Best Garmin GPS

Garmin is the market leader in car GPS systems. They sell about half the GPS systems sold. Garmin makes everything from entry level GPS devices to ultra-high end, top of the line models. There is truly a Garmin GPS device for everyone. Finding Best Garmin GPS to buy on the internet can require some time consuming research. This article will help you choose which of their many models to buy.

Garmin’s main car GPS systems are the StreetPilot and the nuvi. The StreetPilot line came on the scene first. The nuvis are later arrivals.

Although StreetPilots are great GPS devices, they’re bulkier and heavier. They also don’t offer all of the features that the nuvi line offers. There are a lot of people, though, who are die hard StreetPilot customers. So, I’ll cover those first.

Garmin StreetPilot c330 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

With a simple touch screen interface, automatic route calculation to any destination, and turn-by-turn voice-prompted directions, the StreetPilot c330 GPS navigator is a powerful companion for your adventures on the road. Plus, Garmin has designed the “c-series” of car navigation units to be as simple and easy-to-use as possible– no more intimidating features, just straightforward, basic navigation at your fingertips. Selecting a destination is as simple as a few finger-strokes, and you can choose between a three-dimensional navigation view or the more traditional “bird’s eye” overhead view.

In-car navigation has never been easier—or more affordable. Our StreetPilot “c-series” GPS navigators feature a simple touchscreen interface, with automatic route calculation to any destination and turn-by-turn voice-prompted directions along the way. Selecting a destination is straightforward and requires only a limited amount of input from the user.

GARMIN 010-00522-00 Streetpilot C550 GPS Receiver

For about eighty dollars more, you can upgrade to the StreetPilot c550, which adds Bluetooth™, real-time traffic, and mp3 player capability. It also pronounces the street names — instead of just telling you “turn right here,” for instance.

Spring for yet another seventy dollars, and you can get the c580 with digital picture viewer and what’s called MSN® Direct (traffic, etc from MSN®) piped directly to the device. At slightly less than $400, that’s a lot of GPS device for the money.

But honestly, I’m biased. I really like the Garmin nuvi line. I think they’re a phenomenal series of products.

There are five numbered series in the nuvi line, 200s, 300s, 600s, 700s, and the new 800s. The nuvi 200s are the entry level devices, the 700s the high end. Let’s take a look at each of the series in order.

Starting at less than $200, the nuvi 200 line offers excellent GPS systems at an affordable price. The nuvi 200 is their base unit. It comes preloaded with maps of the United States, millions of Points of Interest (locations of hotels, Starbucks and hospitals), and can store and display your digital photos. If you’re just interested in quality, but basic GPS navigation, then the 200 series is probably right for you.

The nuvi 300 series adds real-time traffic and weather, Bluetooth™ for hands-free calling, mp3 player capability, and actually saying street names, instead of just saying “turn left.”

Garmin nüvi 350 GPS Navigator

What if one device could help you navigate anywhere in the U.S. andCanada, while offering travel tips, storing your favorite tunes and photos, providing translation assistance, and more? That device is here, and it’s not much bigger than a deck of cards. The Garmin nüvi 350 is set to revolutionize what we expect from a GPS navigation device, or from any device for that matter. The nuvi 350 does everything, except Bluetooth™, and costs around $300. Bluetooth™ is only a $20 upgrade to the nuvi 360.

The main difference between the 300 series and the 600 series is the 600s all have wide screens.

The nuvi 650 is just like the 350, but with a 4.3-inch wide screen. It costs only about $50 more. Bump up to the
All the 700 series adds to the mix is multiple destination routing. With this you can designate more than one destination, and the device will plot the best route to cover them all!

Garmin nüvi 850 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator

With the nüvi 800 series, Garmin adds smooth speech recognitionto its bestselling line of sleek portable GPS navigators. As with all nüvis, you get a slim, pocket-sized navigator with a gorgeous display, detailed NAVTEQ maps that let you search by name for more than 6 million points of interest like stores, restaurants or hospitals, and an easy, intuitive interface. All of the 800-series navigators also feature a rich array of features including spoken directions in real street names, integrated traffic receivers, MP3 player and photo viewer, and an FM transmitter that will play all the nüvi’s audio, including voice prompts, MP3s, audio books, and more, directly through your vehicle’s stereo system. The 850 also features an integrated traffic receiver and enhanced MSN Direct content with traffic data, reas-time gas prices, movie times and more.