Garmin units compared, at cheap prices, to replace my old one.

 

So, my Garmin Nuvi 1690 is on borrowed time. It's worked OK but the nulink service is going off the air in a few months. The google local is already gone, but the traffic I consider essential here in Southern California.

And the darned mount falls off the window every couple days, poor manufacturing. And no, I don't want a recommendation for a third party unit that might work better. Heh. We discussed that here ad nauseum. Garmin has replaced it four times.

I have a Nuvi 1300 with lifetime traffic, so I could just start using that again. But I thought I'd ask:

This site has some cheap prices on refurb 4.3 inch garmin units. I was looking at buying something else from then when I noticed all the garmin stuff.

So my question is, there are all these different models.
I can get a 4.3" unit with lifetime maps and traffic for about $95-$100, with free shipping.

http://g.factoryoutletstore.com/cat/23498/Garmin-4-3-Inches-...

So what does anyone recommend, or should I just buy whatever is the newest, which might make sense?

Page 1>>

OH THIS IS SURE TO INCITE A LONG HEATED THREAD!

Personally, I've owned several Garmin Nuvi GPS systems. If a friend of mine was looking for a new GPS and asked me what I would recommend I would tell them to not worry about getting a 4.4 inch screen and get the 3597.

I personally think it is the best GPS Garmin has ever created. Be for warned, the 3597 has been discontinued but has Ben seen in the wild as a RE-FURB unit for various prices.

--
Never argue with a pig. It makes you look foolish and it anoys the hell out of the pig!

I was in you boat

My driving companion for several years has been a nuvi 750. I bought it at Sam's Club about the time it became a discontinued model yet it served well. I bought lifetime updates when Amazon offered it at a discount and even replaced its battery with a kit about 2 years ago. The recent updates have become so large that it forced me to install the maps on an SD card and I believe that is why Jack has been slow to alert me to upcoming turns, but in recent months it has started to freeze up intermittently at an increasing rate. A hard reset has not helped.

I started looking for a replacement and decided on the 3597 and found a new one on Amazon despite it also being a discontinued model. Of course it is different and at first I thought I had traded some of the functionality I was used to on the 750 for new whistles and bells but after sitting down with it for a few hours I found all the things I had been doing were still there, just not documented in the online owner's manual and otherwise hidden behind "secret" buttons on the screen. I'm happy I bought it and particularly love the sharpness and brightness of the 5' screen. It is however above your target of $100.

One thing I would suggest as it bit a close friend. Whatever models you consider, if you expect to travel in Canada, select one that has the North America maps. His had only the US maps and while traveling through Canada, he had only a dash ornament. The Garmin website has a lineup of their models and there is a comparison screen where you can select several and will be able to compare their features side by side that should help you select the one you want.

--
"There's no substitute for local knowledge" nüvi 750, nüvi 3597

3597LMTHD

BarneyBadass wrote:

Personally, I've owned several Garmin Nuvi GPS systems. If a friend of mine was looking for a new GPS and asked me what I would recommend I would tell them to not worry about getting a 4.4 inch screen and get the 3597.

I personally think it is the best GPS Garmin has ever created. Be for warned, the 3597 has been discontinued but has Ben seen in the wild as a RE-FURB unit for various prices.

That 3597LMTHD is on that site, which late at night is the only place I have looked. It's $300 refurbed, Gee whiz, kind of out of my price range to be sure.

One thing that I do find a little unsatisfactory on the Garmin units I have had is the routing is just not flexible, you can't change the route it automatically calculates at all.

The Magellan units had "route exclusion", where you could pick a leg of your calculated routing and exclude it. It would then figure out another way to go, which sometimes was ok and sometimes was silly. But the Garmins I have had have not had anything like that. The old Magellan units had that on all their units. I don't know what Magellan is like anymore because they were bought by Mitac Digital, which was the maker of those cheap MIO units. They spruced up their software to look like the old Magellans but who knows what's really there.

I do say I feel my Garmin units have functioned better than Magellan. But with some features that were missing. I don't know if that's *always* missing or not.

So since I am looking I wonder if the higher end Garmin units have better features.

Best buy has 3597LMT for $169.

Best buy has 3597LMT for $169.99 New.
Gee whiz.

