longhunter1757 Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 I apologize if this has been beaten to death but a search didn't get me the results I was looking for. I'm new to this and have been watching Ebay for used units for quite some time. I've seen several that were a couple of years old and wondered if they were worth looking at. The use will be limited to geocaching, hiking, hunting and fishing. The units I've been watching are Magellan 300, 315, 2000, 2000XL and 3000. I've tried to find reviews of these on the net but since most of the reviews are as old as the units I'm not geting much. Basically what I'm asking is will any of these units serve for what I am doing? Are there any units I should stay away from? Would I just be better off and spend the extra $50 and get an Etrex or something comparable? Thank in advance! Rich Quote Link to comment
mires Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 I say e-trex. and you can find some used e-trex yellow for quit competetive price at e-bay Quote Link to comment
+SBPhishy Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 (edited) I can comment on the 315. I have one that I don't really use. It turned into a backup for my Meridian Gold. The 315 is a decent unit overall. It feels very solid, and well built. The actual LCD interface looks a bit outdated, compared to the newer units. Even the Meridian Gold, which is somewhat "old" also, looks a thousand times better, and is somewhat easier to navigate the menus. Overall though, for caching use, a 315 will work just fine. The antenna is great, and it's got the little arrow to point you to the cache. you can use a computer interface as well, to load in coords. It will hold the name of the cache, as well as the GCXXXX number, which is very helpful. It seems to have good battery life. If you are looking for a basic unit, this will do you fine, if the price is right. For a used one in great condition, I wouldnt pay more than 50 bucks. For a brand new one, maybe around 75, you can find them that cheap. Between that, and the eTrex yellow, I'm not sure what I would go for. If it was between the 315 and the Legend, I would get the legend. I may go for the yellow, just because it's newer. There may be more "support" for it, with accessories, and customer service, though, the 315 has been used by many people, and you can find anything you need for it. Magellan definitely still endorses it. I actually received one with a missing battery cover, in a trade, and Magellan sent me a new one. There is also a "new" firmware update for them, though it is still a couple years old. You'll be happy either way. sorry for the rambling... Edited April 8, 2004 by SBPhishy Quote Link to comment
+StarshipTrooper Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 Definitely DO NOT get the 300. The 315 will work fine - the other Magellans, I don't know. Be careful with ebay. Things tend to get bid higher than you could pay locally. Wally World sells the Mag315 for $99. -ST Quote Link to comment
+IVxIV Posted April 8, 2004 Share Posted April 8, 2004 My first GPSr was a Magellan 4000XL. While it has a bunch of great features and (I recall) something like 7 seperate navigation screens, it really took a while to gain/hold satellite lock while in the woods. It did have 12 channel capacity, but wan't a "parallel receiver". Meaning it didn't process the satellite info simultaneously. So I'm going to assume any lower numbered (3000, 2000) units will be as bad if not worse. But I don't mean the 3xx series, my last unit was a 315, it worked great & I'd highly recommend it. Quote Link to comment
+Learned Gerbil Posted April 9, 2004 Share Posted April 9, 2004 I use a Magellan 320 and find it fine. It is certainly rugged! A 320 is identicle ot a 315, but the internal waypoint database is maritime instead of just worldwide cities. Make sure you get a GPSr that includes a PC lead as these can be expenssive if bought seperatly. Quote Link to comment
longhunter1757 Posted April 12, 2004 Author Share Posted April 12, 2004 Thanks everybody! I'm watching Ebay real carefully with regards to overpricing. I've seen 300s go for $75 which seems crazy. I'll keep my eyes open and look at some local stres too. Quote Link to comment
kascinoh Posted April 23, 2004 Share Posted April 23, 2004 I got a Magellan 2000xl off eBay for less than $40 inc. shipping. Buddies thought I was nuts. I don't need mapping, 50,000 routes etc.... This unit works just fine for caching, and I have had no problems with it under (fairly) heavy tree cover. Depends what you want - this is the bare minimum, but it works just fine for caching - some folks can't imagine a unit without mapping...to each his own... Quote Link to comment
kascinoh Posted April 23, 2004 Share Posted April 23, 2004 Our local WalMart (Xenia, Ohio) had a Magellan 315 in their case - new, all manuals, but no box. It was priced at $80. Quote Link to comment
Taxman003 Posted April 23, 2004 Share Posted April 23, 2004 I purchased a brand new Legend on Ebay for $ 145 US. It cost $ 225 CDN to get to my door and they were selling for about $ 380 plus taxes at the time! Ebay may be a place to get a deal on GPS' but be careful who you buy from. Mike Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.