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Got $300 for a new GPS..what to buy..pros/cons..


chu baca

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That is the GPS unit I chose when I upgraded from the Vista C. It works very well, has long battery life, and the small size is convenient for hiking.

 

You might want to get the Topo maps for it. I got the older Topos on eBay for a more reasonable price than purchasing the newest version.

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It's a very nice unit. If I were starting over again, that is probably the unit I would choose for my starter unit.

 

My husband and I began with Garmin eTrex Legends, which was the powerhouse of the low end units in it's day. We liked them so well, we kept them when we upgraded (for autorouting) to have on hand for guests.

Nowdays we use a Garmin 60 CSx (which I think is the best all around unit out there) and a Garmin 60CS. We also have a Garmin 76CS. Love the Garmin line.

 

The HCx is the souped-up version of the Legend model. It offers most of the features of the 60CSx with a lower price tag. It's probably the best all-around deal the company offers right now.

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If you are looking for a great gps, I love my HCX but the one thing you need to remember is it only comes with a very basic initial map, so will need to buy mapping software if you plan on using for driving directions or Points of Interest. Also you will need to buy a micro SD card you can get a 2 gig one for 20 buck or less if you look around online. So If you buy a HCX get it off of ebay from garmin certified re tailor so you get the warranty. I bought mine about a year ago for like 215 and love it

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Okay,

Ended up getting the Garmin 60 CSX.

I originally wanted this one but the other was a little less but I didn't want any regrets..

Thanks for the input everyone

 

The 60CSX was LESS than the Vista HCX? Now that's unusual!

 

Nono... I think he was saying that although the other was less expensive, he chose this one because of the features and it was the one he really wanted.

 

I think.

 

~Ariel

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Okay,

Ended up getting the Garmin 60 CSX.

I originally wanted this one but the other was a little less but I didn't want any regrets..

Thanks for the input everyone

 

The 60CSX was LESS than the Vista HCX? Now that's unusual!

 

Nono... I think he was saying that although the other was less expensive, he chose this one because of the features and it was the one he really wanted.

 

I think.

 

~Ariel

 

Yeah I think thats right Ariel-By the way I just ordered my 60CSx from walmart-should have it in 7 to 14 days,man I can't wait,WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Okay,

Ended up getting the Garmin 60 CSX.

I originally wanted this one but the other was a little less but I didn't want any regrets..

Thanks for the input everyone

 

The 60CSX was LESS than the Vista HCX? Now that's unusual!

 

Nono... I think he was saying that although the other was less expensive, he chose this one because of the features and it was the one he really wanted.

 

I think.

 

~Ariel

 

Yeah I think thats right Ariel-By the way I just ordered my 60CSx from walmart-should have it in 7 to 14 days,man I can't wait,WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I bought the 60CSX today from BB because I thought my Magellan died. I like it alot and don't really regret buying another gps unit after finding out that my Magellan rally wasn't broken.

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Okay,

Ended up getting the Garmin 60 CSX.

I originally wanted this one but the other was a little less but I didn't want any regrets..

Thanks for the input everyone

 

The 60CSX was LESS than the Vista HCX? Now that's unusual!

 

Nono... I think he was saying that although the other was less expensive, he chose this one because of the features and it was the one he really wanted.

 

I think.

 

~Ariel

 

Yeah I think thats right Ariel-By the way I just ordered my 60CSx from walmart-should have it in 7 to 14 days,man I can't wait,WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I bought the 60CSX today from BB because I thought my Magellan died. I like it alot and don't really regret buying another gps unit after finding out that my Magellan rally wasn't broken.

Sorry..

I didn't explain myself

I really wanted the 60 csx but it was $297 compared to the Vista HCX for $211

But I didn't want $80 to stand in my way for the unit I originally wanted..

Does that make a little better sense now?..lol...

Edited by fleabags_123
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Okay,

Ended up getting the Garmin 60 CSX.

I originally wanted this one but the other was a little less but I didn't want any regrets..

Thanks for the input everyone

I predict you'll be very happy you made that choice.

 

When you add city maps for autorouting, the unit will really shine!

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Finally got my 60CSx today site to store at walmart and man-This thing is sweet,can't wait to get my maps loaded and go caching.Baked it after I got it and accuracy was at 6ft with 9 sat's locked,so freakin' cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got mine at Walmart, too. Amazon was a little less but had a no-return policy on it. At least Walmart will give you 15 days to return with no restocking fee. And I liked the idea of returning it to a local store if need be without a shipping charge.

 

You're getting a lot better accuracy than I am. Is accuracy dependant on the number of locked satellites?

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I'm fairly new to this game and would like to get a functional and easy to use GPS. I've been thinking of the eTrex Legend HCx. But based on this discussion, would the Vista version be better? As far as I know, the extra cost isn't really justified, if I mainly want to use it off the roads.

 

And what about this 60CSx you keep talking about? Would that be something more advanced yet?

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I'm fairly new to this game and would like to get a functional and easy to use GPS. I've been thinking of the eTrex Legend HCx. But based on this discussion, would the Vista version be better? As far as I know, the extra cost isn't really justified, if I mainly want to use it off the roads.

 

And what about this 60CSx you keep talking about? Would that be something more advanced yet?

The Vista HCx and the 60 CSx have a barometric altimeter and and electronic compass; the Legend HCx does not.

 

The Legend style bodies are very differently shaped than the 60 style body and the buttons are placed and styled differently. Some people prefer one set up, some prefer the other.

 

You can compare the three here.

 

If I were just starting out now, I might buy the Vista HCx (because I make use of the electronic compass and the baromoter once in a great while; most people never really need them).

 

Personally, I began with a regular eTrex legend and moved up to the 60 CSx for the autorouting before the HCx models came out. I love my 60 CSx and think it's the best gps model made right now.

 

It does cost more, and with the difference in price between it and the HCx models, you could be well on your way to buying the city maps you really need to make the units work to their best advantage. You have to have city maps to use the autorouting on all three models. They all come with base maps built in. They all accept topo maps.

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I have both a Vista CX and 60CSX. I use the latter most often, but the Vista's display is much brighter and the colors are more intense, making it VERY readable on bright days. I would expect that Garmin has probably stuck with that display on the Vista HCX. The only negative that I have experineced with the Vista is that the black rubber that runs around the unit has stretched and does not have the positive feel that it had when it was new. I even thought about taking it completely off and cleaning off the adhesive, but then discovered the control buttons are incorporated into the rubber band.

 

Either one should lead you to as many caches and you have time for -- good luck!

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