Well, this is interesting. Best buy also has 3597LMTHD for $329.99

The difference might be the HD screen? Hmm. It must be a capacitive screen, it seems to support multitouch. One other thing is the traffic has no ads, which I found to be irritating on my Nuvi 1300. Ads on the screen. That was *free* traffic, but if it was really *free* there would be no ads. We discussed that here at the time. I think calling something free that is really ad supported, well, dishonest.

Can't

Steevo wrote:

One thing that I do find a little unsatisfactory on the Garmin units I have had is the routing is just not flexible, you can't change the route it automatically calculates at all.

The Magellan units had "route exclusion", where you could pick a leg of your calculated routing and exclude it. It would then figure out another way to go, which sometimes was ok and sometimes was silly. But the Garmins I have had have not had anything like that. The old Magellan units had that on all their units. I don't know what Magellan is like anymore because they were bought by Mitac Digital, which was the maker of those cheap MIO units. They spruced up their software to look like the old Magellans but who knows what's really there.

Can't speak for all the new Nuvi models but my 3597 provides up to 3 alternatives for any route I ask it to calculate. These routes are for Faster Time, Shorter Distance, and Less Fuel. I just look at the map and select the one that makes the most sense to me.

I would disagree with you about having to take the route that Garmin gives you. It's very simple to add a waypoint(s) to the calculated route in order to have the device take you the way you want to go. That's available on any Nuvi from the original 350 to today's new models.

--
Nuvi 350, 760, 1695LM, 3790LMT, 2460LMT, 3597LMTHD, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, DriveSmart 61, Garmin Drive 52, Garmin Backup Camera 40 and TomTom XXL540s.

Add a waypoint?

t923347 wrote:

I would disagree with you about having to take the route that Garmin gives you. It's very simple to add a waypoint(s) to the calculated route in order to have the device take you the way you want to go. That's available on any Nuvi from the original 350 to today's new models.

I'd like to know how to do that. I'll have to look when I get in the car. I had no idea it was possible to add a waypoint on the Garmin units I have.

It's

Steevo wrote:

Best buy has 3597LMT for $169.99 New.
Gee whiz.

Well, this is interesting. Best buy also has 3597LMTHD for $329.99

The difference might be the HD screen? Hmm.

It's not an HD screen. The HD is HD traffic. LMTHD means Lifetime Maps and HD Traffic.

Do you have a link to the Best Buy 3597LMT for 169.99? I can only find the 3597LMTHD and would be really interested in getting another 3597 without the HD receiver which I don't need.

--
Nuvi 350, 760, 1695LM, 3790LMT, 2460LMT, 3597LMTHD, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, DriveSmart 61, Garmin Drive 52, Garmin Backup Camera 40 and TomTom XXL540s.

Just

Steevo wrote:
t923347 wrote:

I would disagree with you about having to take the route that Garmin gives you. It's very simple to add a waypoint(s) to the calculated route in order to have the device take you the way you want to go. That's available on any Nuvi from the original 350 to today's new models.

I'd like to know how to do that. I'll have to look when I get in the car. I had no idea it was possible to add a waypoint on the Garmin units I have.

Just enter a destination (Where to - Address for example) and let the Nuvi calculate a route. To add a waypoint do a Where To again and using any of the options ( Address, Cities, Co-Ordinates, Intersections, what ever) pick a destination between your location and you original destination that will take you on a route the way you want to go. Press GO and the Nuvi will ask if you want to add this second destination as a waypoint of your original route or a totally new route. Pick add to existing route.

--
Nuvi 350, 760, 1695LM, 3790LMT, 2460LMT, 3597LMTHD, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, DriveSmart 61, Garmin Drive 52, Garmin Backup Camera 40 and TomTom XXL540s.

HD vs NON-HD

t923347 wrote:
Steevo wrote:

Best buy has 3597LMT for $169.99 New.
Gee whiz.

Well, this is interesting. Best buy also has 3597LMTHD for $329.99

The difference might be the HD screen? Hmm.

It's not an HD screen. The HD is HD traffic. LMTHD means Lifetime Maps and HD Traffic.

Do you have a link to the Best Buy 3597LMT for 169.99? I can only find the 3597LMTHD and would be really interested in getting another 3597 without the HD receiver which I don't need.

What is HD traffic? This has non HD traffic, whatever that is.

Can you explain the difference between those two units?

