Hi Everyone,

want to buy a GPS.. and Garmin was recommended by a friend.. found both Nuvi 370 and Nuvi 660 for the same price which is around $570

Nuvi 370


Nuvi 660



i want a portable one.. which the 370 i think is better .. the main thing for me in a GPS is taking me from A to B...and advice?

 

Whats the diff between the 360 and 370? I've seen the 360 for just over $400. 660 just adds traffic and a wider screen. I've used a friends 360 and found it to be the perfect size and functionality was excellent. The MINI windshield real estate is too expensive IMO for the 660.

 

I mount mine on the center speedo, at the 3 o'clock position. Works great and is convient to use.

 

370 has north america and europe maps loaded. 360 is north america only.

the 360/370 are more "pocket sized" than the 660. and the 660 wide screen doesn't buy you much IMHO. I have the 350 with a panvise mount holding it to the right of my stereo - it's not in the way there, but the 660 is just enough bigger that I think it would be...

 

Have 660 and very pleased, mount mine on speedo also. Costco has terrific deal on web page on Garmin products for Fathers Day, you can beat the deal you quoted.

 

I went with the 660. The screen is bigger and MUCH brighter.

 

Sam's Club has the Garmin 360 for $449.88 but the Garmin 350 is only $383.38. According to Garmin the only difference between the 2 is that the 360 has bluetooth (which I have no need for). Is that true?

 

Yep - 350 vs. 360 difference is bluetooth. Nothing else that I'm aware of.

And I agree with you - bluetooth on a GPS really doesn't do much for us top-down types - too noisy to be useful.

 

I am taking the plunge on my 1st GPS at the end of this month. I was reading up on the TomTom 910 vs the Garmin. The Garmin wins hands down in screen display but I am leaning towards the TomTom because it has the wired & wireless ability to use the car stereo for sound transmission. I wonder if the Garmin 360's bluetooth allows it to wirelessly transmit sound to the stereo like that. Per many reviews I have read the TomTom also seemed better at handling quickie, unexpected detours. The TomTom also seemed more scenic route friendly as it lets you hook it up directly to your PC & map out your route via the puter. I guess I need to go read some more but the Garmin site wasn't exactly forthcoming with mega info

 

My .02...

The wired vs. wireless sound point:
The Garmin will plug right into your aux port (if you have one) and works great as an MP3 player (especially if you spring for a 4GB SD card for it). While connected like this, it plays sound through the stereo - both music and voice directions - and sounds great. I *think* the bluetooth on the Garmin only allows it to act as a hands-free for your cell phone - which is useless in a convertible with the top down. Better off with a good noise cancelling bluetooth headset. The wireless transmitter in the TomTom (also in the Nuvi 660 I think) is an FM modulator so you can broadcast through an "unused" FM station on your radio - but in my experience this doesn't work well - because there are almost no "unused" FM segments of the dial in urban and suburban areas now. So you're always fighting static - and as you drive from town to town, the stations change, so a frequency that worked in one location won't work as you drive further down the road... I'm sold on the aux input as the better solution.

Regarding route planning - not sure how this works with the TomTom - but that would be a definite advantage and is the primary feature missing from the Nuvi line. The Nuvis are designed as easy to use, standalone GPS - no PC route planning. I'm considering getting a Garmin Zumo at some point because it supports this - what I really want is a unit that allows PC-based route planning and that also will capture a track (like the wristmounted running GPSs) so you can play your drive back in Google Earth... But I'm still looking for the "perfect" unit for us driving enthusiast types...

That said, with its limitations, I love the Nuvi.

 

From what I read the TomTom 910 can either broadcast sound wirelessly or via aux cable also. I guess I need to go check them both out vary closely at the electronics store.

Also I don't mean to take over the thread & hopefully this will be useful info for to OP too For all you folks with GPS installed... I am looking at one of these 3 no-drill mounting solutions from ProClip Mounting Systems Which location/ position would you prefer & why?

Driver side:


Passenger side up high
(not wild about this one as I want to keep my cupholder)


Passenger side down low

 

I prefer the passenger side high location. I also prefer the panvise clip over the proclip for that location. See my configuration here.

Reason for the location preferece - it's very easy to see and reach. I had my cellphone mounted on the high-left mount and it was obscured behind the steering wheel for the most part. Also easy to hit with your knee. I've now moved my phone up to an adhesive dash mount - still obscured, but know more kneeage. Would be harder to see and reach in the right-low position, and reception might not be as good. Also that's where my minifini cupholders are.

Reason I like the panvise - more sturdy/stable for a large device like a GPS - this is the metal one that mounts with the stereo head unit screws.

 

UGH you're no help I am determined to keep my crime-against-nature cupholder

 

No comparison if you care about the screen. The 660's substancially brighter, more crisp and of course more usable due to it's size. I've used both and would highly recommend going with the 660.

 

what does it means by transatlantic?

 

Abe's of Maine has the 360 for $404, no tax, no shipping fee.

YD