momee2twins Posted October 22, 2012 Posted October 22, 2012 (edited) DH just sprang the info on me that he wants one? I think I remember these being on sale on BF, but not sure. We've never had one before. The Nuvi 50lm is going for around $120 right now. Can I get a better price on BF? Edited October 23, 2012 by freesia39 clarified title for more general GPS discussion
tokanm Posted October 22, 2012 Posted October 22, 2012 I have Garmin and TomTom. IMHO TomTom is far superior to Garmin and I have the 50lm....horrid directions and routing. I bought my GPS's at TigerDirect.com and their prices were great
noehlp Posted October 22, 2012 Posted October 22, 2012 Last year on Black Friday, Staples had this:Staples - Garmin nuvi 50LM Portable 5.3" GPS w/ Lifetime Maps - 109.99I would think you may find it for less than $120 on BF; you could always purchase now, hold on to the receipt, and do a return if you find it lower (depending on retailer's return policy). Also, posted on the main GottaDeal site the other day was a Refurbished Garmin 50LM for $79.98, sold by Walmart. (linked) hth
mcwalker Posted October 22, 2012 Posted October 22, 2012 Note that I will be preparing a comparison chart of GPS units available on BF on the GottaDeal Comparison Charts site. I suggest that you check out GPS units in stores and that your friends own, read professional reviews, check out the comparison chart as it gets filled in, but wait until all the ads are in before buying, either BF or online (unless you see an exceptional deal). I have owned two TomTom units. I upgraded to a larger TomTom XXL 550TM last year when Radio Shack offered it on BF and put it on its web site Thanksgiving Day. (I ordered online--no problem). The larger units are easier to read while driving, and I highly recommend getting a unit with "lifetime" map updates and traffic--I didn't have these on my first unit and the maps became noticeably obsolete, and the traffic feature has been even more beneficial than I thought it would be before I got it.) An objective review that I read a while back said that TomTom and one of the other makers had better maps than Garmin, but I don't know what the latest on that is. It is best to look at professional reviews because they compare the units side by side whereas most people only know about the one they own at any point in time and it's impossible to really try them out in a store-even if they do have power to the ones on the shelf.
laddhorn Posted October 23, 2012 Posted October 23, 2012 I have 2 different Garmins. They work pretty good. I do suggest getting at least the Lifetime Maps (LM) and if you travel around a big city, get the traffic also (T). The way you can tell if the GPS has either (or both) of these is to look at the model number. If it has lifetime maps and traffic, you will see "LMT" at the end of it. Lifetime maps will allow free map updates for the life of the GPS. Paid map updates usually cost $50+ each update. Map updates occur about twice per year. The Lifetime maps will pay for itself the first time you update. Traffic will reroute you around traffic if it is beneficial to your route. Or at least warn you that it is ahead of you. This is dependent on the traffic service it uses and is only as good as that service itself. It has gotten better over the years, but still has a long way to go. Garmin uses MSN for it's traffic.
landcbrewer Posted October 24, 2012 Posted October 24, 2012 I have 3 Garmin's, 200w 205w and 255w. My daughter has a TomTom. I like using the Garmin's better than her TT. It's just the human interaction I like better. I had a Mio that I returned. It was horrible in every respect. PP4x4
nikkilugi Posted October 24, 2012 Posted October 24, 2012 Our Garmin's have lifetime maps which I really like. I also prefer a US headquartered company - of course I am biased since my mom, dad and brother all work for the company....
momee2twins Posted October 24, 2012 Author Posted October 24, 2012 Think I will go with the Garmin....just trying to decide on model. He's not the most technologically inclined person in the world, but thinking a touch screen would be better than voice for him. Just so confusing.
