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SydEx
Occasional Visitor
Joined: Aug 21, 2006
Posts: 20
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 Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 4:01 pm Post subject: TomTom 540 or 530 - Which to Buy? |
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My wife is buying me a TomTom Go tomorrow, up till now I have been using the PDA version on my phone. But I have a dilemma!
It would seem that the 540 is just about to hit the streets and the price of the 530 has dropped because of that. I can now pick up a 530 for £200, whilst the 540 will be just about £300. Looking at the reviews and threads on this forum, I am struggling to see what I would gain by buying a 540. I intend to add HD traffic in the near future.
Can someone tell me whether there is any aspect of the 540 which will make it a must-have? |
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DennisN
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Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 14901
Location: Keynsham
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| Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 6:22 pm Post subject: |
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Have a look at THIS THREAD and decide for yourself.
Looks like the only other item in the equation is your phrase "the 540 is about to hit the streets". From the sounds of it, that's definitely NOT tomorrow and probably not this month - none of the big retailers have a genuine delivery promise yet for you (nor indeed a price promise either).
I'd say if you were to decide on a 540, your best course would be to wait until somebody else who has had an earlier one (520/530) reports on the differences, improvements, disadvantages, whatever.
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Dennis
If it tastes good - it's fattening.
Two of them are obesiting!! |
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mikealder
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Joined: Jan 14, 2005
Posts: 19638
Location: Blackpool , Lancs
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| Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 7:42 pm Post subject: |
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I would even consider looking for a 520 as once these are updated to the latest software and free map which you get with the initial purchase you will have the same as the 530 - the only difference being the colour scheme of the menu pages! and probably around £80 less in purchase price.
As for the x40 units, only TomTom will know when they are going to ship, yes its got a nice screen mount compared to the x20/ x30 from the pictures I have seen, but there is nothing wrong with the mount for the x20/ x30 series.
The connected "Live" services will require subscription with talk of a £10 per month charge in order to get the best from the device.
If you are on the road most of the day then the x40 might be of interest, otherwise I would go with the 520 if you can find one - Mike |
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SydEx
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Joined: Aug 21, 2006
Posts: 20
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| Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2008 10:50 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for your responses.
Reading the linked reviews, I still can't see a killer function which makes the 540 a must-have.
Good steer about the 520, but Amazon have just dropped the price of the 530 to £179.99, so that's what I will be getting.
I'll add HD Link when it becomes available. |
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Trevor1234
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Joined: Apr 30, 2005
Posts: 810
Location: Milton Keynes
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| Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2008 12:15 pm Post subject: |
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Hi SydEx
I agree completely with mikealder and go for the 520. No dilemma at all.
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nosenseuk
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Joined: Oct 11, 2008
Posts: 7
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| Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2008 1:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Trevor1234 wrote: | Hi SydEx
I agree completely with mikealder and go for the 520. No dilemma at all. |
Well i will disagree. But only with what u said :D. Depending on the price of go 520 u might be able to get a 720 for cheaper. Really depends where u buy it.. at the moment the 720 isnt much more and can be cheaper than 520 across different retailers.. ofcourse for the same retailer the 520 is most like gonna be cheaper.. b ut u get what i mean. u need to shop around for best price. |
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stealthdevil
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Joined: Jul 05, 2007
Posts: 40
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| Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 10:25 am Post subject: |
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| I heard TomTom won't be releasing the HD attachment outside of the Netherlands. |
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Guinness2702
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Joined: Oct 23, 2008
Posts: 156
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| Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 12:08 pm Post subject: |
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| stealthdevil wrote: | | I heard TomTom won't be releasing the HD attachment outside of the Netherlands. |
I heard nothing either way, but I did notice that this lot are taking pre-orders, suggesting that you heard wrong.
http://www.handtec.co.uk/product.php/1043/tomtom-hd-traffic-receiver
Other sites do talk about HD Traffic in other places, but don't specifically mention the separate receiver. |
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Zebb
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Joined: Aug 28, 2008
Posts: 55
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| Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 5:19 pm Post subject: |
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Dixons have the 530 for £165 at the moment.
Empire Direct had the 520 for £119 this morning but sold out now. |
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Iron_Horse
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Joined: Oct 26, 2008
Posts: 26
Location: Yorkshire, United Kingdom
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| Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 7:29 pm Post subject: |
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I too am in this 530 or 540 predicament, Also considering the 520.. It`ll most likely go down to what i can pick up locally
You think the "awaiting" release of the x40s will add the possibility of a price drop? |
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Guinness2702
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Joined: Oct 23, 2008
Posts: 156
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| Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 9:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Iron_Horse wrote: | I too am in this 530 or 540 predicament, Also considering the 520.. It`ll most likely go down to what i can pick up locally
You think the "awaiting" release of the x40s will add the possibility of a price drop? |
Thing is for me is I want the HD Traffic, and I would much prefer an integrated unit, something that can be operated at home/office without having to plug the separate adapter in (will the adaptor even work without plugging in to cigarette socket?), so the 540 it is for me. Also, with the price in that link I posted above, and the difference between 530/40 (see below), it'll probably work out more expensive to buy separately if nobody does the adaptor cheaper
Price drop is guess work, but I have a 540 on pre-order for £268 (most places are about £300), but then you can pick up a 530 for as little as £170 - already £100 cheaper, so I wouldn't expect too much of a drop - maybe the people wanting £200-230 for the 530 will drop the price, but I doubt that anything will go much below £170 - remember that the 540 is not supposed to be a replacement for the 530, according to posts I've seen elsewhere. Of course, I'm not clairvoyant!
Bottom line is, if you want the HD Traffic, wait for the 540, if you don't ... well I guess (and it is a guess) that perhaps you'll save at most 10 quid on a 530 by waiting - u have to decide if my guess is right, and is that amount of saving worth waiting for. |
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Iron_Horse
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Joined: Oct 26, 2008
Posts: 26
Location: Yorkshire, United Kingdom
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| Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 10:27 pm Post subject: |
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Well im pretty set on a TomTom but my eyes keep straying elsewhere, Id love the HD traffic update module but the additional monthly cost steers me away, I know the traffic information provided by the RD-TMC is no way comparable to what people and (TomTom) claim the HD`s capabilities, I just cant justify the cost.. Despite travelling the country on a daily basis?
I see the 530T can be picked up for Halfords for £199.99 or the 520T online @ handtec £158.99, All im worried is the upgrade process if i go for the 520.. |
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Guinness2702
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Joined: Oct 23, 2008
Posts: 156
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| Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 11:03 am Post subject: |
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| Iron_Horse wrote: | | I just cant justify the cost.. Despite travelling the country on a daily basis? |
Yeah, it's not cheap, but then, if the fuel price info is accurate, and I can save, say even 3p a litre, then for me that's as much as 6 quid a month. Even without that, I've been on trips where traffic has cost me well over an hour - if I can avoid that, then that alone is worth the cost.
It all depends on how good the data is, tbh, but I'm gonna give it a try. |
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