Locally Best Buy has a Garmin StreetPilot C 330 GPS unit on sale for $ 299.99. I have been watching the prices on the C 330, and @ $299.99 this is the lowest price, here anyway. Know little about the unit, as the people in our circle of Rv friends do not use them. I guess they all know where their going, and how to get there !! Please, if anyone knows anything about this GPS, as to experiences, opinions, reviews, good or bad, please advise. Thanks
Hey Butch, go to avsforum.com, there are mostly techno geeks there. I took a quick look and they rate the C330 pretty good, esp compared to the tom tom. You can find out pretty much anything you want to know about it, most of the time more than you want to know. They mostly talk way over my head, but you can get some very useful information. Hope it helps,
Hi, There are a number of GPS antennas that can be used with a laptop. For example this unit from Ebay item 190086334030 http://cgi.ebay.ca/Microsoft-Streets-and-T...1QQcmdZViewItem Cost on a buy it now is $46.99. I find it lovely to be able to have unlimited storage for bread crumb trails. The only downside is the need for having an inverter to run the laptop.
Butch I use them all the time in the boat and when riding the ATV. I really have never seen the need for it on the road. I keep extensive tracks of trails that I ride the ATV on, so I can share them or return to an area. In the boat they can keep you on coarse or you can find your way back on the bread crumb trail. Or to return to an exact spot to fish. On the road you have to use them with a mapping program. We have used Streets and trips to lay out a route and have had it make mistakes. I guess if I were to drive in strange cities alot it could help. Out side of that I think it is just another toy that can be fun or drive you nuts.
i have used gps for years on my boat to ckeck the course and help find the way. good tool on the water. On land i have found that the maps with them are generally not acccurate enough. This winter i got the campground maping program form good sam their trip planner. It did a very good job of laying out the trip that i just took to florida. it seemed to be accurate and you can chose your own routes and get good directions. Route comes up on your laptop and cam be4 printed if you want.
My hubby has one (GPS 5), we use it all the time. (Mainly because I can never remember to pack th directions! ) It is helpfull when looking for restrooms, resturants, etc... even the world's largest ball of string (no kidding, it is listed in there) You can hit a button and it tells you the attractions in the area. (He is itiing next to me reading this, now thinking he is getting a new one, thanks ) It is also helpful when there is a detor or traffic or something. I understand it is a one time fee...
Just a short note to say "thank you" for your response to my request for information on the Garmin C 330 GPS unit, more food for thought, thanks again.
Not knowledgable on that particular model but know Garmin is tops. We were going to get one...think it was 4 digit model ?? but ended up using our Verizon cell phone with GPS feature. Just don't travel enough to buy yet...although that price sounds good. I am navigator so I can man cell phone if necessary. Kate
Butch, you are costing me money, buddy. After reading your thread, I decided to go buy one for hubby. I am going to get it at Circuit City as I have a $15 off coupon there. They have it for the same price as Best buy but if you find it cheaper locally, you can bring in proof and they will give it to you for that price plus take off 110% of the difference. I found it at WalMart for 293.02, so I figure I will get it for around $270 with my coupon. Well I am off to Circuit City.....
Addendum to previous post - I just found it at CostCo online for 249.00 so will get it for around $235 at Circuit City by taking in the CostCo ad I printed out... 4 hrs. later....got the GPS. They actually will not give 110% of the difference if it is CostCo, Sam's or some other members only club, but will honor the price, so I paid $249.99 and then got $15 off with my coupon. Guess I got a pretty good deal. I got it for Greg for his birthday but as it is over 2 months away, I imagine I will give it to him before that - I won't be able to keep it a secret that long!!!
That's because you have to pay a membership fee at Sam's and Costco to get their prices. Also, you don't necessarily have to take in proof of the lower price. Most stores will have sale ads of their competitors in the office to verify, if not, they will call for you. And another thing, if you buy there and find it cheaper within the next 30 days, they give you 110% of the difference back. I used to work at one!
Thanks Cheryl, I will keep checking prices for the next 30 days and see if I can find it cheaper, but I think I got a pretty good deal, so even if I don't, I am happy with it and think Greg will really like it. When we flew to Texas in Dec, our rental car had one in it and Greg played with it all the time.
Good Grief !!! Now my $ 100.00 off deal @ $ 299.99 surely does not sound that good. Camping World sells it for $ 368.00, Sears @ $ 329.99, and on the Garmin website @ full retail @ $ 399.99. We do not have Costco, as yet anyway, and Sams closed their store here, but we did not have a membership with them anyway. Will have to check out BJs and WalMarts. That Cheryl Fuller sure is a good shopper. Sorry Cheryl that I cost you some money, but just think how pleased Greg will be. So I guess I'll have to keep looking and watching prices. I just had a thought, maybe I can ask my Kathy to buy me one for my birthday, that's not a good idea, as it's in October, and that will be after the camping season for 2007. Thanks for the information, will have to dig deeper as to prices.
Butch, I hardly shop at Best Buy, so don't know if they "price match" but I would imagine they do? Do you have a Circuit City? If you find a better price, just print it out and take it to the store. I also did the same thing when I recently upgraded my iPod, and ended up paying $50 less than their price (we usually buy just about everything electronic at Circuit City). I don't know, but maybe Best Buy would honor CostCo's price anyway - you don't have to be a member to look at the website - oops, just went to the website to send you the link and the 330 isn't listed today - wonder if they sold out or if they feature different one on different days - how weird. Well, keep looking - even at 299.00, it was a good price because I was reading about it on a website last night that was jsut reviewing it, not selling it, and they said it norrmally sells for around $400...
I'm pretty sure Best Buy also price matches (beats), but the store has to be within a certain mile radius of their store. So, if Butch doesn't have a Costco in the area, they won't match the price. It wouldn't hurt to ask though, policies may have changed.
Update: Have checked with a number of on-line stores that have a electronics dept. The one with the best price is Walmart @ $ 293.02. One has to beware that some stores are selling "refurbished" units for a price that looks to good to be true. Although I have purchased "re-packs" before, and were warranted as if brand new, and did not have a problem. It does make you wonder if you are doing the right thing at the time of purchase though. Good old Walmart comes through again. Will probably cost me the difference in the price for the fuel to and fro to make the purchase.
Hi, I have had a Garmin C330 now for about 1 1/2 years and am very happy with it. This is my third GPS (former ones were a Garmin eTrex Legend and laptop software and usb gps). This Garmin model works great finding your way in unfamiliar territory and does save you frustration and time. It's very easy to use and also has functions to find gas, places to eat, etc. The reason I switched to a portable model was ease of use for my wife and also just plug in and go. If you can afford it the newer model C530 has more features and is the one I would recommend. One thing about shopping at Costco is you can always return it if unsatisfied or it breaks down. GPS City also has these units and I have dealt with them before with great service. What I found is even using it locally to give direction you will find it will tell you to take a differnt route to your destination and guess what, it accutally is faster. Good luck and happy camping.
For all who answered my inquiry on the Garmin GPS, your voiced opinions and experiences are appreciated, and will use that information in my purchase. Thank you