happyfrog Posted November 7, 2012 Posted November 7, 2012 we have his and hers garmins. don't remember model number (they're in the vehicles) but they have lifetime maps and traffic. i get an update every 3 months it seems. (i have teh software downloaded to this netbook and it'll pop up letting me know there's an update when one is released, so i really am not sure how often - but it seems like i had 2 this year thus far. . . .) i love mine!! i cannot imagine doing all i do as a mom w/o it. emergencies, change of plans, no problem! one day my car broke down as we were leaving a science museum (closing time) in a town an hour away. i simply looked up local libraries nearby (so i had someplace safe to entertain the three little children) while i got messages over to the spouse to come help. it was that day i knew i would never live w/o a dedicated gps again. i never freak anymore about how to get from point a to point b - and i have some pretty long drives on a regular basis. when researching it, i discovered magellen and garmin were same map source, and tom tom was a different. i liked the magellen/garmin sources better. don't ask me why, now. it's been a couple years since i read up on them. something i think is fun - is that garmin has voice recorder thingy - i recorded my son at age 6 and he's often the voice i hear as i drive local. it makes me smile every time. esp his little silly comments he added - like 'feet, stinky feet'. just goofy stuff like that. it was fun for us to sit together at the computer, do the recordings, then upload it to the 2 gps's as an add'l voice option. just remembered i bought them from amazon. so here's what i own: they're model 1350LMT http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZX8B0U/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i02
len_mullen Posted November 7, 2012 Posted November 7, 2012 DH just sprang the info on me that he wants one? I think I remember these being on sale on BF, but not sure. We've never had one before. The Nuvi 50lm is going for around $120 right now. Can I get a better price on BF?Radioshack has a 5" Garmin 50LM for $99.99 -- you get $10 cash back for each $50 spent, so add a fuse to get this for $80. Staples has the 4" 40LM for $89.99. Both have lifetime maps which is key to happiness. Since you are a first time user of a GPS, I suggest you do a little research. Start here... http://gpstracklog.com/buyers-guides/auto-gps-buyers-guide
hpowers Posted November 7, 2012 Posted November 7, 2012 (edited) We went for the Smartphone instead of GPS. Our Maps App takes care of us to the point that the people we travel with frequently rely on me and my phone to get us everywhere, find hotels and restaurants or whatever else we need. Apparently I need to clarify my post..... Original post by person asking for help...DH just sprang the info on me that he wants one? I think I remember these being on sale on BF, but not sure. We've never had one before. The Nuvi 50lm is going for around $120 right now. Can I get a better price on BF? Mine was mearly a suggestion on what we realized was actually a better deal in the long run when we first went to purchase a handheld GPS. If you currently have a smartphone or are thinking of getting one also then you might look outside the box that others might try to steer you in.... Geesh. Edited November 7, 2012 by hpowers
len_mullen Posted November 7, 2012 Posted November 7, 2012 We went for the Smartphone instead of GPS. Our Maps App takes care of us to the point that the people we travel with frequently rely on me and my phone to get us everywhere, find hotels and restaurants or whatever else we need.Different topic, different proposition. $80 one time fee for a dedicated device vs $30 per month for a data plan...we could go on forever, but let's confine the topic to a discussion of BF deals GPS devices.
len_mullen Posted November 7, 2012 Posted November 7, 2012 (edited) Best Buy has a couple units in their ad... Garmin nuvi 50LM GPS $99.99TomTom Start 50 GPS $69.99 Sam's Club has a tom tom... TomTom Start 55TM GPS $99.87 Edited November 7, 2012 by len_mullen
uyu906 Posted November 8, 2012 Posted November 8, 2012 Does anyone know what model Garmin GPS 5" Wal-Mart is offering on Black Friday for $69?
HanShotFirst Posted November 8, 2012 Posted November 8, 2012 Does anyone know what model Garmin GPS 5" Wal-Mart is offering on Black Friday for $69?Looks like the Nuvi 50 On a side note, I don't think this unit has Lifetime Maps update. It is well worth the extra cost to get one with this feature because map updates cost as much or usually more than the unit itself. If you arent interested in map updates then this is a great deal IMO. My sister has the Nuvi 40 and we have used it all over the US and love it. She will be getting an upgrade to a LM model (lifetime maps) this Christmas.
uyu906 Posted November 9, 2012 Posted November 9, 2012 Looks like the Nuvi 50 On a side note, I don't think this unit has Lifetime Maps update. It is well worth the extra cost to get one with this feature because map updates cost as much or usually more than the unit itself. If you arent interested in map updates then this is a great deal IMO. My sister has the Nuvi 40 and we have used it all over the US and love it. She will be getting an upgrade to a LM model (lifetime maps) this Christmas.How can you tell if the Wal-Mart one does not have lifetime maps, without their listing the model number? I really need to know if it has lifetime maps or not. Thanks!
HanShotFirst Posted November 9, 2012 Posted November 9, 2012 How can you tell if the Wal-Mart one does not have lifetime maps, without their listing the model number? I really need to know if it has lifetime maps or not. Thanks!I clicked on the "See More Details" box that pops up when you hover your mouse on the photo and it states the model is the Nuvi 50. Of course, there is no way to know if that is indeed the model number they will have available I suppose. Radio Shack, Office Max and Best Buy are all advertising the Nuvi 50 LM for $99 if that helps.
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