I bought the garmin nuvi 270 (used) its preloaded w/2008 europe maps..Garmin website says I cant get any free upgrades. Will the 2008 maps be enough?Or pay for upgrades? I am going to Italy, Slovenia and Croatia.. I bought the garmin nuvi 270 (used) its preloaded w/2008 europe maps..Garmin website says I cant get any free upgrades. Will the 2008 maps be enough?Or pay for upgrades? I am going to Italy,... » Read More I bought the garmin nuvi 270 (used) its preloaded w/2008 europe maps..Garmin website says I cant get any free upgrades. Will the 2008 maps be enough?Or pay for upgrades? I am going to Italy, Slovenia and Croatia.. « Show Less
994284
Obviously you can use your GPS for your trip.... you might find that there are a few road changes, dead ends, etc. but for the most part you have to remember that 97% of everything is still the same (I mean, how much can countries do to their roadways in 5 years!). BTW, the same holds true for yout GPS and American roads. I've had an argument or two with my other half as to what the GPS is telling me but there is no longer a road there!Be patient-- Happy trails--
994285
I traveled to Ireland where there are many changes. None-the-less I found the nuvi 270 very helpful. After driving across open fields I soon joined an existing road. I'd buy it again and often use it here in the US.
994286
I think it still will be very helpful. Mine worked well. There will be new roads but most stay the same. Try not to stay downtown in old section of big cities as roads are so small.
994287
I also have the 2008 maps. Rarely do I run into changes, and I doubt that you will in Italy. Eastern Europe can be more tricky though, there could have been more infrastructure changes.
994288
I traveled to Ireland where many changes have occured but only had one problem (the Waterford factory tour had moved to another location). Sometimes I was driving across open fields but soon joined a road mon the map. No real problems and the device was very helpful.
994289
if you are just going there once you should get by, but if you plan on going more offen then i would purchase the updates
994290
I used it without updates in Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic in 2010 and it worked fine. It does get confused in the historic areas of hill towns. I don't think the update would make a difference. I would bet it will be OK 95 percent of the time. You can always stop and get directions. Would not want to go back to trying to get around without one.
994291
You will not need to upgrade your maps. Things do not change in Europe as they do here. I would suggest you preload your destinations here so that when your feet hit the ground turn on your GPS and go. I used those maps in October 2010 with no problems.
1722182
I just bought the Garmin 255 and found out it has no maps downloaded.I thought it would be ready to go out of the box.It was a re-furbished unit,but I was under the impression it had everything ready for business.Was I wrong in my assumption?silverado_03
1807891
The company literature refers customers to www.garmin.com. There is a reference to City Navigator Europe NT. Apparently the extra maps can be downloaded from their web site for an additional charge. Best to contact the company and verify all of this information before buying.
342290
Try reading thru the 19 pages of this discussion group to find out how to get the free map updates from Garmin, if you know the trick.http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=87789&whichpage;=1
976341
You can get maps for Europe, I'm not sure about lifetime updates. But my advice is don't bother. Garmin is produced for the US. In Europe it's almost worthless. It got me lost all the time. I switched to TomTom, which is European and doesn't work very well in the US, and the accuracy there was almost 100 percent. Garmin is especially bad in European cities where the streets are very close together. In Spain I haven't noticed a single taxi driver who uses Garmin or who uses anything other than TomTom, for that matter.
1515042
You have to purchase them, but you won't get any new, because garmin changed format. Don't know, if you can load BlueChart *G2*, But old BlueCharts will do. Last one for Europe is from year 2009.
976339
I have had my Garmin Nuvi 1370T for the past four years, and have used it extensively in Europe, always with great satisfaction. It is supplied with the programming for Europe. Encourage you to buy one soon, as it has been replaced by another model which costs $495., even from Amazon.
