Rare Find: Driveluxe 51 Refurb $129.95

 

https://www.thegpsstore.com/Garmin-DriveLuxe-51-LMT-S-with-N...

Want a magnetic mount "top of the line" Garmin? This may be your last chance. Although I have two 3597 LMTHD nuvi's I am very tempted by this deal and may order one as "insurance" as I don't see Garmin offering any new devices that I will be interested in. Garmin dropped the ball (IMO) when they prematurely discontinued the DriveLuxe models with no suitable replacement. I have always thought the Nuvi 3597 and the DriveLuxe models were and continue to be the best automotive devices ever offered by Garmin.

So if you have wished you snapped up one of these devices when they were still available, this may be your last chance.

Incidentally, I have bought from theGPSStore in the past, and found them to be quite reliable as an online vendor.

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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

Ordered.

I just couldn't pass this up. So I ordered one of these. I will probably give it to one of my kids, or if I like it better than the 3597 (unlikely) will keep it and pass the 3597 on. Will report back when I receive it.

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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

Driveluxe 51 received.

My DriveLuxe 51 refurb arrived today … 4 days after ordering from theGPSstore.com. So again, this online vendor has proved to be reliable.

The device is in new condition. As we have discussed before, I think these discontinued factory refurb units are actually unsold new devices that are reboxed as refurbished in order to eliminate the old inventory. It has the CN NA 2019.10 map version.

Other than turning it on to switch to mass storage mode and doing the initial full backup, I have not updated or used the device yet, so it will be interesting to see how it compares to my 3597's and my son's DriveLuxe 50. I am guessing I will stick with the 3597's for my daily drivers, as I like the extra speaker built into the magnetic mount on the 3597. The DriveLuxe models do not have that feature.

As I said before, I think the 3597's and the DriveLuxe devices are the best Automotive GPS devices Garmin has made. I know the DriveSmart devices are nice too, but if you are looking for a capable Garmin GPS for only $130, this deal is hard to beat.

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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

Rare Find: Driveluxe 51 Refurb $129.95

alandb wrote:

...Other than turning it on to switch to mass storage mode and doing the initial full backup, I have not updated or used the device yet, so it will be interesting to see how it compares to my 3597's and my son's DriveLuxe 50...

I do have one of each, both a 3597 and a Driveluxe 51. While they are not identical, they are quite similar. I have found myself using the Driveluxe 51 as my "daily driver".

I have noticed, for example, that if I am navigating to a destination and I look for a POI near that destination, it will show the distance from where I am, not the distance from the destination, like the 3597 does. I prefer the 3597's way of doing things in that regard.

The Auto Zoom is different while in the USA mode. I can disable it, which is how I prefer it, and leave the setting at a short distance, like 80 feet or something like that. I can do that on the 3597, but I have to select the Australian or UK mode, if I recall correctly.

Another thing is how the two of them deal with texts and telephone calls. I can see texts, in the passenger mode, on the DriveLuxe 51. I don't think the 3597 allows that.

Thanks!

@Jim1348. Thanks for the helpful info. Looks like I have a lot to learn about the 51!

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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

Driveluxe 51 FAILED!

Well, maybe my statement in the earlier post about refurb units being reboxed new devices is not correct. The DriveLuxe 51 refurb I received from theGPSstore.com seemed to work OK when I got it. I was able to update the software and maps, install my custom saved places, POI's and trips, config the Bluetooth for Smartphone Link, config the wifi, and play around with it for a couple of hours before shutting it off last night.

I was going to move it out to my car this morning and start using it instead of the 3597, but I couldn't get it to power up. I thought I had turned it off with a full battery, but maybe I was wrong? But it wouldn't power up even after charging for a couple of hours. I finally got it to power up by holding the power key for about 30 seconds. It would boot up partially, sometimes getting to the main menu, but eventually would lock up and display "GIR low mem" all over the screen. I am not sure what that error means, but found several references to it on Google and in every case it required sending the device back to Garmin.

No problem with theGPSstore though! I called them, explained the situation and they offered a full refund or a replacement. I chose replacement and they promptly emailed a prepaid shipping label, so the broken device is on its way back. I am guessing I just had the bad luck of getting a defective unit and the next one will be fine (keeping fingers crossed). I will post again when I get the replacement.

Incidentally, of the 7 Garmin devices I have bought (5 of them refurbs), this is the first one I have had fail. The other 6 are still working perfectly.

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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

theGPSstore.

As an additional comment about this online vendor … They said they would ship the replacement when they received my return. That is a fair policy, so I expected that it would be several days until they shipped my replacement. Well, the prepaid shipping label they emailed me was with UPS, so I delivered the package to our local UPS store. UPS asked if I wanted them to scan and give me a tracking number … I said "sure". Apparently, that tracking notification to theGPSstore was all they needed, as I got an email notice 3 hours later that my replacement has been shipped. Now, that is good service!

