[axeman61]

My mom wants a TomTom. She wants one out of my weak paycheck. I've stopped screaming in my head. This isn't that unreasonable and I probably owe her a lot more with all the crap she puts up with from me.

So, anyway. She said she wanted a TomTom. She's not good with technology, though, and probably only wants one because she saw it somewhere.

I, on the other hand, shop for quality and assurance that she'll stay off of me wondering what this and that does. The Garmin nuvi brand keeps popping up as a better choice: Easier to use with more features.
But Amazon has a Garmin nuvi 350 for 150 (no S & H if you're willing to wait forever), while Newegg has a 250 for 99 bucks. These are Black Friday sales, so I have to jump quick on this. I know nothing about GPS systems, so I don't know if there are more fees to be had after paying. I know nothing about the difference between these two or even if they're the best. Can anyone who has had one or the other (or both in sequence) tell me which one I should get?

[DoubleHelix]

The 250 does not have speech-to-text which means instead of hearing "Turn right on Elm Street" it'll say "Turn right in 300 feet".

The 350 is an older model and will need a map update which runs about $70.

There are no additional fees for any Nuvi models unless you subscribe to traffic information.

Go to www.garmin.com to read about the features of different models.

[axeman61]

Really? I HATE hidden costs like that. Do you really need the map updates?

[DoubleHelix]

It's not a hidden cost. The 350 is more than a year old. You only need the map updates if you want your mom's GPS to have current location information. If she doesn't mind outdated information, skip it.

[axeman61]

I know it's not a hidden hidden cost, but I never saw it researching the nuvi on Amazon. Guess I should have gone to the official site. I was SO geared up to buy it before I saw that

Edit: Oh. Duh. It's not explicitly stated, but the Amazon info on the Garmin at the bottom mentions buying the update. No price or anything, but buying should have been a clue.

But, how many map updates have you had since your purchase, Doublehelix?

[DoubleHelix]

Garmin releases an update a year. If you buy a brand spanking new GPS today, you'll still need an update next year.

[Guyzer]

I love my TomTom GO700 and have been 100% satisfied. For most consumers a gps is a gps. Touch screen is about all you need, the rest is fairly basic and uniform between brands. The voices will drive you nutz after a very short while. I have mine turned off for that reason.

[JohnWill]

I've had both Garmin and TomTom units, the ease of use is similar. I currently have a couple of TomTom units, a 720 Go and a TomTom One. My daughters both have Garmin units, one was a hand-me-down that I updated the map and gave to one of them.