Plz Help me select a new Garmin...

 

My current Garmin is a NUVI 40LM.

It has lifetime maps, but I would like an upgrade.

My new one should have the following features:
6 inch or BIGGER screen,
Ability to use my custom made routes,
Ability to add a backup camera system,

And that's about it as far as must have's...
Any additional features will be welcomed, but the3 above are show stoppers for me.

Thx in advance!

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Thx, Dan'l Garmin 2689LMT with BC-30 Backup camera system, GPS Map 62s

Garmin backup camera.

For Garmin, there are many models that fit your requirements. Here is the product page for the Garmin wireless backup camera: https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/on-the-road/533/bc-30-wirele.... On that page, click on the "Compatible devices" tab and you will get a list of all models that support the backup camera.

You can then select the various models from the list to see if they meet your other requirements ... 6" or 7" screen, trip planner. Pick 2 or 3 models with the features you desire that are in your price range, then do some Googling for those models to find the best price.

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

Thx, Alan... I had seen

Thx, Alan...

I had seen that, but I guess I am looking for a user's recommendation. Not being familiar with the newer models is why I ask...

Maybe a user will suggest their fav?

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Thx, Dan'l Garmin 2689LMT with BC-30 Backup camera system, GPS Map 62s

Powered mount?

Hopefully some owners of some of these models will share their experiences with you.

Is a powered mount something that is important to you? If it is, I think the only devices on the list that have a powered mount and meet your other requirements are dezl 770, RV 760, dezlCam, nuvi 2789, nuvicam.

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

Not sure... What is a

Not sure...

What is a powered mount?

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Thx, Dan'l Garmin 2689LMT with BC-30 Backup camera system, GPS Map 62s

Powered mount.

The power cord plugs into the mount (cradle) rather than the unit itself. It allows you to mount and remove the device without plugging/unplugging any cables. It relieves a lot of stress on the USB port which is a frequent point of failure on Garmin GPS devices.

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

Gotcha... My old Street

Gotcha... My old Street Pilot C330 had that kind of mount.

Yeah, that would be awesumm, but not a show stopper...

Aside from updates and adding in POI's from this wonderful site, I usually leave it in its home on the dash... LOL!

But thanks for asking!

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Thx, Dan'l Garmin 2689LMT with BC-30 Backup camera system, GPS Map 62s

Consider...

In the past 2 years, I have owned the Dezl 760, RV760 and the Nuvi 2798. All have 7” screens, lifetime map updates and powered mounts as Alan mentioned. I used all 3 units with Garmin’s BC20 backup camera with excellent results. Routes, waypoints and custom maps are easily added using Mapsource, Basecamp or other Garmin compatible software.

I found the 2798 to be a good, full featured unit which works well in vehicles with adequate dashboard space. It lacked the large vehicle database which I needed for my rig so I sold it and bought the Dezl760.

The Dezl was also a great GPS with most of the features of the 2798 but it is primarily designed for commercial vehicles much larger than the one I drive. I sold that one as well and bought the RV760. I buy and sell quite a few of these units on eBay which gives me the ability to experiment.

I still own the RV760 which I highly recommend if you drive a larger, noncommercial vehicle or pull a trailer. Both the Dezl and RV units have databases which provide proper routing for larger vehicles. You build a profile for your vehicle and the unit will take height, weight and length restrictions into account when creating routes. The database also provides information on adequate parking in rest areas, fuel stops, restaurants, POI’s etc.

If you don’t drive a large vehicle or RV, the Nuvi 2798 might be your best choice. Make sure your vehicle will accommodate the unit’s larger footprint. Also consider the mount you plan to use. All the 7” models are considerably heavier than their smaller screened counterparts and put more strain on suction cup type mounts. Adhesive or screw on mounts are good provided you have an acceptable place to put one.

I do not recommend vent type or standard size bean bags mounts for these heavier units. There has been a lot of discussion here at the Factory on this subject and a lot of posters disagree but I have had bad experiences with both. There are however large beanbag mounts out there which will work fine.

If any of the above is a concern to you, perhaps you should consider a 6” model. I don’t have any useful information to offer here but I’m sure other posters will chime in with their recommendations.

Good Luck!

Go with the NuviCam. Despite

Go with the NuviCam. Despite its bulky size compared to the 3597 sleek design, the features are much more and the software is way superior. You get the dash cam, foursquare points of interest and you can add Garmin official speed cameras plugin. Adding a backup camera is possible too.

Traffic updates, both the free HD and the paid one through phone bluetooth connection got much better performance and faster updates compared to 3597.

You can get it from ebay for ~$360 buy it now price, or ~$330 through ebay auction

Good luck

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NuviCam & 3597

2689LMT

So far, I'm very much liking my 2689LMT. It's a 6 inch unit and I bought a refurb from GPS City. Other than the plain box it came in, I'd never know it was a refurb. Works great and was quite a nice upgrade from my 265WT.

