GPS made to Order for Cayman S

Since I really like being able to findmy way around with a GPS , I considered the Porsche GPS but the pricing made it rediculous to even consider. The answer for the Cayman is a unit made by Garmin called the 'Nuvi 350'. A little bigger than the size of a deck of cards, the screen is very readable (color) and it suction cups to the windshield (stays put without falling off) and lastly, it has a built-in battery so there are no wires dangling all over the dashboard or console. It runs around $600 and worth every penny. I got mine on-line at www.thegpsstore.com

Been considering about the Nuvi myself. Currently I m using a Magellan 700, but don't like the wiring. Need to know how long does your Nuvi last with the internal lithium battery ?

I can't give you an answer on that as I haven't used it that extensivly yet. 4 to 6 hours would be a reasonable guess. If the battery runs low you can always use the 12 volt cigar lighter plug that comwes with it and plug the unit into the 12 volt in the car if necessary, which is really nice as you have a choice to use it with no 'plu in' and plug it in later if power runs low. Lastly, I've been using Garmin GPS units for over 10+ years on my boats, they are beyond question the best that money can buy, also the most reasonably priced.

I also hane an Ique 3500 from Garmin , the battery life on that unit is next to zip. Lucky to get 15 minutes use on the battery .

http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=161 All things Nuvi.

Thanks Santa, no mention of battery life in their Forum

I've seen mention of 4 to 6 hours but don't recall which topic it was in.

Thanks again. I will look harder.

great unit.....have had one for a couple of months...paid alot more for mine..oh well, it was every penny. heres another thread you may be interested in.... http://www.planet-9.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2136&FORUM_ID=10&CAT_ID=3&Topic_Title=Who+needs+GPS%3F%2E%2E%2E%2E&Forum_Title=Off+Topic Edited by - RedRocket on 06/02/2006 12:36:00 PM

I bought a nuvi 350 about 2 weeks ago. It is a great unit -- battery life is at LEAST 4 hours. I haven't made any long trips yet, but I use it for 2 or 3 days worth of daily drivingbefore I bring it in and recharge it. I also bought the language pkg, euro maps, and euro travel kit. Gobs of data on gas stns, restaurants, etc. Very easy to use. I am a huge fan and would be happy to answer any Qs about it. You can also download the user's manual pdf from Garmin .

Thanks hubble15, i will go shopping this weekend. If i run into issues, i will e-mail you.

Great to see that others came to the same conclusion...I have used the Nuvi350 for about 6 weeks - works great lasts me over 6 hrs in typical use. I have not done a long trip with point to point nav on - usually I am just using the maps. Deals can be had on ebay on these units. Anybody loaded other maps? Like topo?

Has anyone tried the Sony NV-U70 Nav unit? Their mount seems to be better than the Garmin , but reviews on the net haven't been kind. The 2 units looks very similar, please comment. Thanks,

Just came across this on the web, looks like Porsche have their own portable SatNav unit... http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/porsche-navigon-p9611/

Todaythe UPS will deliver to me a Garmin Street Pilot 330, ordered from megagps.com for $409. The screen size, maps, and navigation functions arelike the Nuvi. The Nuvi also has MP3 player capability, picture viewer, and perhaps other functions. It also has extra internal memory for accepting maps of places outside North America. All I wanted was a NA navigator, so the choice was easy. Garmin also claims a 4-8 hour battery life for the Pilot, and it has the usual 12 volt plug . I will be exercising the unit in the next few days (in our VW or in the Cayman, if it arrives as promised). I'll post a road test report in this thread. Marty

I have had the Garmin Quest now for almost 2 years, and I love it. I like it because I can switch cars with it, including putting it in a rental car. I have taken it to Europe several times, it is a real life saver. A draw back if you want to call it this, is that it has a female voice telling you which direction to turn (sometimes nagging if you decide to take a little side trip) My wife has been known to say 'Okay who are you going to listen to for directions me, or her?' Of course I always listen to the boss. Battery life has been great, at least 6 hours, but a lot of times I plug it in, so she can tell me where to go.

I have been using Garmin c330. I paid $399, at best buy. I really like the unit. battery lasts for around 5-6hrs. No complaints...worth the money.

I recall an episode of 5th gear that compared different GPS units - somewhere else I read that there were also some legal cases going on between companies as to the interface of the units. Sure sounds like a very useful device, and the Porsche Design unit looks very cool /fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/thumbsup.gif

I have the nuvi 350 and it is a great unit. And, actually I have the PCM Nav system in my Cayman S and would recommend it also. The nuvi allows the flexibility of using it in other cars and on trips, but I don't really want it in my Porsche. PCM is the way to go for the Cayman S if you can afford it.

TomTom for me. Lives on my Palm T3, only cost me $300 for the software, GPS and mount. Can take it with me when I'm walking and move from car to car easily. Not to mention access the map function whereever I am (assuming I have my Palm with me).

I use Garmin C550. Battery life is about 8 hours. It has traffic info receiver and bluetooth hands free.

Looks like there's a Nuvi 360 now available. The best new feature is that it supports Bluetooth. Handle all your cell phone calls through it!!! Pretty cool. Tracy

I have ordered the Nuvi 360 from GPSCity. Should receive it in a week or so, will report back once it arrives. Edited by - ploc36 on 08/02/2006 9:15:23 PM

Hey Ploc36, I hope you're paying $699 or less because that's what Amazon is selling it for!

<u>ttsakai</u> Thanks for the tip, unfortunately, i m shiiping it to Seattle for pick-up, if i use Amazon (WA base company) I will have to pay 8.75% state tax, ending up over $750.00. With GPSCity, I pay $749.00, no tax, free shipping, saved a few bucks. /fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/thanks.gif

Looked it up at megagps.com $650. They are in Utah. Shipping is about ten bucks. Marty