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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

craigslist

I know its harder to find devices on Craigslist as many people just use a phone.... I picked up a 61 for $80 locally...

$130 is about what most of the 61's go for on Ebay

Is this one with a front facing camera to see the lanes of traffic?

Highly Unusual

alandb wrote:

Well, maybe my statement in the earlier post about refurb units being reboxed new devices is not correct. The DriveLuxe 51 refurb I received from theGPSstore.com seemed to work OK when I got it. I was able to update the software and maps, install my custom saved places, POI's and trips, config the Bluetooth for Smartphone Link, config the wifi, and play around with it for a couple of hours before shutting it off last night.

I was going to move it out to my car this morning and start using it instead of the 3597, but I couldn't get it to power up. I thought I had turned it off with a full battery, but maybe I was wrong? But it wouldn't power up even after charging for a couple of hours. I finally got it to power up by holding the power key for about 30 seconds. It would boot up partially, sometimes getting to the main menu, but eventually would lock up and display "GIR low mem" all over the screen. I am not sure what that error means, but found several references to it on Google and in every case it required sending the device back to Garmin.

No problem with theGPSstore though! I called them, explained the situation and they offered a full refund or a replacement. I chose replacement and they promptly emailed a prepaid shipping label, so the broken device is on its way back. I am guessing I just had the bad luck of getting a defective unit and the next one will be fine (keeping fingers crossed). I will post again when I get the replacement.

Incidentally, of the 7 Garmin devices I have bought (5 of them refurbs), this is the first one I have had fail. The other 6 are still working perfectly.

Too bad about your 51 Alan. Of the dozen or so refurbs I've purchased over the years, I never had a problem. I don't remember seeing anyone here at the Factory report a problem either. You unfortunately, have the honor of being the first I know of.

I've made many purchases from the GPS Store and also found them to be an excellent vendor to deal with.

I saw this post on the 51 and was tempted but I took the Amazon deal on a Drivesmart 65 instead. After the BC-30 camera failed in my pickup and I replaced it with a BC-40 (posted in another thread), I ordered one of these refurbs as well. Too good a deal to pass up. Thanks for posting the link. Mine arrives on 10/29 and hopefully won't suffer infant mortality as yours did.

I bought a lot of the rare Drivelux 61's last year and resold them on eBay. I was in love with my 3597 at the time (I still am) and didn't see the need to keep one. Even though I made a few bucks, I regret that decision. I'm afraid the nifty magnetic mounts and slim aluminum cases on these units are a thing of the past as Garmin struggles to keep costs down on their automotive products.

Rare Find: Driveluxe 51 Refurb $129.95

alandb wrote:

...I bought a lot of the rare Drivelux 61's last year and resold them on eBay...

So, was the Garmin DriveLuxe 61 the largest screen size of the DriveLuxe? Or, was here a Garmin DriveLuxe 71?

No Driveluxe 61 or 71, only 51.

The only DriveLuxe models ever made are the 50 (2016) and 51 (2017). Both are high res 5" screens similar to the nuvi 3597.

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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

My Error

alandb wrote:

The only DriveLuxe models ever made are the 50 (2016) and 51 (2017). Both are high res 5" screens similar to the nuvi 3597.

You're right Alan. My mistake. I checked my eBay sales records and the lot I bought from Micro Center was indeed the 51. I confused it with the Drivesmart series.

Thanks for the correction.

I Spoke Too Soon - Another Defective Driveluxe 51 Refurb

alandb wrote:

Well, maybe my statement in the earlier post about refurb units being reboxed new devices is not correct. The DriveLuxe 51 refurb I received from theGPSstore.com seemed to work OK when I got it. I was able to update the software and maps, install my custom saved places, POI's and trips, config the Bluetooth for Smartphone Link, config the wifi, and play around with it for a couple of hours before shutting it off last night.

I was going to move it out to my car this morning and start using it instead of the 3597, but I couldn't get it to power up. I thought I had turned it off with a full battery, but maybe I was wrong? But it wouldn't power up even after charging for a couple of hours. I finally got it to power up by holding the power key for about 30 seconds. It would boot up partially, sometimes getting to the main menu, but eventually would lock up and display "GIR low mem" all over the screen. I am not sure what that error means, but found several references to it on Google and in every case it required sending the device back to Garmin.

No problem with theGPSstore though! I called them, explained the situation and they offered a full refund or a replacement. I chose replacement and they promptly emailed a prepaid shipping label, so the broken device is on its way back. I am guessing I just had the bad luck of getting a defective unit and the next one will be fine (keeping fingers crossed). I will post again when I get the replacement.

