Did I make a mistake?

[sdotsen]

So I spent a week on researching about all the GPS devices out there. I finally settled on a TomTom 510 (refurb off ebay) and I'm starting to think maybe I made a mistake. It was between this one and a Garmin c340 but decided to go w/ the TomTom because of this forum (I love being able to get support from ordinary users w/o having to resort to the manufacturer).

Anyways, as I'm browsing old forums I noticed many issues with this particular model (maybe my research wasn't well done?!). Then I noticed maps haven't been updated in a while whereas the Garmin model I was going to purchase came w/ the latest and the greatest maps. Granted, I dont care much for new POI that havent been updated, I just want to be able to get from Point A to Point B w/o getting lost.

Did I make the right decision?

 

[MattB]

I just purchased a refurbished 510 as well. It arrived yesterday and so far I am pretty impressed. My main point of comparison is a Garmin Nuvi 660 that I purchased and returned a couple of weeks ago. In the few weeks that I had the Garmin (with 2008 maps), I had several issues with the data. For instance, it sent me down a road that had a dead end thinking it was a through street and sent me to a restaurant that had been burned down for 3 years.

I think the bottom line is that any GPS is going to have some issues with maps and POIs. However, for me, it is easier for me to overlook the issues at a $200 price point rather than a $600 price point. To me, getting the widescreen and bluetooth features (the main features I wanted in the Nuvi 660) for such a lower price is a great deal.

Also, my refurb 510 came with maps from October of 2006. I don't think the 2008 Garmin maps are much newer than that.

My main concern with purchasing the 510 is the technical problems that have been reported on this forum and others. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I don't run into any of those.

 

[sdotsen]

One of the main reasno I went for the Tomtom 510 was the large screen. I do realize most GPS will have issues and maps are not perfect. Yea the other concerns are the reboots and freezes that many folks are experiencing. I'm hoping mine will be fine.

 

[lec510]

Freezes, reboots ? If it's working now, make 1 or 2 backup copies of the SD card - I don't see any problems that cannot be fixed.
I have a 510 for more than a year now, and I am still in love.
At that time the last 3 candidates were Go 510, Garmin C320 (both at 699$ CDN), and Garmin C330 (at 799$). I am glad I didn't choose the Garmins.
I had a chance to use the C320, which for all practical purpose, identical to the C330 - and I was not impressed. They are slow in screen refresh, route calcs and re-calcs, loose sat signals more easily than the 510. POI of Garmin might be better, but I use only custom POI - plenty of them for TomTom. Tons of freewares too.