[ThreeBimm]

I'm looking into buying a navigation system for a Christmas gift and I am looking for suggestions on a system. I don't know much at all about them. I've been told the Garmin 2720 is a really good one. Any info would be great.


I wasn't sure where to put this so I'm not sure if this is in the right forum. Sorry!

[Kimo]

Here's ONE option:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showth...ht=garmin+c330

[RyBMW]

I heard the new Tom Tom navigation systems are good. They even have ones with built in bluetooth.

[fideba]

I have used the TomTom Go in my E46 for quite a while, and can recommend it. It's a very good system.

[Mark]

TomTom seems to be really awesome, I've personally used the Garmin systems and I really love them, especially the C330 as a tomtom competitor. I don't think you would go wrong with either the tomtom or the garmin (I dont like magellan tho)

[Black325i]

I used mapopolis on my Sony Palm device. I have a bluetooth GPS that connect wirelessly to the palm (also bluetooth). Mapopolis maps of all of North America will run you ~$100. GPS and Palm device ~$400. So all in, about $500....which may be close to the Garmin....but cheaper than the factory option !

[vivekk]

Not out in the States yet, but I've bought my wife the new Tomtom One, because she loves the e90's SatNavPro so much!

[SteveMD]

I have a Garmin 330 and love it.

http://www.garmin.com/products/sp330/

[cdheaven]

i dont wanna ask a question that might threadjack. but its probably a related question.
A few of my friends are in a smaller band that travels the country, and canada and i want to get them a navigation unit for their van.
my question is.... They mostly play smaller venues that sometimes change names, and are usually relatively smaller clubs... which, if any units will find ANY address, not just BIG well known places?

[ThreeBimm]

I'm deciding between the Garmin c330, c340. AFter doing a little research the only major difference I can tell between these two is the capability to re-route for traffic. The c340 initially is $100 more for that capability and the accessory to the unit will be a few hundred dollars.

Does anyone have the 340 over the 330? What made you choose one over the other.

The one issue I have is that if I am going to spend $630 on the c340 I could get the 2720 for another ~$100 but I don't really want to spend $750.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by RINALDS

I'm deciding between the Garmin c330, c340. AFter doing a little research the only major difference I can tell between these two is the capability to re-route for traffic. The c340 initially is $100 more for that capability and the accessory to the unit will be a few hundred dollars.

Does anyone have the 340 over the 330? What made you choose one over the other.

The one issue I have is that if I am going to spend $630 on the c340 I could get the 2720 for another ~$100 but I don't really want to spend $750.

I havent used the c340, but I did get to play with the C330 for a few days and its really awesome, highly recommended. I think for casual use for a regular driver its just fine. The extra traffic feature sounds nice, but i'm still unsure of how accurate those traffic reports are. Another option you might want to consider if you are really looking to save money is the C320. The 320 doesnt come with maps internally stored, but all you have to do is copy the maps to an SD card and plug the card into the device and it will work the same as the 330.

[Paddy]

After doing quite a bit of research, including going to stores to check out models, I can recommend

a) Low Cost Option: Garmin StreetPilot I3 (Can be got at Costco for $289)

b) Expensive Option: Garmin Nuvi 350: ($899, Circuit City).

Option A:
-----------
The StreetPilot I3 is better than the C3XX Garmins for one main reason, its screen is readable in direct sunlight. The C3XX models are washed out on sunny days. As my wife drives mostly during the day and in sunny So-Cal, this was a must.
Screen size is small but once you get used to it it's not a problem.
Maps, the I3 only has 128MB memory so you cannot store the complete US on the device. It has enough to hold California, Oregon, Washington and perhaps one more state. As my wife just drives around town, that's perfect for her. (It comes with DVD of maps for North America, and you download the states you want via computer/USB). It has built in speaker, but doesn't speak street names (which is a minor negative). The receiver is fast locking and accurate.

Option B:
-----------
The Nuvi 350 uses the new Sirf III chipset that is EXTREMELY sensitive and fast, will work indoors in most situations. It is small/thin enough to put into shirt pocket, has excellent screen and graphics with touchscreen. It's fast, can play MP3's and show pictures. Comes preloaded with all North America Maps. It speaks street names, "turn left on Ash Street" as opposed to "Turn left in 100 feet", which is a cool and safe (Safer that taking eyes off road to see screen) feature. The I3 will show the streen name on the screen, but hasn't got the text to speech capability to convert street to audible direction.
It also has this really cool instrument panel, that shows your speed, average speed, time stopped etc in an aeroplane like display of analog dials. It holds more POI's (Points of interest, Restaurants, hotels etc) than Ix models.

The user interface is almost identical in the I3 and Nuvi. There is an I5 model which is basically I3 plus more storage (Maps of all North America loaded on device), costs an extra $100.

The Nuvi 350 was my first choice but it's more than my wife needs and is quite expensive (overpriced IMO).
I was also worried about having a ~$1K piece of electronics sitting in plain view in my wifes car. It's a pain to have to remove your GPS every time you park. With the cheaper model, not such a big worry.

I like garmin over other manafacturers for the following reasons....
1. Their maps are most accurate
2. Their User Interface is simplest to use. Anyone can begin using it right out of the box with no manual.
3. Their website is one of the most up to date of all vendors, providing software updates for the devices and maps.
4. They resale through Costco (although Nuvi is not currently available), best return policy in the world!!.

Hope this helps.

[Hornet]

Does anyone have any experiences of the Garmin Nuvi-series?
I'm really interested about the Nuvi 300 (~500-600 €). It seems that the Garmin products are good and the map software also great.

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