Which old model TomTom

[silversid]

Hi looking for my first TomTom after searching these forums it seems that the old models are the best/got more features, so my question is which model should I go for?

 

[dhn]

What features do you think you really need? Like LIVE traffic? How much do you drive and where? Are lifetime maps important to you? Bluetooth?

Yes, the newer Nav 3 devices and even newer Nav 4 (like the new Go 400, 500) have fewer features than before.

 

[silversid]

What features do you think you really need? Like LIVE traffic? How much do you drive and where? Are lifetime maps important to you? Bluetooth?

Yes, the newer Nav 3 devices and even newer Nav 4 (like the new Go 400, 500) have fewer features than before.

Dont think I’ll need Live traffic,Bluetooth, but you never know,

Drive about 8-10k a year in the UK only.

I've been looking at TomTom XL Live & Go 720.

 

[canderson]

That "you never know" is the kicker. If there's a chance you'd need those features, and want the older Nav2 type unit, you need to be considering a GO 740 Live. If you can live without them, then I'd recommend the XXL540 (known in your part of the world as the XXL IQRoutes Europe -- NOT the XXL IQRoutes2 Europe! ).

 

[silversid]

That "you never know" is the kicker. If there's a chance you'd need those features, and want the older Nav2 type unit, you need to be considering a GO 740 Live. If you can live without them, then I'd recommend the XXL540 (known in your part of the world as the XXL IQRoutes Europe -- NOT the XXL IQRoutes2 Europe! ).

Thanks for your recommendations, what are the differences between Go 720 & Go 740?

 

[canderson]

The 740 is a later unit with quite a nice dock vs. the 720 (the 740 releases easily from the dock with the push of a button, allowing it to be left behind in the vehicle). It also is a "Live" unit if you wish to have that service in the future. The 720 uses an SD card, the 740 uses a uSD card. The 720 is reset with a little recessed button in the bottom, and the 740 uses the power button for resets.

One item missing from the 740 is the FM modulator, and if you wanted to pipe the audio through your vehicle's audio system, you'd need the "Active Dock" to get the 1/8" audio out connection.

Of course, there's the obvious fact that a 740 is far more likely to have a fairly recent map vs. a 720. Depends upon who has owned it, of course. It IS possible that a 720 has such an old map that you would not have the benefit of IQRoutes or Automatic Lane Guidance built into the map data. Again, no way to know what the previous owner might have paid for in the way of map updates, if any.

The "Live" option of the 740, if enabled, will get you "HD Traffic", fuel prices, local search, weather and a number of other options that are accessed 'over the air' from TomTom's server in realtime.

 

[silversid]

Thanks again good info.

The "Live" feature on the 740 is that free or has it to be paid for?

The 720 I'm looking at has up to date maps of Great Britain & Ireland with latest map updates to May 2013 stored on device.

I see that you have had both, which did you prefer?

 

[canderson]

There's a subscription required for Live services. I don't recall exactly what they're charging for that in the UK, but last I checked it was 47.50 (UKP) per year.

Here's the details on the services: http://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/services/live/#tab:tab1

That said, if you don't want to purchase the services, the 740 works as normal without them.

With maps from May 2013, that's good.

The only issue I'd still wonder about is the battery. Nearly any 720 (and no few 740) units will be needing a new battery by now. Any chance it's been replaced already by the owner?

 

[silversid]

Are the batteries hard to source or fit?

 

[alfie67]

Depends on your skill level

You might want to look at this link as one example of battery change information. You should be able to find quite a few other resources depending on how much time you can devote to research.

 

[silversid]

Thanks for the link.

Am I going at this all wrong, if old sat navs are going to need new batterys and map upgrades, maybe I should look for something newer?

 

[canderson]

It all depends upon exactly which features best fit your use model, which is more or less how we started the conversation. If you can help us nail that down better, we can provide help in the selection process.

There are other 'cost' issues involved as well. There are no lifetime map subscriptions offered for older units at any price, and yet newer models with an "M" in the suffix come with that as a free perk of the purchase. That's another old/new consideration.

 

[silversid]

After a lot of searching this forum I’ve come to the conclusion that old models are better as I first thought, lots of people have changed and really missed the features of the older versions, so I’m going to go for a 720 or 740 which ever one comes up at the right price.