1504603
Chris,I ordered my Garmin 370 on August 8, and just received it on August 13. Unfortunately, this unit appears to have the outdated map of North America. How can I confirm that the v9 European map is on the unit? How long did it take for you to receive the newly-released North American maps from Garmin? I live in the UK, but will be in PA until August 26, 2007. Am I likely to receive the maps before departing from the USA? I plan to call Garmin tomorrow to request the newly-released N. American maps free of charge. Did your request for the updated maps require negotiation or was the representative easily convinced to provide the maps free of charge?Thanks for your feedback! Chris,I ordered my Garmin 370 on August 8, and just received it on August 13. Unfortunately, this unit appears to have the outdated map of North America. How can I confirm that the v9 European map is on the unit? How long did it take for you to receive the newly-released North American maps from Garmin? I live in the UK, but will be in PA until August 26, 2007. Am I likely to receive the maps before departing from the USA? I plan to call Garmin tomorrow to request the newly-released N. American maps free of charge. Did your request for the updated maps require negotiation or was... » Read More Chris,I ordered my Garmin 370 on August 8, and just received it on August 13. Unfortunately, this unit appears to have the outdated map of North America. How can I confirm that the v9 European map is on the unit? How long did it take for you to receive the newly-released North American maps from Garmin? I live in the UK, but will be in PA until August 26, 2007. Am I likely to receive the maps before departing from the USA? I plan to call Garmin tomorrow to request the newly-released N. American maps free of charge. Did your request for the updated maps require negotiation or was the representative easily convinced to provide the maps free of charge?Thanks for your feedback! « Show Less
1217391
Elaine, we have the Garmin nuvi with North America and Europe (mixed anglo-american marriage); although my husband has some issues with it (over 65 anti technology) he is able to get through it. I love it because it not only has the feature of maps, but also the choice of several (e.g. close restaurants, hotels, gas, etc.) that you can utilize when you travel to unfamiliar territory on both continents. Try to get one with Lifetime maps update; it will save you money in the long run....just 'play' around with it to become familiar; and if you have children/grandchildren; they will be able to figure it out and teach you! (Thank goodness for a techie nephew!)Hope this helps -- Elaine, we have the Garmin nuvi with North America and Europe (mixed anglo-american marriage); although my husband has some issues with it (over 65 anti technology) he is able to get through it. I love it because it not only has the feature of maps, but also the choice of several (e.g. close restaurants, hotels, gas, etc.) that you can utilize when you travel to unfamiliar territory on both continents. Try to get one with Lifetime maps update; it will save you money in the long run....just 'play' around with it to become familiar; and if you have children/grandchildren; they will be able to... » Read More Elaine, we have the Garmin nuvi with North America and Europe (mixed anglo-american marriage); although my husband has some issues with it (over 65 anti technology) he is able to get through it. I love it because it not only has the feature of maps, but also the choice of several (e.g. close restaurants, hotels, gas, etc.) that you can utilize when you travel to unfamiliar territory on both continents. Try to get one with Lifetime maps update; it will save you money in the long run....just 'play' around with it to become familiar; and if you have children/grandchildren; they will be able to figure it out and teach you! (Thank goodness for a techie nephew!)Hope this helps -- « Show Less
568707
I called Garmin on July 13, 2007 (yesterday) regarding the updates for my then Garmin Nuvi 680. (I have since returned the unit to Amazon)---Anyway, I was told the updates would be available in a few weeks and would not be free. The cost was available, but I assume it will be the $75. Evidently there are mixed responses either from Garmin, or from Garmin Owners as to what will be "free" and what will be available for a fee due to Garmin Customer Service not having a standard anwer to this question when you finally get a hold of someone there (30 min. wait on the phone). So, until it happens no one will know for sure.
1168420
I will definitely recommend Nuvi 370 over 270 because of several reasons. Text to speech is definitely very helpful believe me I have a Nuvi 200 which doesnot speak street names, which is sometimes very frustrating. I have missed turns which were very close to each other. Name of the street while driving in busy streets is surely very helpful. This would be even more helpful especially in Europe. Other features are worth the extra $70-$80. Live traffic, Bluetooth are amongst them. I will be buying 370 for my Europe trip pretty soon, just looking for the good price.