The screen seems to be the same on both of those units.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/garmin-nuvi-2597lmt-5-gps-with-b...

$170!

t923347 wrote:
Steevo wrote:

Best buy has 3597LMT for $169.99 New.
Gee whiz.

Well, this is interesting. Best buy also has 3597LMTHD for $329.99

It's not an HD screen. The HD is HD traffic. LMTHD means Lifetime Maps and HD Traffic.

Do you have a link to the Best Buy 3597LMT for 169.99? I can only find the 3597LMTHD and would be really interested in getting another 3597 without the HD receiver which I don't need.

I was interested, too. But from what I see, $169.99 is probably the 2597LMT, not a 3597LMT. I'm not sure if Garmin ever offered a 3597LMT (except across the Atlantic).

Whoops, that says 2597.

Whoops, that says 2597.
My mistake.

I did find a 3597LMT on garmin.com with the prices in UK pounds. So I think you're right.

Agree

.

--
Nuvi 350, 760, 1695LM, 3790LMT, 2460LMT, 3597LMTHD, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, DriveSmart 61, Garmin Drive 52, Garmin Backup Camera 40 and TomTom XXL540s.

I knew about that

t923347 wrote:

Just enter a destination (Where to - Address for example) and let the Nuvi calculate a route. To add a waypoint do a Where To again and using any of the options ( Address, Cities, Co-Ordinates, Intersections, what ever) pick a destination between your location and you original destination that will take you on a route the way you want to go. Press GO and the Nuvi will ask if you want to add this second destination as a waypoint of your original route or a totally new route. Pick add to existing route.

Oh, yeah, I knew about that, but that's so miserable to do especially while driving, I don't use it to adjust routing.

The

Steevo wrote:

What is HD traffic? This has non HD traffic, whatever that is.

Can you explain the difference between those two units?

The screen seems to be the same on both of those units.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/garmin-nuvi-2597lmt-5-gps-with-built-in-bluetooth-and-lifetime-map-and-traffic-updates/7535075.p

The difference between the 2 units is clearing shown at:

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/catalog/product/compareResul...

- the 3597 has twice the screen resolution
- multi touch glass screen
- displays 3D buildings and terrain
- receives HD traffic from HD radio stations which is suppose to be updated faster and more often than regular FM traffic

--
Nuvi 350, 760, 1695LM, 3790LMT, 2460LMT, 3597LMTHD, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, DriveSmart 61, Garmin Drive 52, Garmin Backup Camera 40 and TomTom XXL540s.

Ah

Steevo wrote:
t923347 wrote:
Steevo wrote:

Best buy has 3597LMT for $169.99 New.
Gee whiz.

Well, this is interesting. Best buy also has 3597LMTHD for $329.99

The difference might be the HD screen? Hmm.

It's not an HD screen. The HD is HD traffic. LMTHD means Lifetime Maps and HD Traffic.

Do you have a link to the Best Buy 3597LMT for 169.99? I can only find the 3597LMTHD and would be really interested in getting another 3597 without the HD receiver which I don't need.

What is HD traffic? This has non HD traffic, whatever that is.

Can you explain the difference between those two units?

The screen seems to be the same on both of those units.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/garmin-nuvi-2597lmt-5-gps-with-built-in-bluetooth-and-lifetime-map-and-traffic-updates/7535075.p

Ah, it is the 2597. The 2597 screen is very different from the 3597.

3597: 800x480 pixels, multi-touch, glass, dual-orientation, WVGA color TFT with white backlight

2597: 480x272 pixels, manual dual-orientation, WQVGA color TFT with white backlight

Traffic described:

http://support.garmin.com/support/searchSupport/case.faces?c...

Oh

CraigW wrote:

Traffic described:

http://support.garmin.com/support/searchSupport/case.faces?caseId=%7Ba4755850-cd01-11e0-cf56-000000000000%7D

Oh please - not that page. Every time I read that page I'm more confused. mrgreen

--
Nuvi 350, 760, 1695LM, 3790LMT, 2460LMT, 3597LMTHD, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, DriveSmart 61, Garmin Drive 52, Garmin Backup Camera 40 and TomTom XXL540s.

but

Steevo wrote:
t923347 wrote:

Just enter a destination (Where to - Address for example) and let the Nuvi calculate a route. To add a waypoint do a Where To again and using any of the options ( Address, Cities, Co-Ordinates, Intersections, what ever) pick a destination between your location and you original destination that will take you on a route the way you want to go. Press GO and the Nuvi will ask if you want to add this second destination as a waypoint of your original route or a totally new route. Pick add to existing route.

