New (first) satnav: Garmin nuvi 350/660 or Tomtom one?

[lgc85]

Hi,

I'm getting a new satnav for my dad, and finally reduced my choice to either tomtom one, garmin nuvi 350, or the 660. It will be used in spain, but my parents travel a fair bit in europe, so definitely going for european mapping. Anything else is extra, but things like the nuvi addons are always a nice bonus.

Anyway, the lowest prices I have found are 200 euros (tomtom), 230 euros (nuvi 350) and 290 euros (nuvi 660). I'm prepared to pay the extra bucks if I feel it's worth it, but is it? The 660 has the traffic receiver inbuilt, which I think is quite a good addition (dunno how miuch it costs to add unto the other two), but how useful is it really? Other than that, what are the differences between the nuvi 350 and 660? I'm feeling slightly inclined towards the garmins due to the pedestrian option (nice when travelling), and smaller size, but again, I'm struggling to find distinguishing features to separate the three..as far as maps are concerned (ultimately the most important thing), both systems have their fans, and both seem to be pretty reasonable. Any suggestions/ideas?

Thanks for the help!

[lgc85]

Another issue of interest I forgot to mention! How easy is it to update maps, and how much does it cost for the different systems? Not something that needs to be done too often, but it's a present, and it's annoying to give something with a cost already attached to it..how updated will the maps be out of the box?

Thanks!

[philpugh]

The GARMIN systems will be getting new maps (V2008) very soon. in fact some models are shipping with the new maps soon - check with the retailer before you buy.

I would go for one of the GARMIN units as the mapping is just a little bit better in my opinion. As for the TMC (traffic) option. Is this available in Spain? It's available in some European countries.

Either of the GARMIN units will be good.

Map upgrading is fairly straight forward on the GARMINs - not sure of cost - I believe it was about £45 last time. Updates are usually yearly and at the beginning of the year.
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Phil

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