Garmin nüvi 285W/285WT 4.3-Inch $129.99 free shipping

As noted above, the 285W/285WT uses MSN Traffic and does not have a FM traffic receiver. With Garmin receivers that have a FM traffic receiver, you can purchase a lifetime subscription to Navteq traffic for $49.99 or ClearChannel traffic (the best) for $60.

IMO, it's worth paying the premium over the 285W/285WT for the Garmin 755T or 765T to get the lane assist feature. This shows you which lane you need to be in for turns, exits, etc. Keep an eye out for a 765T for under $200. The 755T and 765T are generally preferred to the newer 12xx/13xx/14xx series because they show more information on the map; Garmin's newer products show the street name or exit name of where you will turn, but not much else. There's extensive discussion of this on the Gpspassion forums.
 
KenF said:
As noted above, the 285W/285WT uses MSN Traffic and does not have a FM traffic receiver. With Garmin receivers that have a FM traffic receiver, you can purchase a lifetime subscription to Navteq traffic for $49.99 or ClearChannel traffic (the best) for $60.

IMO, it's worth paying the premium over the 285W/285WT for the Garmin 755T or 765T to get the lane assist feature. This shows you which lane you need to be in for turns, exits, etc. Keep an eye out for a 765T for under $200. The 755T and 765T are generally preferred to the newer 12xx/13xx/14xx series because they show more information on the map; Garmin's newer products show the street name or exit name of where you will turn, but not much else. There's extensive discussion of this on the Gpspassion forums.
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You forgot to mention that the 700 series has terrible quality control. Look at user reviews and you will see that tons are on their 3rd-4th unit. My friend is on his 2nd unit and is about to RMA that too. He had many older Garmins like the 500 and 200 series and those work great.

I would reccommend the 255W which can be found for as low as $120 online if you look around or the 265W which comes with lifetime FM traffic reports... http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-265WT-..._1?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1259358329&sr=8-1
 
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I too would opt for 265W over the 285W. That unit comes bundled with FM traffic from Navteq, which isn't as good as the MSN Traffic on the 285W. But that service isn't ending in 2011, and with the 265W, you can purchase a $60 subscription for ClearChannel traffic which is better than both MSN traffic and Navteq traffic.

As far as the 700 series, Garmin released a firmware update that hosed thousands of units. That is not an issue with the current/recent firmwares. The 700 series has also gone through several revisions and the latest revision is stable/reliable. When buying a new 765T, it is highly unlikely that one would receive one of the early revisions from 12-18 months ago. I would avoid used/refurbished 7x5 units, as those are more likely to be older revisions.
 
KenF said:
As far as the 700 series, Garmin released a firmware update that hosed thousands of units. That is not an issue with the current/recent firmwares. The 700 series has also gone through several revisions and the latest revision is stable/reliable. When buying a new 765T, it is highly unlikely that one would receive one of the early revisions from 12-18 months ago. I would avoid used/refurbished 7x5 units, as those are more likely to be older revisions.
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Ah! Good to know. I did notice that some newer reviewers loved their units. I still have a 500 series Garmin I use on daily basis that works like a champ, only issue is that it takes a few mins to pick up signal but not that huge of an issue.
 
i have played around with the new 12xx/13xx/and 1400 series, the touch screen on the new units hands down beats all the wt's and all the 700t series, I don't think I would every buy anything other than the new 1xxx series, it is just a pleasure to type on those, the older model touch screen is really not accurate, and keyboard is way better on the newer models than the older ones. thats just my opnion, I have had the 755 in the past till it broke down on me, and after I touched the new models I would not even look at the 700 series.
 
The 255WT is 129.99 at best buy right now. It's the same thing as the 265wt minus bluetooth support. I picked up one with 10% discover cash back.
 
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