Oh, yeah, I knew about that, but that's so miserable to do especially while driving, I don't use it to adjust routing.

With the 3597 you can talk to the unit so you don't have to touch the unit. I do this all the time, very handy.

--
Never argue with a pig. It makes you look foolish and it anoys the hell out of the pig!

Good point

Good point. I rarely use Voice Recognition and tend to forget about it. Lots of Nuvi models have this feature so it's not just limited to the high end 3597.

--
Nuvi 350, 760, 1695LM, 3790LMT, 2460LMT, 3597LMTHD, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, DriveSmart 61, Garmin Drive 52, Garmin Backup Camera 40 and TomTom XXL540s.

What can it understand?

BarneyBadass wrote:

With the 3597 you can talk to the unit so you don't have to touch the unit. I do this all the time, very handy.

What can it understand? Clearly though siri and google can deal with that it's a giant server thing.

Oh, by the way, what I was looking at was a Garmin Vivofit, fitness activity tracker, when I came across these GPS units.

Garmin can see the handwriting on the wall, the market for dedicated GPS units is shrinking as more people use google maps on their phone. Most find a separate GPS completely unnecessary, which we have discussed here.

So they are getting into making other products. Smart.

so far

Steevo wrote:
BarneyBadass wrote:

With the 3597 you can talk to the unit so you don't have to touch the unit. I do this all the time, very handy.

What can it understand? Clearly though siri and google can deal with that it's a giant server thing.

Oh, by the way, what I was looking at was a Garmin Vivofit, fitness activity tracker, when I came across these GPS units.

Garmin can see the handwriting on the wall, the market for dedicated GPS units is shrinking as more people use google maps on their phone. Most find a separate GPS completely unnecessary, which we have discussed here.

So they are getting into making other products. Smart.

It's understood almost everything I've said to it.

You can tell it

To go home
Find address ( say find address, wait for the response, then say 1-2-3-4 main st, some city, some state and it finds it most of the time on the first attempt, at least that's been my experience)
Find intersection
Find place
Find recently found
Find saved place
Control volume
Control brightness
Stop route and several other things.

I find the verbal interface to be rather intuitive

--
Never argue with a pig. It makes you look foolish and it anoys the hell out of the pig!

Also

Also:

Detour
Phone
View Map

and the list goes on and on. laugh out loud

--
Nuvi 350, 760, 1695LM, 3790LMT, 2460LMT, 3597LMTHD, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, DriveSmart 61, Garmin Drive 52, Garmin Backup Camera 40 and TomTom XXL540s.

That's all pretty impressive.

That's all pretty impressive.
I had a Magellan unit years ago that could recognize about 7 things.

Any lower cost units that have all that, that works?

See

--
Nuvi 350, 760, 1695LM, 3790LMT, 2460LMT, 3597LMTHD, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, DriveSmart 61, Garmin Drive 52, Garmin Backup Camera 40 and TomTom XXL540s.

Find Place is amazing

BarneyBadass wrote:

It's understood almost everything I've said to it.

You can tell it

To go home
Find address ( say find address, wait for the response, then say 1-2-3-4 main st, some city, some state and it finds it most of the time on the first attempt, at least that's been my experience)
Find intersection
Find place
Find recently found
Find saved place
Control volume
Control brightness
Stop route and several other things.

I find the verbal interface to be rather intuitive

For me, Find Place continues to amaze me. I just tested my 3597 and it found the following for me on my first request:

Carwash
Culver's [my nearest ones are 90-150 miles away]
Walnut Canyon National Monument
Grand Canyon National Park [over 50 miles to the nearest entrance]
Olsen's Grain [a feed store found in Northern AZ]
Trader Joe's [my nearest ones are 90-150 miles away]

When multiple locations for any of the above are found, I'm given a choice of which to select and Navigate to.

