Portable GPS needs

[greasefingers]

I am currently in the market for a GPS. My budget is $ 400 max. I read good reviews on the Garmin nuvi 350.

One of my priorities is that it has Text-To-Speech. In other words; I do not want it to only just say

 

[rook]

I have the 350 and the TTS is valuable when driving and looking for street signs. I like the Garmin because it is easy to use. The interface makes sense and it does not take long to learn all the features. It is not without flaws, when I first got it I tested its ability to find LL Bean in Freeport, it failed miserably, taking us to a warehouse 5 miles out of town. Last week, it had the wrong address for a zoo in Stoneham, MA. Fortunately, we were close enough. It seems that the points of interest (poi) could use some updating. However, if you know the address of your destination, it will be spot on!

 

[sharp4runr]

Here is my review on it: http://toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15455&highlight=nuvi+350

There are multiple members here who have it. It's a great unit, but I do have some complaints on it

Cons:
*Can't specify routes, you have to let it decide how to route you to your destination. For example, you know certain roads are under construction so you want to avoid them. You have to let it take you through those roads or force it to take a detour by going another way and have it recalculate the route or press the Detour button

*Can't specify multiple stops. You can specify a destination and one waypoint. It will route you to the one waypoint and then the destination. It would be nice to plug in multiple destinations and have the unit route you the quickest to all destinations. Very helpful if in sales or delivery

*Suction cup base doesn't always stick. Falls off sometimes so you have to make sure it's really stuck.

Those are my major complaints. Otherwise I think it's great unit. Text to speech works great. It calculates routes quickly. Gets a signal quickly too, all because of the newer sirf chipset. Works indoors too (in some places, not all).

 

[jharris2]

And Garmin has lower-cost Nuvi units, too. I also have the Nuvi 350, but don't use any of the extra features -- MP3 player, Audible, etc. I really wanted a solid navigation unit, and some of the 2xx series might suit your needs.

Check out http://www.gpspassion.com for some reviews and forums with lots of information.

 

[russr]

i just bought the garmin c340 from circut city for 249.95
and its a nice unit for the money . i used it a couple of times in a jam and it s done its job and payed for itself already
i dont know why people buy the big dollar ones excpet for the ipods /blue tooth hook up otherwise they all do the same stuff

 

[greasefingers]

Thanks for everyone

 

[jharris2]

The nuvi 200 series does not speak street names.

Checked the Garmin site and you're right. The 200 and 250 do not, the 260 does.

The size is really nice, too. When traveling for business, it's really easy to drop into the briefcase and take it with you.

 

[sharp4runr]

Yup also put the Nuvi in pedestrian mode and try letting it navigate you through the city while walking. It'll take you through paths that a car could not go through (like parks, one way streets on the wrong way). I like to walk the city when visiting and it's great for just wandering around.

 

[Kmvreter]

Very happy with the Nuvi (660 in my case; larger screen for the wife.) The same mapping and virtually the same software on all Nuvi's. As was said, only difference between most models is the accessory features you want to pay for.