I've been looking at GPS, that was until I spent my savings on flashlights /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/broke.gif. I too wanted a handheld unit that would also do double duty in the car with auto-routing.
From what I could find, the Garmin 60cs is a great unit, but by the time you purchase the additional detailed city maps, you might as well have purchased the next level up--Garmin Quest--which has twice the memory and comes with the maps.
I don't know why Garmin doesn't incorporate a SD card reader. Magellan does and they have their new Explorist 500 shipping next week. That goes for about $450 without the detailed city maps, but it is suppose to have some neat geocaching features like direct download from the net, a new file structure similar to what's on your computer, and a great compass.
Since I'm out of cash now-- thanks to Bill, Andrew, and Charlie, I figure that by the time I have enough saved, Garmin will get their act together and add the card reader. That way you don't need your laptop for those cross country trips. I'm also going to keep my eye on the Magellan, but for some reason I like the Garmin UI.
Greg