Rather than having to go to Categories/Shopping/Grocery or Categories/Restaurants/Pizza, then ask for a specific one, simply saying:

"Hey Karen...Find Place...Culver's"

will offer me the several nearest Culver's restaurants, so it can recognize so much more than just Starbucks or McDonald's! As you may surmise, I use Australian Karen as my voice and my WakeUp command was set to Hey Karen rather than the unimpressive default "Voice Command."

wakup phrase

Yeah, the default wakup phrase didn't work very well so I changed mine to recognize

LISTEN CARNAC

For those of you who are to young to know about CARNAC, google Johnny Carson and Carnac, was kind of a sometimes regular skit that was performed on the Tonight Show before whoevers' doin it now and Jay Leno.

BTW, as for -Find place" I've not tried it but I've thought about saind find place... Brothel just to see what it reyurns

--
Never argue with a pig. It makes you look foolish and it anoys the hell out of the pig!

Custom avoidance.

Steevo wrote:

...
One thing that I do find a little unsatisfactory on the Garmin units I have had is the routing is just not flexible, you can't change the route it automatically calculates at all.

The Magellan units had "route exclusion", where you could pick a leg of your calculated routing and exclude it. It would then figure out another way to go, which sometimes was ok and sometimes was silly. But the Garmins I have had have not had anything like that. The old Magellan units had that on all their units. ...

Garmin doesn't have a "route exclusion" for the current route you are navigating on, but many of the nuvi models have a Custom Avoidance feature that allows you to mark sections of road and/or rectangular areas that are to be avoided. These custom avoidances when enabled will apply to any route you create or destination you are navigating to. I use this frequently on my 3597 to mark sections of road in my local area that I know are closed or have delays because of road construction.

--
Alan - Android Auto, DriveLuxe 51LMT-S, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, Nuvi 3597LMTHD, Oregon 550T, Nuvi 855, Nuvi 755T, Lowrance Endura Sierra, Bosch Nyon

The process varies slightly by model

t923347 wrote:

Just enter a destination (Where to - Address for example) and let the Nuvi calculate a route. To add a waypoint do a Where To again and using any of the options ( Address, Cities, Co-Ordinates, Intersections, what ever) pick a destination between your location and you original destination that will take you on a route the way you want to go. Press GO and the Nuvi will ask if you want to add this second destination as a waypoint of your original route or a totally new route. Pick add to existing route.

First, the 3597 will offer additional route choices if reasonable ones are available during the initial calculations. The primary is shown in purple, the alternates are in gray each with time and miles, so you pick which you want. Also new to me with this model is the ability to exclude a road segment or an area on the map from your travels. That could be very handy in many circumstances. It looks like those avoids are retained unless they are cleared at a later time.

As for adding a via to a route to alter its course, on my older model, after a Where to? route was established, I would simply select Where to? again and the next screen would offer a menu to include choices such as near my destination or near my current route or you could pick any point of your choosing. You could do this repeatedly and it would order the points in a logical manner according to shortest time or shortest distance per your preferences and generate a new route with those points included. The 3597 and maybe other of the newer models is slightly different but only in the steps. You select your Where to? destination as before and let it generate the route you select. To add a via, you again select Where to? but the menu previously noted doesn't appear here. You must select Searching near: xxxxxx in the upper right and then you get the menu. I don't know if this is documented anywhere, but it works from that point just as the older models did.

One option that I'm not so sure about is one of the choices in the navigation calculation method. My old one basically offered shortest vs fastest. I found that fastest usually produced the better route for me. The new models offer another choice, less fuel. In the brief time that I've had the device, I don't like the less fuel route... It seems to favor surface streets and segments on the frontage road that presumably will produce better fuel economy by driving at a slower pace. This may interest a hyper-miler but I did not like some of the route segments it picked using that method. I believe there are other threads on this forum that discuss this topic, but the choice is available if it suits one's preferences.

--
"There's no substitute for local knowledge" nüvi 750, nüvi 3597

Waffles

BarneyBadass wrote:

BTW, as for -Find place" I've not tried it but I've thought about saind find place... Brothel just to see what it reyurns

Me: Hey Karen...Find Place...Brothel

Karen: Did you say Waffle House?

razz

I wonder if we've alerted GlobeTurtle to another "moderation issue" as happened with this week's COW:

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/43516

...although for the life of me, I don't know why "waffle" should be an issue...

oh now

CraigW wrote:
BarneyBadass wrote:

BTW, as for -Find place" I've not tried it but I've thought about saind find place... Brothel just to see what it reyurns

Me: Hey Karen...Find Place...Brothel

Karen: Did you say Waffle House?

razz

I wonder if we've alerted GlobeTurtle to another "moderation issue" as happened with this week's COW:

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/43516

...although for the life of me, I don't know why "waffle" should be an issue...

