60cs Or Return And Wait For 60csx?

[CoBra5121]

On the 28th of December I purchased a Garmin GPSMAP 60CS for about $370. On the 29th I found out through these forums that Garmin was preparing to release (Jan 10?) a 60CSx which apparently has amazing reception (which is one thing really I need/want in a GPS). My question is what you would do if you were in my situation? I know that I would definetly return the 60CS if it were in that price range however I predict that it will be more towards the $500 mark. What do you guys suggest?

[+weakfish]

I'm an "early adopter" so my opinion is slightly skewed....

I'd return it.

If the specs that leaked out hold true, the CSx will be worth the wait and extra $.

At worst, if you return your CS, and find the CSx to be too much $ or the specs false, the price should still drop on the CS, and you'll end up paying less in the long run..

[CenTexDodger]

I am with Weakfish. I would wait. I bought my 60cs a few months after the release. I would have bought it earlier if I had been able. You know the newest and best is right around the corner.

[Wildman63]

I guess it depends on how you plan to use your unit. I have a new Map60CS and can load all the maps from British Columbia to Northern California. I usually stick pretty close to home. If you regularly drive long distances, you might want to wait for a model with more memory capability.

 

I have saved a couple of map areas, so when I fly to the East Coast I can load those that cover the area where I'll travel. One goes from north of DC to south of Richmond and out to West Virginia.

 

Having said this, I think it's a shame Garmin hasn't put a Gigabyte or two of memory in their devices. Memory is pretty inexpensive now. It would be nice to buy a GPSr that would route me around anywhere in North America with pre-loaded maps.

[CoBra5121]

Well I'm an avid backpacker and want to use it on trail, while mountaineering (where reception won't be a problem), and during road travel. Probably 20-30% of my trail travel seems to be under tree cover.

 

With amazon, I have 30 days to return it so my next question would be to either:

 

-Return immediately

-Wait unti Jan 10, to make my decision

Or what else do you guys think.

 

Opinions?

 

Thanks.

[+weakfish]

We should know the specs and availability of the X-series somewhere around the 8th-10th... You could wait if you chose to... But again, I STRONGLY believe that once the X-series is out, the prices will drop significantly on the non-expandable series... You'd have nothing to lose by returning now... You run the risk of returning the CS after the CSx is released that you won't be able to repurchase it at a lower price.

Edited December 31, 2005 by weakfish

[+JohnnyVegas]

Bass pro has the 60CSX listed at $500.00 but in the past when new GPSr have been released it has taken a month or two for the priced to come down. My guess is that when the prices level out the 60CSX version will be about $50.00 more the the 60CS, but this may take a couple of months.

 

I have gotten the impression from reading the forum that some think that the SIRF chip set will make it easier to find the caches. Well this simply is not the case. Even if the SIRF ship set is more accurate, the 200,000 plus caches that have already been placed were hiden with non SIRF GPSrs so your are still goig to be dealing with the same error. An you are not going to see thousands of geocachers running ou to buy the X versions.

 

Rather then spend extra money on a GPS with an SIRF chipset that is really not going to d much for you as far as find a cache. YOu would be better off putting the money toware good hiking boots or rain ware, even food or gas.

Edited December 31, 2005 by JohnnyVegas

[CoBra5121]

Now that I think of it this GPS will work just fine for what I need it to do. And thanks JohnnyVegas for bringing up needing new gear, I just remembered that I need a new ice axe. Thanks to all that have replied, and keep posting I'll still check up in it.

[kerecsen]

I have gotten the impression from reading the forum that some think that the SIRF chip set will make it easier to find the caches. Well this simply is not the case. Even if the SIRF ship set is more accurate, the 200,000 plus caches that have already been placed were hiden with non SIRF GPSrs so your are still goig to be dealing with the same error.

I doubt anyone buys a $350 mapping GPS to just cache. For that, a yellow etrex off ebay is entirely sufficient, for about 10th the price. So if you go and shell out the money on a 60cs/csx, I'd better work to its full potential when you are driving downtown.

[Yellow Dog]

Can anybody throw out a guess as to how much the price of the 60C & 60CS will drop?

Both are selling for $329 & $369 respectively on Amazon right now.

[+JohnnyVegas]

I doubt anyone buys a $350 mapping GPS to just cache. For that, a yellow etrex off ebay is entirely sufficient, for about 10th the price.

 

It is true that the basic yellow e-trex will work just fine, but I do see people recomend high end GPSr when noobies ask what they should buy for geocaching. It is not uncomon to see poster recomend something like a 60CS, 60C, Explorist 500, 600. SUtre these unites have some nice features, but you do not need them.

THere are other things a noobie will need more than a top end GPS.

 

So if you go and shell out the money on a 60cs/csx, I'd better work to its full potential when you are driving downtown.

 

It kind of depends were down town is, having tried to use a cache in downtown San Francisco, even with the limited number of high rises in san francisco a gps in that area can be off by as much as 500 feet. I do not know how our fellow cachers in cities like new york find caches, my guess is lot of good hints.

[kerecsen]

It is true that the basic yellow e-trex will work just fine, but I do see people recomend high end GPSr when noobies ask what they should buy for geocaching. [...]

THere are other things a noobie will need more than a top end GPS.

