GPS: Which One To Buy?

I'm looking for a hand held GPS unit that can do farely well as a driving guide(directions) to find places like restaurants, hotels and specific addresses (if that's possible). I'd also like to be able to use that same GPS unit for Geocaching too. My budget is around $350. Is there such a beast that is within my budget?

I use a Rino 120, it feeds a laptop in my truck. I chose it for two reasons, it has fantastic tree penetration for Geocaching and it is also a FRS radio. If you have two it will allow to you "see" the other radio user from a couple miles away.
Street driving, not so good, small screen.. You have a job ahead of you, you want both ends of the GPS spectrum.. You will do fine though, your price range will provide you with a great unit. Good luck!

I use a Garmin GPS 60CS for vehicle navigation and geocaching. It may be a little more than you are willing to spend, however. It has a decent amount of RAM to D/L maps into (topo maps are great for geocaching). There are a lot of good options out there now. I'll agree with Pydpiper on how the small screen sizes make not the best candidate for highway navigation. I had a Garmin Vista before the 60CS and I really like how the color screen adds to the readability. I also like the way the built-in electronic compass integrates with the geocaching feature. Cheers,

Paul

A small screen shouldn't bee to bothersome as my wife will be the navigator relaying the information to me /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

This one should meet most of your requirements:
GPS-V

I have had mine for 3 years now, and it is one of the few that performs autorouting with "points-of-interest" including hotels, restaraunts, shopping, etc.

Pros: Complete navigation in one package (no need for PC while driving), will re-calculate a new route if you stray off course, white led backlight is plenty bright for night time use.

Cons: B/W display, small display but still useful, no voice prompts.

This unit has come down in price substantially since I purchased mine. I shelled out $500 for mine little over three years ago, but now can be had for below you maximum budget.

Regards,

Abbie

Dark -

I'm also in the process of looking for a relatively inexpensive GPS for driving. A techno-freak friend who has had 7 GPS units says that the Lowrance iFinder Pro, coupled with the additional MapCreate 6.3 software, is the best he has seen for this application. Should be able to get both for under $300. If you are interested, make sure to stick with the "Pro" flavor and the 6.3 (i.e., the latest) version of the mapping software. I haven't purchased it yet, but am going to. www.lowrance.com.

best regards

The GPS-V was really great except for the fixed memory limitation and serial transfer; I would always get caught without the right detailed maps loaded, because it wouldn't cover all the areas I wanted.
I have the Garmin 60C after going to the Garmin 2610, and it's working fine for me now. Main reason I don't like my 2610 is its portability (lack thereof). The 60C has enough memory for me to work with, and even if I needed to change maps, it's really speedy because it has a USB interface. The GPS-V took eons to load up its meager memory in comparison.
The 60C has a nice color display, uses only 2AA's, small, compact, autorouting (only when you buy the separately purchased map software though!).

The LegendC is very nice!!!

I can vote for the 60C, I have had one since they were released, also had a Garmin V for at leaset 3 years, it runs like a champ, but if you are needing maps and other data, 60C will be better, unless you want the barametric altimeter and baramter, you can spend less on the 60C compared to the 60CS.

After getting a couple of ideas from here, I looked at the Garmin GPS-V and the Garmin 60CS. It really looks like the 60CS can pretty much do what the GPS-V and more right?
I found a 60CS that's just a hair over my budget.
Garmin 60CS = $386

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

Quest has some cool stuff, but way out of my budget /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/broke.gif If I'm not mistaken, it also uses special batteries (Lithium Ion). Probably not the best if the batteries die when your in the middle of nowhere, then again carry a spare set or maybe it can take AA's?

Like Gessner said, you don't need to pay the extra for a 60CS, unless you have some special reasons for needing a altimeter/barometer. My watch already does that, and using the function on the 60CS uses up the batteries more quickly.
Haven't priced it lately, but I got it for $318 a while back, and usually the prices only go down.

Remember that whatever you buy, you will need to shell out another $130 or so for the maps and mapping software. The 60CS or similar would be a good bet. I have the Garmin E-trex Legend C, love it, and it fits all of your listed requirements in a very small and portable form. Definitely look at it. The main limitation is 32MB of memory which has proven to be adequate for my needs, but not generous.

Wow! Another $130 for software! I guess I'm going to have to rethink this now as the mapping is the main thing I'm getting a GPS. $380+$130 = $510 is way out of my budget. Then again, Father's Day is just around the corner....
Before the 60CS, I was looking at the Garmin Vista C for about $300 a couple of months ago. Decisions, Decisions.... Thanks everyone for your suggestions! Please keep them coming as I'm still sorta up in the air about which to get.

Thanks!

Garmin 60CS takes the cake, robust lil mapping unit.

Oh, and it's a handheld... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

gps

Garmin Ique - under $400 - best of a mapping gps complete with voice turn by turn directions - and a palm based pda.

I've had mine for a year and love it!

Marc

You can get the Ique in a package that includes the mapping software and certain car accessories like a mount, power adapter, etc. Last I saw it was retailing at about $600, but probably lower now. Especially if you find a good discounter or second hand deal (online auction or whatever). A package deal might be a way to get a little more for your money.

Unfortunately, I don't have a PDA /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Nethiker- I think Garmin decided to not use flash media because it comprimises the waterproofness of the unit, I wouldn't feel comfortable using it in rain with a slot. I think it was probably in their best interst as they are all warranted IPX7 waterproof. They made one that took media called the EMAP, only water resistant.

Dark Cobra--Remember you still get compass and altitude data with the 60C, but the altitude is just not quite as precise as an actual barametric altimeter and the compass only works when you are moving which normally is no problem, especially in a car. Although altitude is seems and is supposed to be more accurate with the WAAS enable recievers (which 60C is). I will also comment that battery life on the 60 series is suppurb on 2 AA's and the screen is awsome because it is transreflective and sunlight never drowns it out. Good luck with whichever one you choose.