.

I had configured a long one up on my Mapsource program and tried to upload it only to find out the 255W doesn't have that feature. Bummer.

Hi guys, I just wanted to post three links of the ads that appear on my 3790t. Just incase someone wants to purchase a new gps but is discouraged to due to the discussion we had over the advertisements.

http://tinyurl.com/42bul5y

http://tinyurl.com/3lpexdu

http://tinyurl.com/3jom2x4

Sorry to say: I heard Garmin Lifetime ends end of December 2011 for the 780.

My 765T works quite far away from great, but it's ok now. Lifetime map updates for $80 seems like waste of money at today prices of new GPS units. If time come I will consider different brand than Garmin and I will make sure it will include free lifetime traffic and map updates.

This definitely needs a citation to back this up.

I have heard that on some older models Garmin does end lifetime map support.

Garmin has an interesting definition of "Lifetime." Pretty misleading marketing ploy. I can understand if maps get too large for the capacity of certain devices but other than that, why discontinue lifetime subscriptions. Anyone find a link verifying the December 2011 end?

Are you sure you don't have this mixed up with the MSN Direct service? Support for the MSN service definitely ends at the end of 2011. But that was Microsoft's decision, not Garmin.

I use the MP3 playback capability of my 760 and 885t regularly. My original nuvi was a 350 that my daughter uses - still works fine but doesn't have bluetooth or a wide screen. I like the next turn information in the upper left corner of the 885t and the fact that it shows mph even when you are navigating. I believe 765t functions the same. I have no plans to "upgrade" my nuvi because the new ones lack MP3 playback capability. If I see a 765t or 885t "cheap" I may even buy a spare (or temporarily retire my 760 in favor of the new purchase). My 885t will probably get lifetime maps soon (it is getting close to 2 years old).

The concept of the nuvi learning where you tend to travel and a bit about traffic is intriguing but MP3 playback is more important to me than any new feature I have seen on the newer units.

Jim

So what constitutes useful life, the 780 you mention is a discontinued item, does that in itself make the useful life end come about?

I said this before... my 255W does everything "I" want it to do. There's newer models available (mo' money) and all kinds of bells and whistles that I don't want or need. Some of the newer models also seem to have some issues with the software and function that haven't been completely corrected.

I will keep using the 255W until it dies then see what's available and has the best reviews.

From the screenshots others have posted, I don't want the "ads" popping up on the screen while navigating. Tired of being bombarded by advertisements, I'm not going to pay for them.

I have 3 Garmins, one for each car. I started with the 660, then the 760, and finally the 1490T. They all do the job of routing and finding the destinations. Until one goes on the blink, will I upgrade to a newer model. I do notice problems on my newest model, the 1490T after upgrading firmware - sound going out, bluetooth connections, etc. and having to reset to solve the problems. No problems with the older 660 and 760 all with original firmware, thus prefer not to upgrade those firmware as long it works find. I still feel that Garmin and Tom Tom are my nav system of choice over Magellan and Navigon based on reading various gps reviews on the web.