963862
I emailed Garmin about the 2009 map updates, and getting them free as well since you purchased one now with the obsolete maps on it. This is what they had to say. Thank you for contacting Garmin International. Our newest version of mapping software was released in May of 2007. The title of this update is City Navigator NT 2008. Map updates are released every 12 - 15 months. You can probably expect our next map update to be released sometime in the Summer of 2008. To check for this update please log onto our website www.garmin.com and click on "MAPS" at the top of the page. The next screen will show "MAP UPDATES", please click on it. This will allow you to type in your 'serial number' in the search field. Type in your serial number and click on 'Find'. This will display your mapping update if there is one to order. If nothing displays this will indicate that your Garmin is already fully up to date. If a map update displays you will also notice there is a link that should allow you to register your product to receive this at no cost. If this is an option your first mapping update will be at no charge. ** Keep in mind for the future, map updates are at a cost. ** Map update can be ordered online from our website www.garmin.com, over the phone at 1.800.800.1020, or in local retail store like Best Buy, Circuit City, Wal-Mart etc. The cost for this update is generally around $75.00 to order. This will be a DVD formatted software disk that will be able to load to your computer. You will need a USB cable to connect your Garmin to the computer for the update to complete. This process is said to take around 45 minutes. This update will give your Garmin device updates on streets, highways, construction, restaurants etc. Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns regarding this update
2252905
Thank you. Sounds good. Now I want to find it in combo with the NuMaps Lifetime. Nuvi combo have the NuMaps Lifetime for $50 extra, but I can't find this with a combo yet.----------------Garmin said the one with lifetime update for maps (3790LMT) would be out in September, keep checking their website. Said the cost was $499.99. I hate to spend that money, but am getting the voice activated one for safety reasons. Said it was shipped to Best Buy, but I can find it only in Canada...
1452067
There are so many Garmin options it's mind boggling. The nuvi 350, which I own, comes with North American maps. Looking to buy a gift for my dauughter so I explored a bit. The 200 comes with regional maps, which is basically the continental US. Since we live in Western NY, Canadian maps are useful so you need to go to a model with North America to get that. We traveled to Ireland in the spring but to get maps for Ireland you need to buy an SD card, which goes for over $100 (we left the Garmin home). Also recommend a model that says the street name in addition to 'turn right'. The units can get confused and that is a good 'verification' that you really should turn or exit. Additionally this is helpful because you should be looking at the road and not the Garmin to make sure your going the right way.
1180249
There is an identical model in europe, same number, with lifetime european map updates. Depending on how much use you will have in Europe, having a 2nd gps but both with lifetime map updates might be more economical, as one update can cost $100. I have a 2577LT and I find it difficult to find addresses in rural area or very common street names in France, due to the way the unit searches.
1284707
I am not sure, I haven't looked for it. Check the feature/details of the unit and see if it includes Europe. Updates are free as are downloads so you may just have to download the Europe maps and be good to go. If you just go on the Garmin site you can look up the features of every gps unit they sell including those that are no longer sold to see what it included as a feature. I do recall the 2577LT as having the ability for Europe but I would not want to say for sure.
976344
It comes w/European maps. I haven't tried to get updates, but I have been led to believe that those are available at no charge -- for a lifetime. One function I used a number of times was (under "Tools") was "Where Am I?" This worked right off the bat when we got to Switzerland. This came in handy when we visited a large city especially later on when we were in France. I'd park the car, go to the Where Am I function, give the location a name and save it to Favorites. Later, when we wanted go back to the car, I'd bring up the name (I'd call it "Car"), and the Garmin would direct me back without a problem - finding the car in a strange city would have been quite a challenge without the Garmin. It comes w/European maps. I haven't tried to get updates, but I have been led to believe that those are available at no charge -- for a lifetime. One function I used a number of times was (under "Tools") was "Where Am I?" This worked right off the bat when we got to Switzerland. This came in handy when we visited a large city especially later on when we were in France. I'd park the car, go to the Where Am I function, give the location a name and save it to Favorites. Later, when we wanted go back to the car, I'd bring up the name (I'd call it "Car"), and the... » Read More It comes w/European maps. I haven't tried to get updates, but I have been led to believe that those are available at no charge -- for a lifetime. One function I used a number of times was (under "Tools") was "Where Am I?" This worked right off the bat when we got to Switzerland. This came in handy when we visited a large city especially later on when we were in France. I'd park the car, go to the Where Am I function, give the location a name and save it to Favorites. Later, when we wanted go back to the car, I'd bring up the name (I'd call it "Car"), and the Garmin would direct me back without a problem - finding the car in a strange city would have been quite a challenge without the Garmin. « Show Less