Incidentally, of the 7 Garmin devices I have bought (5 of them refurbs), this is the first one I have had fail. The other 6 are still working perfectly.

I spoke too soon in an earlier post about factory refurbs being reliable. I ordered one of these Driveluxe 51 refurbs and like alan's, it was defective. At first it appeared to work normally but after 90 seconds of operation, it shuts down and goes into a boot loop.

I've seen these symptoms on other units with a bad battery. However, charging overnight, doing a hard reset, using an AC adapter, several different USB and power cables made no difference.

I was able to get it to connect to the Garmin server before it shut down. Once connected it remained booted and I was able to download the updated firmware & map. As soon as the download completed, the boot loop problem returned so I doubt it's a firmware issue.

I'm going to return it to the GPS Store but I'm unsure whether to ask for another unit or a refund. Alan returned his bad unit and asked for a replacement but it probably hasn't arrived yet.

Has anyone else here ordered one of these refurbs? If so, how did it work?

Not a good sign ...

You are right in that I haven't received my replacement yet … will post results when I do.

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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

Non-refurb DriveLuxe 51

alandb wrote:

You are right in that I haven't received my replacement yet … will post results when I do.

Just in case anyone's worrying that there's a problem with the current map update and the DriveLuxe 51, I can report that the map update went well on my unit that has all the current software updates. My map update was through Garmin Express and a cable connection to the GPS, not through a wifi update. I haven't test-driven it with the new map since there's a snowstorm outside.

Whatever is happening with these refurbed DriveLuxe 51's appears not to be happening to other DriveLuxe 51s. For what it's worth, mine is a used unit purchased on eBay earlier this year.

I do hope this can be resolved positively.

Good to Know

Thanks Craig, this is good to know. Although I was able to download the map & firmware on my defective unit via WiFi, I wasn't able to test it.

Since I already replaced my failed BC-30 camera with a BC-40, the Driveluxe 51 is the only compatible model with a powered mag mount.

I'm really kicking myself now for selling the 51's I had last year on eBay. There are a couple available now for $75 but both are missing components.

Garmin told me last year that the reason for the early demise of the Driveluxe series was it's high cost was no longer competitive in the shrinking automotive market. I wonder if a high failure rate also had something to do with it.

Replacement received ...

I got my replacement DriveLuxe 51 refurb from theGPSstore today. Although it is way to early to know for sure, somehow this unit just seemed more "normal" from the minute I turned it on. I have backed it up, configured the WiFi and Bluetooth for Smartphone Link traffic, updated it and moved it out to my car to replace my reliable 3597. I will use the "Luxe" as my daily driver for a few days to see how it goes. I will report back with my conclusions one way or the other.

I did do a couple of things differently on this device than I did on the first one I received that failed in less than 24 hours. After charging it up and backing it up, I configured the WiFi and did the updates through WiFi instead of Garmin Express. On the failed unit, I had updated with Garmin Express and the map update didn't seem to take on the first try, but seemed to be OK on the second attempt. On this replacement unit, the WiFi took longer (because the files were not already downloaded as with GE), but everything updated without any issues. I also did not do any "tinkering" with the files by deleting unused voices, etc. I am just going to leave it as is until I am confident everything is good. The only thing I have done is plug it into GE so I could transfer my saved places and trips from my 3597.

One thing I noticed with the failed unit (the one I sent back) is that in mass storage mode, it mounted 2 drives like you would expect, but the second drive (what I would normally think was the SD card) showed some files in it even though I didn't have a SD card installed. The second drive had a /.system/SID folder with some different files than the ones shown in the /.system/SID folder of the normal internal storage. And these files in this "second" drive were updated with the map update. I thought this odd at the time as I had not heard anyone talk about this phantom drive in any of the forums. But then I rationalized that since I had never played with a device with WiFi and on/board FourSquare/Trip advisor, that must explain the purpose of the second mass storage unit.

Now that I have the replacement device, this phantom drive is not showing up, so I now suspect that weird phenomenon was a symptom of the failure in the other unit.

So, I am hopeful and keeping my fingers crossed that everything is good with this replacement ...

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

Sounds like a second

Sounds like a second partition got created on it somehow. Probably when being refurbished. I'm pretty sure they use a master to clone the drive and install the OS. Supposed to overwrite all the files on the disk.

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Frank DriveSmart55 37.322760, -79.511267

Good To Know

alandb wrote:

I got my replacement DriveLuxe 51 refurb from theGPSstore today. Although it is way to early to know for sure, somehow this unit just seemed more "normal" from the minute I turned it on. I have backed it up, configured the WiFi and Bluetooth for Smartphone Link traffic, updated it and moved it out to my car to replace my reliable 3597. I will use the "Luxe" as my daily driver for a few days to see how it goes. I will report back with my conclusions one way or the other.

