Looking on the Garmin site to look at models (thinking of getting one) and on the main site they have a MINI!
http://www.garmin.com/garmin/cms/site/us

Any way...what is the best Garmin unit?

 

The best Garmin is the Nuvi 800 series, but that may not be what you want or need. Since it's brand new, you'll pay a premium to have it. All Garmin Nuvis use the same maps and basic software, so you really need to decide what features are important to you. The Garmin site does a pretty good job of letting you compare features.

The MINI branded one you can overpay for from a dealer is a Garmin Nuvi 360. I have a Nuvi 760 and love it. In retrospect I could have gotten a 750 for less since my JCW has BT for my iPhone. But at the time I bought it, I had an M3 without BT so it made sense. A great middle of the line unit is the Nuvi 600 series. Amazon typically has good prices. Watch dealnews.com for the best deals on them.

 

My Nuvi200 works just fine for me. Only cost me $100, too. I know lots of people want more than a basic one, though... If you do, please be aware that the new ones are coming out very soon (October 1, I think.) Search amazon.com for info. Here's the new 755T, with free traffic info for life, and all sorts of other goodies: http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-755T-4-...454 11&sr=8-1

Garmin's site has a good comparison tool as well. Check the boxes on the ones you want to compare. https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=134

Have fun,
Will

 

"Best" depends on what you need and the features you use. The Nuvi's lack the customizable pages and data fields that have been common on Garmin's up until the Nuvi line came out. Not to mention many of the early ones lack route storage, tracklogs, and even elevation display, which are just a few of the "standard" features that have been stripped out to make them more non-geeky for the average user.

The newest Nuvi's have some of these features again, but still not the ability to change what is displayed on each page or how the pages are ordered.

The best one is the one that has all the features you need. Nobody makes a "best" for my use yet.

 

I know what you mean about the nuvi's lack of customization - my last Garmin was a 276c, and I could choose up to four data fields out of about 35 to display on the main page.

The nuvis *can* display elevation, though - it's just hidden. If you press the top-left corner of the main page (the signal-strength bars), it pops up a screen showing which satellites you're locked onto, along with your speed to the nearest 0.1 MPH (compared to the normal speed display that only reads to the nearest MPH) and your elevation in feet.

I don't know if every nuvi can do this, but the entire 3xx and 6xx series have the feature.

 

Consumer Reports has a good buying guide which discuss various features and how to choose plus the report on specific brands and models.

Link here:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/c...ps-sub/gps.htm