I ordered this from Amazon.com and got it as promissed. It was a refurbished unit that looked like new. I went to update the maps on the unit and the Garmin website said the unit was registered 5 months ago. I emailed and explained I purchased a refurbished unit from Amazon and it was eligible for a map update. It took a number of emails to finally authorize this free update. Beware if you purchase a refrubished unit as you will likely go through this same hassle.
The unit itself worked as advertised and the map update took about 90 minutes, not hours as other have reported (unless you include the hassle with Garmin trying to get the update). I purchased an extended warranty as newer electronics don't seem to be as robust as the older stuff.
So far, so good. Garmin nüvi 255 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator (Factory Refurbished)
I have had this unit for over a year, and I have yet to find any major problems with the product. It was refurbished from newegg.com, and I was amazed by the amount of great reviews for a product that is much older and has less features than the current models. I think the simplicity of it is what makes it continually one of the best models around. I don't need bluetooth, an sd slot, or any of the features that are packed in the current Garmin products. I need something that will take me from point A to point B without any problems. This fits my requirements.
There are two minor problems that I have with this device. The first is the battery life. Because it's in the car, I can easily connect it through the cigarette lighter, but recently I've noticed that it will not hold a charge for more than a minute. This could be due to how old the product is and how much I use it, but it doesn't affect the quality of the device.
The other problem is that although I am able to get to my destination, I find that it will give me funky directions. Granted, these are routes that I would have never thought of, so it's a good thing that it gives me a choice. When I first purchased the product, the first thing I did was use it day to day to see how responsive it is and if the directions were correct. It's always correct, but the only difference is that it might show you a different way.
There are times when it takes the device quite a while to acquire satellite. Places like San Francisco are incredibly difficult due to all of the cables that interfere. But usually upon start up, it takes no more than one or two minutes. I usually roll down my window and put the device outside of the window. I'm not sure if this helps or not, but it's almost like giving the Garmin an ultimatum. It always works.
The greatest feature of this product is the reliability. Over the past year I have gone through one major road trip, countless interviews, and endless last minute trips. I have never been lost once. I was considering purchasing the newest Garmin, but I think I'll wait until this one completely dies. It's too valuable to replace.
The features I find cool are a bit outdated. While people can dial phone numbers with their devices, I'm still rejoicing in the fact that I can save favorite locations. Other people can put pictures into their device, and I love that it shows different rest stops and restaurants. This product doesn't boast an endless list of features. What it lacks in features, it makes up for in quality for what the product should be: a gps navigator for anyone to use. Don't think that price means quality, or added features mean reliability or usefulness.
I am very happy with this factory refurbished nuvi 255. I got it for a great price. The unit looks brand new. The nuvi is very easy to use- works right out of the box with out even consulting the manual. Using it is very intuitive.
You do need to obtain a proper USB cable to update the unit with your computer. It is an easily obtained USB- miniUSB cable that is commonly used for cameras, etc. The first map update is free. Updating the map from start to finish did take a little less than 3 hours for me.
This is a wonderful little GPS and is great for your first foray into vehicle GPS products. Cheaper, factory refurbished items are great to test out the functionality of these devices, as brand new ones are rather expensive and if you buy one with a difficult interface, you either need to sell and replace, or work with the unit and it's difficulties, or shell out even more for a different one and pass it on to a family member as a gift.
It comes with a manual, car cigarette lighter charger, suction mount, a sticky mount to stick onto the dash and use the suction mount in case your state does not allow items on the windshield, and the GPS unit itself. The manual says nuvi 205 in bold text, though if you read the entire cover it states this manual is for all nuvi 2xx units. One manual fits all, so your unit may not have some bells and whistles that the others have.
First-time setup is nice and it helps you through very well. Setting up your one free map update (ships with 2009 map) is simple, although since these are refurbished you may need to contact Garmin if they claim the free map update was already used. Make sure your unit is fully charged, as you cannot charge your GPS while updating it. Also, you need to charge the unit for at least an hour before initial set-up, as again, power and data cannot come through at the same time, apparently.
The initial satellite link can be a little slow, but once you are linked, it becomes much faster on subsequent uses. You do want to be 20+ feet away from tall obstructions such as houses and trees for this initial link. Afterwards, when you start it in your car, it connects quickly.
So far, when I verify I enter in the correct address, it gives me correct directions. However, entering in the address can be problematic. When you enter info to generate directions, the unit asks for the state, then city, then mailing number, then mailing road. As you punch in this info (the touch screen is pretty accurate and is not slow behind your touches) it will let you enter a certain amount, and when it narrows down your entry to a few locations, it displays a few potential cities and street names that could potentially be your desired destination. I have not checked to see if this can be turned off, but in the case of house addresses, this can display all variations if there are multiple possible addresses in large cities (For example: 123 7th St NW, 123 7th St NE, 123 7th St SW, and 123 7th St SE). So, this is a nice shortcut for smaller towns, but get into a city where there are multiple variations based by location quarters, you might accidentally hit the wrong address. This did happen to me once so far, and ended up at the SW address instead of the SE address. Partially my fault for not double checking the address, but if I could type in the entire address myself, the only time I would be wrong is if I enter in an invalid address (which would tell me it does not exist, as i have mistyped an address). Also, for being touch based entry, I have not been able to touch the place where I mistyped and correct the error, I have to erase the entire entry to that point. Minor nitpicking, as this does possibility of correcting does not function well on the iPod Touch.
Overall, if you want a great basic GPS and don't need the extra functions of the more expensive models, get this factory refurbished nuvi 255. - Gps - Nuvi - Garmin - Blueproton'
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