I did do a couple of things differently on this device than I did on the first one I received that failed in less than 24 hours. After charging it up and backing it up, I configured the WiFi and did the updates through WiFi instead of Garmin Express. On the failed unit, I had updated with Garmin Express and the map update didn't seem to take on the first try, but seemed to be OK on the second attempt. On this replacement unit, the WiFi took longer (because the files were not already downloaded as with GE), but everything updated without any issues. I also did not do any "tinkering" with the files by deleting unused voices, etc. I am just going to leave it as is until I am confident everything is good. The only thing I have done is plug it into GE so I could transfer my saved places and trips from my 3597.

One thing I noticed with the failed unit (the one I sent back) is that in mass storage mode, it mounted 2 drives like you would expect, but the second drive (what I would normally think was the SD card) showed some files in it even though I didn't have a SD card installed. The second drive had a /.system/SID folder with some different files than the ones shown in the /.system/SID folder of the normal internal storage. And these files in this "second" drive were updated with the map update. I thought this odd at the time as I had not heard anyone talk about this phantom drive in any of the forums. But then I rationalized that since I had never played with a device with WiFi and on/board FourSquare/Trip advisor, that must explain the purpose of the second mass storage unit.

Now that I have the replacement device, this phantom drive is not showing up, so I now suspect that weird phenomenon was a symptom of the failure in the other unit.

So, I am hopeful and keeping my fingers crossed that everything is good with this replacement ...

Thanks Alan. This is encouraging.

I spoke to the folks at the GPS Store yesterday and they received my defective return. The replacement is being shipped today. As a hedge against another defect, I ordered 2 units. That way, if one is defective, I can return it for a refund. If they both turn out to be good, I'll sell the second on eBay.

I'll post the results.

Luxe 51 still working good.

After two days of use and several local trips (about 100 miles), the replacement DriveLuxe is still working great. Since the first one failed before the first use, I am cautiously optimistic that this one is OK.

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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

Same Here

The two units I ordered (one a replacement for a defective unit) are both working normally after preliminary testing. I downloaded new maps & firmware for both and am in the process of field testing.

I'll post again with any issues.

Since I have 3 vehicles and 2 Driveluxe 51's (I haven't decided if I will keep both), I tried to find another magnetic cradle mount for the third vehicle. Since Garmin has discontinued the Driveluxe series, these nifty magnetic mounts are getting hard to find.

In case anyone is interested, I did spot these:

$16 at GPS City (thru Amazon):
https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-010-12394-00-DriveLuxe-Vehicle...

$20 on eBay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/GARMIN-DriveLuxe-50-51-LM-LMT-HD-GP...

The two defective units reported here so far remain the only ones I've seen with ANY of the Garmin factory refurbished units. Although a bit of a hassle, IMO, the 65% discount over the original MSRP was worth the inconvenience.

Thanks to Alandb for posting the link.

DriveLuxe 51 - now $99.99

TheGPSStore.com has dropped the price of the refurbished DriveLuxe LMT-S to $99.95. This is a remarkable bargain if you are wanting a Garmin navigator.

Although bdhsfz6 and I both had problems with the first DriveLuxe refurb we received, theGpsStore promptly sent replacements and paid the return shipping on the defective unit. I am happy to report that after 2 weeks of daily use, my DriveLuxe replacement is working great.

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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

Amazing

alandb wrote:

TheGPSStore.com has dropped the price of the refurbished DriveLuxe LMT-S to $99.95. This is a remarkable bargain if you are wanting a Garmin navigator.

Although bdhsfz6 and I both had problems with the first DriveLuxe refurb we received, theGpsStore promptly sent replacements and paid the return shipping on the defective unit. I am happy to report that after 2 weeks of daily use, my DriveLuxe replacement is working great.

That's great. I paid $125 plus $11 S&H on eBay (large seller with great feeback with 30-day return, but still... wink ) this March for a used one and thought I had a good deal.

Same Here

alandb wrote:

TheGPSStore.com has dropped the price of the refurbished DriveLuxe LMT-S to $99.95. This is a remarkable bargain if you are wanting a Garmin navigator.

Although bdhsfz6 and I both had problems with the first DriveLuxe refurb we received, theGpsStore promptly sent replacements and paid the return shipping on the defective unit. I am happy to report that after 2 weeks of daily use, my DriveLuxe replacement is working great.

As I said earlier, both the replacement units I ordered are also working 100% after 10 days of testing. I decided to keep both rather than sell one.

Right now, I'm using one 51 side by side with a 3597 in my pickup. The Driveluxe 51 is compatible with the BC30 & BC40 cameras which is the only feature I find wanting on the 3597.

Too bad I didn't wait a week to buy the second unit. $99.95 is indeed an amazing price