Garmin - nüvi 255WT GPS

One drawback and it it is probably not limited to this model - I bought this unit to navigate roads in North Dakota since I was moving there and had never been there before. The roads in northern ND near the Canadian border were 2 miles off. If I was looking to turn on 129th ST; I would actually be at 131st by the time the Nuvi instructed me to turn. There seems to be no way to correct this (I tried updating the maps online - not fixed). That was the ONLY issue I had with this unit; otherwise it is wonderful.

This is a very nice GPS. It works well and is easy to use. I recommend it to anyone who asks me about GPS's. Things you need to know: 1. This is a "wierd" model from Garmin. You won't find the 255WT on their website. The box is labeled 255WT, but it's marked 255W on the unit itself. It's basically a 255W with the traffic option built in. 2. If you buy from an auction site, Garmin will not warranty it. (It can be registered, though.) 3. You need to register it. The problem is, it does not come with a USB cable to connect it to your computer. The cable can be picked up any where like Best Buy, Radio Shack, possibly Wal-Mart, etc. Once you've got the cable and the unit connected to your computer, go to http:my.garmin.com. Once registered, click the My Dashboard tab, this will tell you what's available to update. This will enable you to install the latest software update and map updates. 4. One of the biggest advantages of this unit vs. the 255W is the free lifetime traffic. A lot of GPS's offer traffic information, but charge quite a bit more for that option. This unit comes with FM Traffic Message Channel (TMC) which it uses to get information broadcast over FM radio frequencies. Important things to know about the traffic feature on this GPS: You must have the GPS connected to your car charger for it to receive the traffic information. The power cord doubles as the traffic receiver. While a bit annoying, at least it doesn't require an additional antenna. I have a Sony GPS that requires the power cord, plus an additional antenna to get traffic, so there's cords dangling all over the place. You do not have to "activate" the traffic; it's automatic. You'll know you're receiving traffic information if you see a little car icon in the upper left portion of the screen. There is MSN Direct traffic available for this unit as well. It costs extra, but has more features. But, according to their website, MSN Direct will cease operations on Jan 1, 2012. 5. Once registered you can go to Garmins website and download customizations like different vehicle icons, voices, etc. Most custom voices don't speak street names, though. They simply say, turn left in 200 feet. Look for the ones labled TTS if you want the street names spoken. You can also download a free program from Garmin that allows you to record your own voice. Or, you can use this to edit the Text to Speech (TTS) file in the unit. This allows you to keep the factory spoken street names but still change what the unit says: http://turboccc.wikispaces.com/TTSVoiceEditor 6. You can create/download your own POI's. This allows you to create a list of custom business, etc, that you want to search on. An example would be BBQ restaurants, WalGreens, etc. There's a very nice site where people build these files and you can download for free: http://www.poi-factory.com/ This is a very handy feature. The only thing I don't like about it is that the custom POI's are not "imbedded" into the factory POI's, so searching for them requires a few more "clicks", but no big deal.

My wife and I have used the Garmin nüvi 255WT GPS for almost a month now. We have moved to a new state where the Garmin nüvi 255WT GPS has come in very helpful. It is easy to use and has great features. It shows the speed limit, traffic updates, and has many other great features. It also has long lasting battery life with the ability to be a moble GPS. My only con with the Garmin nüvi 255WT GPS is that in big cities it seems like the GPS can get confused with tall buildings and bridges. Overall, this is a great GPS at a great price and I would recommend this product to anyone.

I bought this unit because I know that Garmin has always been the leader in GPS units and I really liked the wide-screen of this model. I was very surprised by how easy this unit is to set-up. You just plug it in, wait a few minutes for the satellites to find it and you're done. I was equally surprised by it's ease of use, accuracy and amount of features (speed limit display for each road you travel, list of near-by restaurants & points of interest, the "Where Am I" emergency locator, etc.). I purchased this online on Thanksgiving Day to take advantage of the 1-day, 40% off sale, but this unit is even worth the full price!

My old Garmin nuvi 370 had a smaller display and I did not like how it mounted to the docking device from windshield. This new Garmin nuvi 255WT has a larger display and it mounts much better on it's docking device to windshield. The GPS loads maps much faster then my old 370, and because my maps were far out of date on the old 370, it was a better deal to just buy a brand new unit. It's easy to put address's in the system, and it tracks the streets quickly. it even posts the speed limits on streets your driving. If you know Garmin you know they sell quality built systems, the 255WT is solid and shows it's quality of build. The display is sharp with great colors. being larger it's much easer to view. As it was on sale last week it was great find. My older nuvi 370 did come with a battery charger that the 255WT does not include, it's now and after market item. But most will use the Auto power cord that is included so you really won't need the battery charger. Trust me this Garmin is a really nice GPS, you just can't go wrong buying one.

I have already recommended this GPS to a friend. I bought this as a gift for my mom. There were already a lot of good user reviews on this product so I went ahead and got this one. I wasn't aware just how feature rich this little system is. It's so easy to use, all the menus cascade in a very nice order of importance to let you get your input done quickly. Don't know the address? Type the name of the destination(such as Best Buy) into the points of interest submenu and it will give you a list categorized by distance of all the Best Buys near you! I wasn't sure if it had a feature that told you the speed limit of the road youre on(which my ma wanted) and behold, while i was testing it out, a noticed a little speed limit sign on the side indicating the correct speed limits. It updates the position smoothly, it declutters the screen when a route is entered, and if you just want to cruise around it leaves all the streets up and has a nice angle to keep you oriented on your surroundings. I would buy this product again in a heartbeat.

I bought this as a repalcement for Garmin 350, which I really liked. Some jackhole busted my window a helped themself to it. This is my third Garmin and I really like some newer features on this one. the traffic updates for starters works pretty well. i am in Houston, which is on the map of places this feature will work. I also like the speed limit posted on the screen and i really like the 'where i am" feature that will locate the nearest police station, hospital and gas stations at one touch. So far it picks up satelites really quick, which my 350 had trouble at times. I like the wide screen and points of interest, which is outdated at times. No big deal, no gps will be 100% current. A littel advice, do not leave your gps in your vehicle. the police told me it is an easy target, easy to grab, and can get loser drugheads around $10 to $15. They also told me not to leave your mount on the window to advertise you have one. They will bust your window thinking you hid it in the car. Conclusion: really good gps, get this one.

Bought this Garmin the day after Thanksgiving online when all the crazy people hit the local stores. Great price, and very fast shipping. So far it has been very accurate and extremely easy to use. We had no need to look at any directions, since the screen info makes it very easy. Offers all the points of interest anyone would ever want and very up to date. The 4.3 inch screen is very clear, bright, and easy to enter addresses in without hitting multiple keys by accident. The traffic update is great for any conjested areas and construction. Hit detour and it will guide you around it. The only thing that could be a little better is the battery life, but then again theres nothing wrong with plugging it in when using . Over all great unit highly recommended.