Portable GPS suggestions

Any of these units allow you to input longitude and latitude for your destination? I know most will give current long/lat. I need something where, I already know what long/lat I want to go to. Then the GPS tells me how to get there. Most of these destinations would be off-road. Breadcrumbs would be nice too.
Thanks in advance
 
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I'm going to buy a unit for my Titan in the next week or so and I have narrowed my choices to the Garmin StreetPilot 2720, Magellan RoadMate 760 and the Lowrance iWay 500c. All are quality units and you really can't go wrong with any of them.

If price is a factor your best bet is the iWay 500c. You can get them new for under $650 and with the 5" touchscreen monitor it has the best visibility.

The Garmin probably has the best maps and the quality of their units are second to none. I have a Garmin 12cx handheld thats at least 5 yrs old and it looks and works like new.

The new Magellan looks really nice and has a lot of great features. Between it and the Garmin it's a toss-up. Between the two I'll go with the one I can get for the best price.

GPS Discount has the best prices I have seen so far.
 
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Mafster said:
I just spoke to the President of Getfeetwet.com and he said that Magellin's GPSs are not good and that the company may be going under. He recommended the Garmin 1st with the Lowarance 2nd. He was very very honest and decent to speak to. Personally I own the 2720 and have had the C330 and Streetpilot III in the past. I'd recommend the C340 because of the street-name turns similar to the feature in the 2720 (the cream of the crop).
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Thanks for the heads up Mafster. I just ordered the iWay 500c from GPS Discount. $653 shipped to my door. I like the larger screen of the Lowrance, they have a reputation for being durable and water resistant (they make the Baja which is in the majority of the vehicles racing the Baja 500/1000) and it was $130 cheaper than the Garmin. I also like the fact that its voice commands can be easily wired into my factory radio (this is going in my Titan, not the 4Runner).
 
ptgarcia said:
Thanks for the heads up Mafster. I just ordered the iWay 500c from GPS Discount. $653 shipped to my door. I like the larger screen of the Lowrance, they have a reputation for being durable and water resistant (they make the Baja which is in the majority of the vehicles racing the Baja 500/1000) and it was $130 cheaper than the Garmin. I also like the fact that its voice commands can be easily wired into my factory radio (this is going in my Titan, not the 4Runner).
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I've spoke to several places about those units myself while was choosing the right unit for my 4Runner. I've also test-drive both in different vehicle (have agreed with owners). I agree with Mafster, Garmin is the best, but as far as I see you've already made a choice. Actually Lowrance is not bad, I just prefer Garmin. (Just my 2c) So good luck with your new GPS. :)
 
Dude + All,

I talked to Garmin about that beanbag mount and indeed it is the same one that is supplied with the 2720. I took mine out and bent the feet of it just as Dude did and it works slick!

Below is Garmin's message on my inquiry (I attached Dude's pic):
The image you are referring to is the standard bean bag mount for the Streetpilot 2720. The user in that photo just bent the legs of the mount down. The metal inside of the bean bag mount is somewhat pliable, but I do not suggest bending it as it may break.

I bent mine just fine and to be honest, I like it better than any of my Ram mounts. I reinstalled the cubby door too

The above Garmin message is the disclaimer. ;):
 
Just received the iWay...

...and so far so good. The screen is huge! I have it mounted at the center of the dash in my Titan and its just fantastic. Very user friendly. I haven't even looked at the manual yet and I can already navigate to an address or POI or whatever. At this point I'm completely satisfied.
 
Mafster said:
Dude + All,

I talked to Garmin about that beanbag mount and indeed it is the same one that is supplied with the 2720. I took mine out and bent the feet of it just as Dude did and it works slick!

Click to expand...

That is great news.....I swear the one supplied with the 2720 is much stiffer....anyway, glad it worked out.
 
RunUp said:
Any of these units allow you to input longitude and latitude for your destination? I know most will give current long/lat. I need something where, I already know what long/lat I want to go to. Then the GPS tells me how to get there. Most of these destinations would be off-road. Breadcrumbs would be nice too.
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

The 26xx/27xx Garmin units do allow you to enter a location by lat/long. They also will record tracks. The C3xx units do not give lat/long.

However, the 26xx/27xx units do not have internal batteries so if the location you enter is not accessible by vehicle, you'll need a portable GPS to get to the exact location (e.g. geocaching).

