I'm helping my friend find a good portable navigation system for around $500-$600.

Any suggestions?

 

tomtom? i just heard of it lately but then again it could be a canadian product too

 

this seems like a really good deal:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...lance&n=172282

 

tomtom and magellin or somethin

 

i have the garmin c330, damn thing is sweet as hell, all touch screen etc.

 

There are several models that fall into price range. Check out Mega GPS for prices.

Info on the Tom Tom 300, click here

 

I have seen the TOMTOM work and it is great. They have a model (700??) that has built in Bluetooth that your BT cellphone can work though.

 

Yea, the 700 has BT capability and their website lists the following carriers & phones:
T Mobile: Nokia 3660, Nokia 6600, Nokia 6620, Sony Ericsson T610
Cingular: Sony Ericsson T637, Nokia 6620, Nokia 7610, Nokia 6230, Nokia 7610, Nokia 6600, Motorola RAZR 3, Motorola V551, Motorola MPX220
AT & T: Audiovox SMT 5600, Imate SP3, Imate SP3i
Verizon: Audiovox XV6600
Whether or not it supports other BT phones that remains to be seen or at least till their listing is updated.

 

I ran across this one in the Aug issue of Car Sound & Performance mag and it was given a pretty decent review. Somewhat expensive comparing it to the Tom Tom. Additonal info can be found here.

 

We just recently started selling TOMTOM products, very nice, especially for the $$$

 

That's good to know, how much?

 

i have the tom tom 700 and i recommend it~!!

 

I just bought a refurb on ebay for 500 w/ 1 yr factory warranty. Nice looking unit and the beanbag mount fits nicely on the TSX dash (in front of the clock). The speaker/power is loud and clear, although the adaptor is so snug in the power socket that I have to use 2 hands to remove it to avoid ripping out the socket itself from the console. The screen is light sensitive and auto-adjusts well in both sunlight and the dark of night. Route calculation is pretty fast about 5-10 seconds. This came with North America v.6 software pre-loaded, I think I qualify for the current v.7 hopefully I'll get the free unlock code.

Some problems I've found:
As with most GPS devices the routings are not perfect, such as when I inputted a pretty straightforward trip and it took me off some weird exit instead of continuing on the highway. My default setting is Fastest route, I still have to play with the Shortest route.

I inputted 2 of my favorite restaurants and the system found their street address correctly but placed them in another town??!!

So far after 1 week I really like the unit and feel its a great purchase. The best part is the ability to move it from car to car. Hopefully, v7 updated map software will correct those problems I've noted.

 

I have an older Garmin unit and it still works great. I did break the power plug from it being so snug, so I had to get a new cable from Garmin.

www.thegpsstore.com seems to have good prices on these items.

 

i just saw that alpine released their own portable navi, called the blackbird. i haven't seen it in person, but alpine usually makes good stuff.

 

Wait for the blackbird or up the budget for the better TomTom

 

More info can be found here

 

I just purchased a Cobra 4500 from a Honda Dealer in Cleveland. The Cobra works incredible. I would pick it above the Garmin any day of the week. The dealership also has TomTom's in there inventory. I'm sure they have more. Anybody interested can go to www.jayhonda.com or www.hondapartstogo.com

I placed my order on a tuesday and had my unit thursday. Not bad.

 

WOW this looks great!! And with being BT capable i wouldnt have to get a seperate BT unit!! Keep up the suggestions, im sure many other members are wanting Navi's for their non-navi's

 

Yeah I drove around with 1 once for a day, it's pretty cool. U can even pull up a keypad and manually type in phone numbers to call. some of the other cool little things: u can customize the voice prompts and they're downloadable. So u can have just about any voice telling u how to get to where ur going (Kermit the frog, Elmer Fud, Jenna Jamason.....jk)

 

 

I'm liking the new Garmin Nuvi 350 simply for how small it is. Lately though, the Magellan 760 has been selling a lot due to the $899 price tag and its' easy user interface.

And yes StreetEffectz, the TOMTOM series are quite a good bang for your buck. I've been selling them for a little over a year now and the TOMTOM GO 300 has been flying out since the $599 price tag dropped from $699. Same for the Garmin C330. (Awaiting the C340).

Lastly, I must admit the Blackbird from Alpine looks incredible. Hopefully I'll get those in

 

HAHA sounds great. With everything included in this it will be well worth the price tag! Thanks for all the info!

 

MrChaos, what features does the Garmin 340 have and what would the price be? If and when you do get the Blackbird, would you post a price on them? I might be interested if the price is right.

 

Sony is releasing a portable Navi too. Haven't heard any reviews, but it's MSRP is $599.
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTE..._gpsnavigation

 

If it's anything like the TOMTOM GO700, probably Bluetooth, more maps, etc.

The Blackbird, IF WE DO GET IT, will be around $899.99.

 

I just got a Magellan Roadmate 760 from my company so Ill let you know how it is when it comes in the mail this week.

 

900? the alpine website is $750. i hope that price includes the dock

 

 

sorry for the resurrect

i'm really looking into the tomtom300, is there any major difference to the 700? and, how accurate is the tomtom300?

thanks guys

 

The GO700 has capabilities to sync up with a Bluetooth phone, a separate remote control and the ability to add on European maps. It's a very nice unit for the money and if you look around and are savy, you can find one for $700-800.