I agree. However, I've also seen quite a few people who regret getting a basic GPS when they find out how useful a mapping GPS is for whatever they do when they're not caching.

 

It kind of depends were down town is, having tried to use a cache in downtown San Francisco, even with the limited number of high rises in san francisco a gps in that area can be off by as much as 500 feet. I do not know how our fellow cachers in cities like new york find caches, my guess is lot of good hints.

 

Caching downtown can be pretty trivial, you just plug the coordinates into google earth and head out for the right address No GPS necessary

However, when you're driving downtown, that's a very different story (especially if it's a European city, where streetnames are random and sporadically posted).

 

Sorry for digressing and being way off-topic.

[robertlipe]

It kind of depends were down town is, having tried to use a cache in downtown San Francisco, even with the limited number of high rises in san francisco a gps in that area can be off by as much as 500 feet. I do not know how our fellow cachers in cities like new york find caches, my guess is lot of good hints.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1880576,00.asp reviews the Nuvi which uses the same Sirf-III receiver as the new X series. Pertinent quote:

We also tested the pedestrian navigation profile in one of the world's most challenging environments—Manhattan. Most GPS units fail miserably when you try to use them in Manhattan's "canyons." Not the nüvi; it kept a lock on five or more satellites throughout our walk between Penn Station and our offices on East 28th Street and Park Avenue. One truly inspiring feat: The device maintained satellite lock even while we were walking under construction scaffolding.

 

The GPSPassion forum crowd raves about Sirf-III's immunity to multipath in urban canyons and high sensitivity even in obscured views of the sky, so I have high hopes for X series in this regard.

 

As to your second point, I'll share a personal story. I went caching in NYC one night. I parked my car and decided to walk to several caches. Of course, everything looked the same to me while walking around, but I was confident I could get back to my car. Nearly 2 hours after my last cache, I found my car - 3/10 of a mile from where my 60CS marked it.

[+mlk3454]

I have a 60C and I am willing to wait until the prices drop and the bugs are found in the new x series before I purchase one. On a side note, I do use a Sirf III GPSr in my car and while it stays tucked in the dash cd-mount it has never done me wrong in any condition yet.

[+JohnnyVegas]

Can anybody throw out a guess as to how much the price of the 60C & 60CS will drop?

Both are selling for $329 & $369 respectively on Amazon right now.

THose prices are very low, both are within about $20.00 of the wholesale price.

AS far as price drops, Garmin tends to be very slow to lower GPS prices, what they do though is drop the MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) This is why you will see some GPSr online that do not require to click a link to see the price, the prices on those are no longer being protected.

[Yellow Dog]

So the chance of the price dropping much is slim?

I don't mind waiting a week or two, But I don't think I can hold out for a few months.

[+sundogranch]

For the price to drop to "sale" level you wil have to wait years...By then something better will have come along.

[+JohnnyVegas]

So the chance of the price dropping much is slim?

I don't mind waiting a week or two, But I don't think I can hold out for a few months.

With the small profit margins in the GPS retail market retailers are not going to be in a hurry to cut their profit margin.

 

I understand that outside the USA gps prices are quite a it higher. Maybe those retailers enjoy a better margin. Or maybe it has to do with import duties

[kerecsen]

I understand that outside the USA gps prices are quite a it higher. Maybe those retailers enjoy a better margin. Or maybe it has to do with import duties

As far as Garmin units are concerned, pretty much all of the price difference is going to Garmin Europe. The European wholesale price is significantly higher than the US retail price.

 

Retailers are forced to maintain a very slim profit margin, because they need to sell as close to the US retail prices as possible. Otherwise people turn to other brands or grey imports.

[+weakfish]

The issue that a lot of folks are going to face is what level of technology to have for the "here and now."

 

The choice for those that are looking for units NOW is going to be tough...

 

Do I spend $350 now because it gives me the best bang for the buck NOW or do I spend $450 now because (even though I might get it cheaper 8 months from now) it will grow with me and be technologically competative for 5 years?

 

It's not an easy decision.... it's something we face when buying new PCs... Get the latest and greatest and know the prices will drop with the next generation, or buy something a generation old a great deal to sacrifice a wee bit of performance.

 

It all boils down to what each individual decides will maximize his or her pleasure-to-performance-to-budget ratios.

 

Ain't capitalism and free will great?

Edited January 7, 2006 by weakfish

[+ZackJones]

I doubt anyone buys a $350 mapping GPS to just cache.

Uh, I did. I upgraded from an Emap to 60c and only use the 60c for geocaching. For driving directions I use my 2610

[+TerraFirmaCacher]

On the 28th of December I purchased a Garmin GPSMAP 60CS for about $370. On the 29th I found out through these forums that Garmin was preparing to release (Jan 10?) a 60CSx which apparently has amazing reception (which is one thing really I need/want in a GPS). My question is what you would do if you were in my situation? I know that I would definetly return the 60CS if it were in that price range however I predict that it will be more towards the $500 mark. What do you guys suggest?

I just ordered 2 60CSx units at Tigergps.com for $418 a piece. Ya can't beat that.

Edited January 7, 2006 by TerraFirmaCacher

[CenTexDodger]

That is real close to what I paid for my 60cs 2 years ago.