Les
 
Dude said:
Is there a product (Garmin preferred) that has the following:

1) Portable w/internal power supply
2) External antena and AC power supply
3) Base map for Auto use that is up-to-date that covers the entire US with the ability to store locations, previous routes etc. Also, very user friendly attributes for auto use (voice, arrows, easy inputs etc.)
4) The ability to create routes on a pc and upload the file to the unit (does this require additional software not supplied with the unit?)
5) expandable memory, preferrably generic card types (CF/SD etc.)
6) Topographical and water maps
7) And last but not least, the ability to have at my disposal an auto route to the woods, topo maps through the trails in a state park, and then out of the car to the boat and then around the lake.
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I adore my Garmin 60C. I admit it is a little dated, but I actually tried a c320 for a little while and didn't want to make the switch. There are geek features on the 60C I just couldn't live without.

It doesn't have everything you're asking for: no voice, not expandable. But it does everything else. You can get topo maps as well as city maps for it, and you can switch from one map type to another on the fly, and it can provide you with auto-route guidance that has served me extremely well for a couple of years now. Its USB port means you can load it up with data fast if you ever go someplace particularly far.

If you're into the outdoor scene, pop it out of the car and hike with it on your belt. And it has a geocaching mode that's pretty neat too.

I have it on a RAM mount--RAM makes a cradle for this and many other GPS units. I ran a dedicated power cord from the back of the unit through the center console and jumpered it onto the lighter socket, so when I turn the car off, the GPS turns off as well (after a 20 second delay, and you can change this behavior).

One other thing: if you're willing to tinker you can use waypoints and the tracklog to make some nifty maps, like the ones I blogged of the Grand Canyon on this page over here.
 

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Here's another shot of my 60C, a close-up of the mount. The black thing hanging down is the removable carry strap. Power cable is passed directly through the mounting bracket into the guts of the center console.
 

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I just picked up a Garmin Nuvi 350 and all I can say is WOW! That thing is beautiful with great functions!
 
Mafster said:
I just picked up a Garmin Nuvi 350 and all I can say is WOW! That thing is beautiful with great functions!
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Holy cow, for $900 it better be awesome. For that kind of money I'd be tempted to think about a head unit upgrade for GPS, MP3, bluetooth etc. right in the dash.

But I admit it's WAY cool. Nice screen, probably a fast and intuitive interface similar to c330, portable, MP3, traffic alerts, audible.com, photos, text-to-speech voice routing. With a screen like that it's too bad they didn't include a video player.

I haven't seen any good reviews anywhere yet, let us know if you continue to enjoy it.
 
spblat said:
Holy cow, for $900 it better be awesome. For that kind of money I'd be tempted to think about a head unit upgrade for GPS, MP3, bluetooth etc. right in the dash.

But I admit it's WAY cool. Nice screen, probably a fast and intuitive interface similar to c330, portable, MP3, traffic alerts, audible.com, photos, text-to-speech voice routing. With a screen like that it's too bad they didn't include a video player.

I haven't seen any good reviews anywhere yet, let us know if you continue to enjoy it.
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Preorders were as low as $689, but as soon as they started shipping the price went up to $899. I'm kicking myself for not preordering!!
 
I'm able to get dealer pricing on the Nuvi 350 if anybody wants one. $789 delivered to your door. Paying through Paypal. You can check my 100% Ebay record if interested.

http://www.garmin.com/products/nuvi/

Garmin instituted a minimum selling cost for distributors shortly after releasing them for these units, that is why the price went up and locked there. Be wary of people selling them elsewhere, as Garmin may not warrenty the item. You'll receive the authorized Garmin distributor's receipt if ordering through me. For a group buy of 5+ units (delivered to different addresses) I'll cut $20 off each unit--$769. Makes a great X-mas gift! :)
 
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Mafster said:
I'm able to get dealer pricing on the Nuvi 350 if anybody wants one. $789 delivered to your door. Paying through Paypal. You can check my 100% Ebay record if interested.

http://www.garmin.com/products/nuvi/

Garmin instituted a minimum selling cost for distributors shortly after releasing them for these units, that is why the price went up and locked there. Be wary of people selling them elsewhere, as Garmin may not warrenty the item. You'll receive the authorized Garmin distributor's receipt if ordering through me. For a group buy of 5+ units (delivered to different addresses) I'll cut $20 off each unit--$769. Makes a great X-mas gift! :)
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Have to see if I can convince the Finance Minister first.

What software does it ship with? I've heard Garmin no longer ships City Select with the machines, but instead preloads everything. I prefer to have software in case something goes wrong.
 
No software is shipped with the unit, though there are updates at the Garmin website. I have immediate access to 10 units and will sell them for $729 each including shipping until they all are sold. The day I receive payment is the day they ship, with tracking info. :)
 
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