What to do with an old GPS?

unfortunately, with NiCd batteries, you have to charge the sucker periodically for it to have any utility, so even letting it sit in the glove box as a backup doesn't work long-term.

If I didn't have a kid/relative/someone else who might use it, I'd drop it off with GoodWill or a similar place -- please include what cables you can!

You could build a shadow box and hang it on the wall as an antique.
Seriously you could find someone like a kid or grandkid and let them use i as a starter.

Some here keep their old units in the trunk as a backup.

I have a couple of old GPS units in the closet collecting dust.

I suppose I could take them to Best Buy to have them recycled, but I'm too paranoid about information it may still have.

I have an old Magellan hand held I need to get rid of. Firmware is so old it won't lock to the WAAS satellites anymore. Around here, you can't just throw it in the trash. You need to drop it off at the hazmat center. Schools and businesses have Electronic Recycling days for "e-waste" every once in awhile. I guess the lead solder is hazardous waste and they don't want it in the landfills anymore.

You could solder a few of them together and create a modern art sculpture.
Then either proudly display it in your home in conjunction with the shadow box suggestion or perhaps auction it off on ebay for a ridiculous amount of money.

~Angela

in a time capsule..

Give it do a friend, neighbor, or relative. They can update the maps and be good to go. I had a slightly newer Garmin StreetPilot 2730. I actually bought it used and used it for quite some time. I eventually sold the XM receiver and gave the SP 2730 to my neighbor.

I like Angela's idea-you could do what she suggests and I bet some sucker would cough up $500 for a "one of a kind interpretation of the vastness of America"

I got quite a fews Garmin unit: StreetPilot 2730, Nuvi 765, Garminfone... sitting in my closet.

I power them on one twice a year just for fun, making sure they still running. I'm still like some functions that StreetPilot offer but lacking in the newest model like Nuvi 3490.

I probably won't buy any more standalone GPS since I got 2 smart phone with GPS apps.

I'll definitely keep it for awhile and may be auction on ebay in the next 10 years when Garmin stop making GPS hardware. :->>

Someone mentioned it and I do the same. I keep my 260W in my vehicle or in my travel bag as a back-up. It does not hurt to have two.

Isn't a map upgrade pretty close in price to what a brand new GPS costs these days?

The 2610 used the old map system and can no longer be updated.

Magellan does have a firmware update that restores the WAAS satellites.

Amazon and Best Buy have buy back progams. My old 340 would have fetched $25, but a neighbor bought it from me.

Go to gazelle.com and see if they'll give you something for it. I've sold my older GPS units to them when I've upgraded.

Craigslist!

OK, another, Freecycle!

On road trips in our VW bus, I use a Quest 1 side by each with a Nuvi 750. Although the Quest is pretty much obsolete as a navigator, I find it useful for monitoring speed, and the data fields are customizable, a feature that's lacking in Nuvis.

In Canada the Quest is set to read speed in KPH and I'm free to navigate using miles- easier not to have to adjust my head.

If I wanted to ditch the Quest, I'd look to sell it on eBay- the prices sellers ask (and get) for old school Garmin electronics are often more than the price of a modern entry level piece.

Geo/ATL

On road trips in our VW bus, I use a Quest 1 side by each with a Nuvi 750. Although the Quest is pretty much obsolete as a navigator, I find it useful for monitoring speed, and the data fields are customizable, a feature that's lacking in Nuvis.

In Canada the Quest is set to read speed in KPH and I'm free to navigate using miles- easier not to have to adjust my head.

If I wanted to ditch the Quest, I'd look to sell it on eBay- the prices sellers ask (and get) for old school Garmin electronics are often more than the price of a modern entry level piece.

Geo/ATL

I plan on keeping this Frontier and they all fit in the OEM GPS tray. Works great for me.

If it had personal Info, I would burn/destroy it, don't trust those turn in Centers with ID theft being what it is.

Keep it as a spare.

I've found that often new equipment doesn't last as long as the old stuff. I have an Epson printer I bought in 2002 that lasted until last year. The Canon I bought to replace it lasted 8 months. I can tell you similar stories with DVD players and other equipment.

Put the old GPS in the closet and keep it as a trusty spare. You never know when you might need it again.

As someone already stated, you can give it to a goodwill(with the cables) and they can resell it to someone, or if you are worried about the information, tell them that it doesn't work and you just want to recycle it. They do electronics recycling so they can dispose of it properly, but don't give them the cables in this instance so they don't try to sell it anyways.

day and let it plug in even not using it.

Great ideas everyone, thanks. I don't think the old StreetPilot is worth any real money since it's so old. I like the suggestion of keeping the unit in my truck as a spare. I think that's what I'll do. You never know when my new Nuvi might just stop working.

Donate it to the Smithsonian Museum or a local museum. It could go in the Ancient Technologies Department.

my old Nuvi 350 seems faster and better built than my 50lm. I am keeping it around!

I still have my first GPS, a Garmin C330, that works and I keep as a backup. My second GPS was a Garmin C550 and I gave that to my youngest sister along with all the accessories. I am now on my third GPS, a Nuvi 765T and I have no plans any time soon to replace it. Between the loss of features on the newer models and having purchased lifetime maps for the 765T, I am going to run the clock out on it.