My $.02

Year + ago, we went from a Nuvi 660 with Lifetime Maps, to a Nuvi 2689LMT

I'm very happy with the new one! The only thing the 2689 doesn't do is MP3 music.

the 2689 isn't the largest screen, but, it is very view-able!

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A 2689LMT in both our cars that we love... and a Nuvi 660 with Lifetime Maps that we have had literally forever.... And a 2011 Ford Escape with Nav System that is totally ignored!

galladanb wrote: My current

galladanb wrote:

My current Garmin is a NUVI 40LM.

It has lifetime maps, but I would like an upgrade.

My new one should have the following features:
6 inch or BIGGER screen,
Ability to use my custom made routes,
Ability to add a backup camera system,

And that's about it as far as must have's...
Any additional features will be welcomed, but the3 above are show stoppers for me.

Thx in advance!

I would recommend you NuviCAM with 6" screen. Buletooth is still an issue on it but still works. The best unit out there.

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Iphone XR, Drivesmart 61,Nuvicam, Nuvi3597

Thx Guys!!! I knew I could

Thx Guys!!!
I knew I could count on you!

One additional question...
When looking at the different models, does it mean the unit does routes when it says "Automotive Routes 100"?

I think that is what it means, right?

If so, I may go with the Nuvi 2798 package that comes with a backup camera.

Thx again!!!

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Thx, Dan'l Garmin 2689LMT with BC-30 Backup camera system, GPS Map 62s

Automotive Routes 100

On some of the older models, Garmin would list something like this in the spec's indicating that it had the classic Custom Routes feature or the newer Trip Planner. On some of the newest devices however, they have removed this metric from the spec's even though the device supports Trip Planner.

For example on the nuvi 57, which is the most basic device in the Garmin 2015 automotive line, in the spec's it does not show the maximum number of saved routes, but under "Additional" features it shows "Trip Planner: yes", and the user manual indicates that you can recall saved trips. So one can only assume that this lowest end model supports routes. And I think that means we can further conclude that all the models in the 2015 lineup must support multi point routes since this lowest of the low end models does.

We can attribute many things to Garmin, but consistency in their specs and terminology is not one of them. smile

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

i agree with the 2689LMT!

i agree with the 2689LMT!

Thx Guys! Still on the

Thx Guys!

Still on the fence... Mostly due to finances...

But I do have some questions...

I made another post for them...

Thanks for all your replies!!!

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Thx, Dan'l Garmin 2689LMT with BC-30 Backup camera system, GPS Map 62s

Nuvicam

I was looking for a larger GPS myself and ended up getting the Garmin Nuvicam not only because it was 6 inches but also because it has a built in dash cam which is another item I was looking into purchasing.

The Nuvicam retails for $399. Best Buy had it on sale for $379 but I ended up getting them to match Amazon's price of $353.

I've had it for a week now and I'm happy with it. The sound quality is much better than the 3590LMT which it replaced for sure.

The Nuvicam has the ability to create custom routes and you can add the wireless backup camera to it.

The quality of the built in dash cam is very good. It continuously records in a loop and has a shock censor that saves video when it believes you are in a wreck. You can also manually save recordings by pressing the button on the top left side of the gps.

When you manually save video the Nuvicam takes a single still image at the moment you press the button and then it saves video starting at one and a half minutes before you pressed the button until one and a half minutes after you pressed the button.

You also have the options of overlaying gps coordinates, speed, date and time over your videos and still photos.

If it's within your budget or if you've also been considering purchasing a dash cam I would suggest having a look at this one.

3597 LMHT

I recommend my 3597 LMHT but not sure if it will do the backup camera.

3597

3597 has no support for an external camera. There is no video input on the device or the cradle.

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

Little update...

So, expecting today my new G2689LMT with a BC-30 backup camera. (From GPS City)

I also found a new, (Well to me anyway) way to mount it.

Bracketron UFM-210-BL Nav-Mat II Ultra Thin Dash Mount for GPS: GPS & Navigation found here:
http://www.amazon.com/Bracketron-UFM-210-BL-Nav-Mat-Ultra-Mo...

It may be a little big for my accord's shelf, but I may end up trimming it to fit better...

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Thx, Dan'l Garmin 2689LMT with BC-30 Backup camera system, GPS Map 62s

Little update...

So, expecting today my new G2689LMT with a BC-30 backup camera. (From GPS City)

I also found a new, (Well to me anyway) way to mount it.

Bracketron UFM-210-BL Nav-Mat II Ultra Thin Dash Mount for GPS: GPS & Navigation found here:
http://www.amazon.com/Bracketron-UFM-210-BL-Nav-Mat-Ultra-Mo...

It may be a little big for my accord's shelf, but I may end up trimming it to fit better...

--
Thx, Dan'l Garmin 2689LMT with BC-30 Backup camera system, GPS Map 62s

It's here...

So, my new Garmin 2689 came yesterday late...

It's getting the latest updates and then I'm charging it up.

Hoping to make a trail run later today, then backup camera install tomorrow!!!

What fun!!!

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Thx, Dan'l Garmin 2689LMT with BC-30 Backup camera system, GPS Map 62s