good deal on Garmin Montana

[dcstrom]

I've been holding out for a looooong time waiting for the right replacement for my old 2610 Garmin. The Montana isn't perfect - I'd prefer some real buttons like on the Zumo 450/550, reports on the newer Zumos haven't been all good, plus they are all still very expensive. I probably would go for a Zumo 550 but it's old tech now and the still want $600 for it.

So looks like it's the Montana - there's a deal at EMS today for $480 - not a bad discount from MSRP of $599. Got me one!

http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11698377

discussion on ADVrider here http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=688775

BTW, anyone wants a 2610, will be looking for around $100 for it. "New" refurbished 9 months ago. Only issue with it is the maps are old.

Trevor

 

[tomatocity]

Looks like there might be an additional 10% off until 6pm.

 

[Venture]

This is the first time I've ever looked at this particular model. What is it lacking over the typical moto-GPS? At first glance it seems the usual Bluetooth integration isn't there, I'm not sure what else.

I'm with you on the price of the Zumo 550 - VERY old tech at this point and still fetching top dollar. Cycle GPS units in general are overpriced. When you can buy a consumer grade Nuvi with lifetime maps and nearly every feature a Zumo has for around $100, $700 starts to sound "out there." It can't cost that much to put it in a waterproof shell.

 

[markjenn]

When you can buy a consumer grade Nuvi with lifetime maps and nearly every feature a Zumo has for around $100, $700 starts to sound "out there." It can't cost that much to put it in a waterproof shell.

I agree with the gist of what you're saying, but beware of those $100 Nuvi's - they often are missing key features such as the ability to load a route or track. There's more to it than just weather-proofing.

- Mark

 

[dcstrom]

Here's a good comparison chart of some of the Garmins you might consider - basically, pick the price and features that are important to you

http://www.gpscity.com/compare/mont650t&zumo550&nuvi550&zumo665

The Montana doesn't come with City Navigator - the others do - something I didn't realize till after I hit the "go" button. Never mind, mainly want it for a RTW trip so will be using free maps from here
http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/

Will get the US ones from there too. Missing things like POI's but anyway...

Other things that might appeal to some that are missing from the Montana are Bluetooth, FM traffic, weather. The last two only work in the US with a subscription, so I don't care about them, and I can't see needing Bluetooth. May be important to others though.

I did try one of the cheaper Nuvi's for a while. As Mark said, didn't do tracking and some other things I wanted, but also felt like it wouldn't last long on a bike. Would have to treat it like a consumable item... On the other hand, the Montana is built like a brick shithouse (by comparison).

The 4" screen is one of the main attractions, eyes not being what they used to be. Otherwise the Oregon might do the job, with a 3" screen.

Trevor

 

[dcstrom]

Looks like there might be an additional 10% off until 6pm.

Where'd you see that?

 

[tomatocity]

Where'd you see that?

Top of the page.

 

[dcstrom]

Top of the page.

Oh yeah, see it now - that link goes to a page full of socks... bummer!

 

[dcstrom]

I notice today there's also a deal on the Montana 600 that wasn't there yesterday... $400. I believe it's lacking camera, topo maps and .5 gig of memory compared to the 650t @ $479

http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11698375&clickid=body_rv_viewbtn

UPDATE: the ems.com deals are all gone now

Trevor