OK, being an electronics guru of another sort I feel a bit stupid even posting this.

That said, I'm looking for a good GPS to use on the road. I have a Garmin GPSMap76S that I've had for many years. The reason I got it was I wanted a hand held I could put maps on as well as take fishing and hiking. I will probably be replacing it at some point as it isn't working the greatest, but right now I want to invest in a good GPS for the road.

I just took a look at Garmin's website to see what offerings they have in the vehicle/road navigation category. WOW! I didn't expect that many options. I am not quite sure where to start. The price of them is very reasonable, in fact I am surprised they are as inexpensive as they are. I paid about $6-700 for my GPSmap76S, accessories, and software about 6 years ago.

So I guess my question is where I start? I don't need bluetooth, MP3 capabilities, anything that talks to me, etc. I just want a great quality GPS that, preferrably, has a large screen and an external antenna. The rest of the bells and whistles (non-GPS functionality) doesn't have any use in my use of this tool as a driving aid. They probably all have voice commands but I'm sure I can turn them off, right?

Any suggestions?

 

I did some more investigating last night and today and the Nuvi 1490T looked pretty good. It has the bigger screen (5" compared to what seems to be the "standard", at least in Garmin's lineup, 4.3"). Added to that it has the FM traffic receiver in the package and it can use the optional ecoRoute module (OBDII reader and monitors fuel efficiency - pretty cool!).

I almost put an order in on Amazon. I piled up a bunch of accessories and started checking out. Then I figured I would look around to see if I could find some reviews first. Boy am I glad I did!! The 1400 series (1450, 1490) looks like it has a history of rebooting, turning off by itself, locking up, etc. That is a shame. The 1400 series is the only super size screen Garmin makes.

Now I am looking at the 255WT and 265WT. I think the only real differences between the two are the 265 has bluetooth and the travel data (currency calculator, world time zones, etc). I think the travel data would be cool but not completely necessary. I don't really need the bluetooth. Both have the smaller 4.3" screen and also accept the ecoRoute module. So I should be in good shape there, though I wish I could get a bigger screen. It should still be functional though.

Both the 255WT and 265WT look like the reviews are pretty good overall (from Best Buy). I'm glad I spotted the 1400 series problems. If I bought from Amazon I couldn't easily return it or exchange it. If I buy locally I can, although at an inflated cost plus tax. Might be worth it though.