GPS Outlet & Clearance Review • Best Price

If you spend much time driving in unfamiliar territory, especially if you rent cars in big cities, a good portable GPS makes an amazing difference. And the Garmin 255W is the best one I could find in the $250 – $350 range.

First this thing just plain works. I haven’t had any issues with mine. It was easy to set up and figure out right out of the box, and it’s easy to use. It never has had trouble getting sufficient signal unlike earlier and cheaper models.

I chose the 255W for several reasons: It uses some of the newest and best maps available. It has one of the more usable touch screens for entering destinations. It’s fast to acquire satellites. And Garmin almost always comes out on top in reviews–especially in routing.

Ultimately, you buy a car GPS to get you from Point A to Point B as easily and efficiently as possible. And that’s what the 255W does best. If you’ve ever had a “Brand X” GPS take you on some strange route that adds 20 minutes to your trip, has you turn the wrong way down a one way road, tell you to turn AFTER you’ve passed the street, frequently loses the satellite signal, or has old maps missing streets, you know how important this stuff is.

The 255W has a really clear display that’s easy to see in any light. It’s small enough to use on foot. The windshield mount works great and it’s easy to toss in the glovebox when you park. It even tells you the speed limit on most roads. The “points of interest” feature works very well to find places to eat by type of cuisine, gas stations, etc.

The difference between the 255W and 205W is the 255 speaks street names and includes Alaska and Canada. The 205 and 205W will tell you to “turn right in 500 feet” which isn’t as helpful or obvious as “turn right on Ivy Street in 500 feet”. The “W” models are widescreen which makes entering destinations easier due to having a bigger “keyboard” and also lets you see more map area while driving.

All in all this isn’t the cheapest GPS in its class but it’s one of the best. My only gripe is you need an expensive add-on to get live traffic data–something that’s included with the Magellan Roadmate 1430 which is close to the same price. But the Garmin 255W is a better GPS in every other way.

I have never owned any GPS prior to this unit, so my opinion is more about owning a GPS than owning a Garmin 255w.

I did some research and finally decided to buy this unit, and after using it for a couple of weeks, I am really happy with my purchase. Although sometimes it gives weird instruction, (Like it always wants me to go all the way around at the beginning of the trip even if there is a shorter route when I leave from my house.) but it always takes me to the right place eventually.

It is such a relief that I don’t need to think about how to get to places anymore.

Garmin 255W is fast, and I haven’t had situation where I lost signal. I also love that it speaks the street names. It also can display and speak many languages. I am thinking about buying another one of these for my parents because their native language is Chinese and Garmin 255W speaks and display it!

Note: It doesn’t come with wall power outlet. The only way you can charge it is by using the car charger. If you plan on using it outside of the car a lot, you might want to consider getting the optional wall power charger.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #194 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Garmin
• Model: 010-N0718-20
• Dimensions: 3.30″ h x 6.60″ w x 6.60″ l, 1.30 pounds

Features

• Refurbished
• 4.3-inch auto navigator with an anti theft feature
• HotFix calculates your position faster to get you there quicker
• Compatible with optional enhanced MSN Direct content
• JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock, currency converter, calculator and more

Customer Reviews

Great widescreen, street naming unit at a budget price
Was exactly what I was looking for. Widescreen unit that spoke the actual street name at a budget price. Was originally shopping on auction websites but Garmin’s 1 year warranty doesn’t support refurbished units sold on auction websites. Was also scared about it being a refurbished unit, but so far no issues. I’ve updated the software and downloaded the latest maps, all without issue. Doesn’t come in a fancy retail box, but does include the mount and suction cup. Based on my experience, I would recommend the unit to a friend.

Works great
Arrived as advertised. refurbished unit like new with new unit warranty. Unit had old firmware and maps, but Garmin provided downloadable updates at no charge. Works great and great Garmin Customer Service

This gave me more that I was expecting…
I expected this unit to be able to help me find the best routes, points of interest, etc. It’s relatively intuitive to use, and, unlike a competing brand (which I sent back) was able to find it’s initial location immediately, with great ease. I’m having a lot of fun with it as I’m learning how to use it. Some of the reviews I had read thought the voice on the text-speech feature irritating. I LIKE it. The tone and pitch are right on for my ears. Also, it’s able to pronounce what I consider to be difficult street names with ease and precision. The nicest surprise about it is that this little navigator is able to tell you the speed limit for EVERY street or highway you’re on, as well as show you how fast you are going relative to the speed limit. That’s more valuable to me than a radar detector would be. It also tells you your anticipated arrival time, which it adjusts for traffic slow downs. The 255W has a 4.3 inch screen, which is quite easy to see from my dashboard as I’m driving. Don’t try to change menus or find points of interest while you are driving!! This is more distracting than texting while driving. You will need to pull over to find these things, unless you have a passenger who can help you with this. This limitation would disappear if it could accept voice commands. All things considered, this unit is perfect for my needs at this time. It’s also portable and can slip into my purse with ease when I am walking in an unfamiliar area. My only wish would be that it had bluetooth connectivity, but that’s an easy work-around with a bluetooth earpiece.