THATS FUNNY

--
Never argue with a pig. It makes you look foolish and it anoys the hell out of the pig!

No waffles here. Well, few.

Personally I like waffles, so I can't see the issue with that.

But in California, there are no Waffle House restaurants, at least that I have seen.

Replacement for my old garmin gps.

My old Garmin unit's screen is getting dim, hard to see in bright sunlight. So I guess I am really looking for a replacement now!

I like that 3597LMTHD but as I said before it's a pretty big amount out of my price range.

I like the idea of the capacitive touchscreen- except for the fact that my garmin unit and it's poor quality suction cup falls off the windshield on hot days, an expensive touchscreen might get broken.

I like the idea of the actual working voice recognition. And traffic is essential.

The smartphone link sounds great too, where the gps can use the smartphone data to look things up.

So what units have at least the traffic and voice recognition? Any of that other stuff is a great bonus, and I don't mind a refurb or last year's model.

@steevo

@steevo ... one possibility might the the 3580LMT refurb ($135 at factoryoutletstore.com). I don't know much about this unit, but it does seem to match most of your wishes. Note that it does have the glass capacitive touchscreen.

--
Alan - Android Auto, DriveLuxe 51LMT-S, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, Nuvi 3597LMTHD, Oregon 550T, Nuvi 855, Nuvi 755T, Lowrance Endura Sierra, Bosch Nyon

Other Options

While I’m one of the factory members who rave about the 3597, I understand the price issue. The best I’ve seen for a factory refurb with warranty lately is on Ebay at $240.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GARMIN-nuvi-3597LMTHD-Car-3597-LMT-G...

Here’s a link to Garmin’s Smart Phone link page if you want to go that route:

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/on-the-go/apps/smartphone-li...

It lists the compatible GPS units for each version of the program (IOS or Android). You might be able to shop out one of the older models for a better price.

I use Smartphone link on my 3597 and it is by far the best traffic service Garmin offers. Their HD traffic is second best but it requires a GTM 60 receiver / power cable which does not come standard on most models. The GTM 60 can be purchased separately but it runs around $70.

Here is a link to Garmin’s GTM 60 with a list of the compatible GPS units.

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/shop-by-accessories/traffic-...

Refub units

pcnation.com has refurbished GPS. I bought 3597LMTHD for $250, but there are other models for less.

http://pcnation.com/web/filtersearch.asp?searchtype=RNeW&lis...

--
Steve - 2 Nuvi 3597

3597LMTHD

sl4gps61 wrote:

pcnation.com has refurbished GPS. I bought 3597LMTHD for $250, but there are other models for less.

http://pcnation.com/web/filtersearch.asp?searchtype=RNeW&lis...

That place has 3597LMTHD for $249.88.
Still a lot of money, I guess.
That is a refurb unit, it says manufacturer refurb. Free shipping though.

I dunno.

2597LMT

They have a
Garmin nuvi 2597LMT Automobile Portable GPS Navigator - 010-01123-30

5" with voice command. NO HD traffic, which is probably OK, but it's not really that much less at $174.88

I'm going to buy Garmin

I'm going to buy Garmin 2699LMT-HD from Costco Oct 31 going on sale for $239.99
It has display resolution 800 x 480 pixels
http://www.costco.com/Garmin-Nuvi-2699LMT-HD-6%22-Touchscree...

pergaps if....

Shirke wrote:

I'm going to buy Garmin 2699LMT-HD from Costco Oct 31 going on sale for $239.99
It has display resolution 800 x 480 pixels
http://www.costco.com/Garmin-Nuvi-2699LMT-HD-6%22-Touchscreen-GPS-w-HD-Traffic-Receiver.product.100142089.html

You go into the store in costume and say "Trick or Treat" they will put one in your hands. I know Costco doesn't have bags

--
Never argue with a pig. It makes you look foolish and it anoys the hell out of the pig!

so i replaced

My old GPS with a 3597.

My old GPS would take me on wild goose chases, direct me to places I wasn't trying to go. Would misidentify traffic conditions and streets. Sometimes my old GPS would say things like, "Go this way, or go that way."

My old GPS had no battery so I couldn't take it out to shut it up.

After I got my 3597, I kicked that other GPS outta the car. surprised

--
Never argue with a pig. It makes you look foolish and it anoys the hell out of the pig!

it's on sale today at Costco

it's on sale today at Costco Garmin 2699LMT-HD for $219.99
http://www.costco.com/.product.100142089.html?catalogId=1070...

What unit to buy

Steevo wrote:

This site has some cheap prices on refurb 4.3 inch garmin units. I was looking at buying something else from then when I noticed all the garmin stuff.

So my question is, there are all these different models.
I can get a 4.3" unit with lifetime maps and traffic for about $95-$100, with free shipping.

http://g.factoryoutletstore.com/cat/23498/Garmin-4-3-Inches-...

So what does anyone recommend, or should I just buy whatever is the newest, which might make sense?

Seems like you're really on a budget. But if you can find the extra cash, the 2797LTM is the best Garmin I have ever owned. Seven inch screen leaves plenty of room for tons of information and voice control over everything. Being able to enter a destination via voice is very cool. Just be aware that this is a really large unit.

My garmin does that.

BarneyBadass wrote:

My old GPS with a 3597.

My old GPS would take me on wild goose chases, direct me to places I wasn't trying to go. Would misidentify traffic conditions and streets. Sometimes my old GPS would say things like, "Go this way, or go that way."

My garmin does that. Says to go off the freeway, which is nonsensical, so I look at the routing and the next turn is to go back on the same freeway. Why would you go off the freeway, and then back on immediately?

Nonsensical.

You notice

Steevo wrote:
BarneyBadass wrote:

My old GPS with a 3597.

My old GPS would take me on wild goose chases, direct me to places I wasn't trying to go. Would misidentify traffic conditions and streets. Sometimes my old GPS would say things like, "Go this way, or go that way."

My garmin does that. Says to go off the freeway, which is nonsensical, so I

look at the routing and the next turn is to go back on the same freeway. Why would you go off the freeway, and then back on immediately?

Nonsensical.

I was careful not to identify any brand of GPS. This particular GPS was also capable of changing radio stations, rolling down a window in a hail storm and ten thousand other pesky things.

--
Never argue with a pig. It makes you look foolish and it anoys the hell out of the pig!

.

BarneyBadass wrote:
Steevo wrote:
BarneyBadass wrote:

My old GPS with a 3597.

My old GPS would take me on wild goose chases, direct me to places I wasn't trying to go. Would misidentify traffic conditions and streets. Sometimes my old GPS would say things like, "Go this way, or go that way."

My garmin does that. Says to go off the freeway, which is nonsensical, so I

look at the routing and the next turn is to go back on the same freeway. Why would you go off the freeway, and then back on immediately?

Nonsensical.

I was careful not to identify any brand of GPS. This particular GPS was also capable of changing radio stations, rolling down a window in a hail storm and ten thousand other pesky things.

My GPS has given me some wild directions at times as well. Trying to figure out why is lik trying to figure out what happened to the other sock you put in the dryer.

It's especially frustrating when you sort of know where you are but are using the GPS as backup.

I haven't bought a replacement

I haven't bought a replacement for my old Garmin. I may wait until after Christmas, see what comes up.

I wouldn't mind the higher end unit we have been talking about, but I don't much want to sink $300 into it.

Nulink service being discontinued

On the garmin website they say the nulink cellular data is going off on 3/4/15. AT&T cellular is turning off their 2g network which was what that service used.

That day has come and gone and my 1690 still has traffic.

That's a little interesting. I am still looking around for a replacement. Interesting, though.

I am in the same boat, my

I am in the same boat, my subscription on my 1690 just expired. Sounds like the 3597 is the way to go.

When voice command gets confused.

Although it is "greyed out" you can say View List and go directly to a list with line numbers and a down (page forward) option. With my British accent I have to use it often.

Refurbuished & recertified

Take a look at this unit:
Garmin Nuvi 2598LMTHD Advanced Series 5" GPS Navigation System with Bluetooth (Certified Refurbished).
I got it for $129 at Amazon, price may be higher now but it's a great GPS.

Newly Overhauled

GPScity 119.95 w/free shipping

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