Customer Ratings & Reviews

I bought the Garmin Nuvi 200 from Best Buy about two weeks ago. It has been the best 300 dollars I have spent so far. I am a new college student so I bought it so that I would know where everything was in Charlotte. The POI's on the Nuvi are amazing. You just search by type such as fast food and then you can narrow it down to a specific place by typing in the name on the 3.5 in. touchscreen. Using the address function is great to. Just type i the numbers and then click done and most of the time as you are typing the street it automatically finds it for you. The screen is incredibly bright and is easy to see, even in direct sunlight and the spoken voice prompts are loud and clear when the volume is turned up. With it turned up to 100%, you can even listen to the radio at a pretty good volume and still be able to hear the Nuvi loud and clear. As far as accuracy is concerned, the Nuvi is on it. 99.9% of the time, it is almost exact with my location. As you get closer to a turn it says on the screen how much farther you have to go....500ft, 400ft, 100ft, 50, 40, etc. Depending on how fast you are going will determine when the gps tells you how far until your next turn. At highway speeds I always get a prompt to "keep right" at least 0.2 miles in advance. The battery life is great for such a bright screen. I have gotten about 4-4.5 hours out of it so far. Another great thing about the Nuvi 200 is that it has an sd card slot on the side so that you can view pictures on the go and you can update the maps for free as long as Garmin has not discontinued it. Its size is great for just throwing it in your bag or in your pocket or to just take it to another car to have great navigation. Overall it is a great gps for anyone who wants to travel in confidence knowing you will get where you need to be. The Garmin Nuvi 200 will get you there guaranteed.

I recommend this produt. I bought it about 2 weeks ago, I travel because I'm a sales rep. and it's totally changed my driving experience! It's priced fair and works great! My father liked it and bought the Nuvi 350, I DO NOT recommend that one!! It has MP3 player and more extra's but Garmin outdone themselves by trying too hard w/ it. It comes with all the accessories which MAY be worth the price, but I found it too complex compared to the 200. It's supposed to be better because it says the name of the road in which you are to turn on, but I found that to be annoying! I like it better when it tells you when to turn, you can look at the screen and it tells you the name of the road you are to turn on. The less these things talk, the better IMO. Also, I have an MP3 player already in my car stereo and who doesn't anymore. No need for the GPS to have MP3 playback as the audio quality is barely acceptable, although surprisingly loud. I also didn't like the pop up option on the 350 'cause whenever you pull up the map for your route, it has an option to simulate the drive. The worst thing is you can't bypass this option, it always pops up but you just hit "no" and it will not simulate the drive. Also DO NOT get the 350 (or possibly several others) if you wear POLARIZED SUNGLASSES!! I am an Optician and an optical frame sales rep. and this is VERY important 'cause the screen will appear a different color and VERY, VERY DARK. It's almost IMPOSSIBLE to see the screen, I do not have this problem with the Nuvi 200 and it's at least $100.00 less! Get the 200 and don't worry about all the useless extra's that the others offer. I would have liked to get a wide screen GPS, but you'll never know the difference anyway. This unit is great but you'll have to buy accessories separately, i.e. leather case, usb cable and ac power cable for home, still worth it IMO. Get it!

I have had this GPS system for a couple of months now and I love it. I use it to find houses that I'm interested in buying. It is very easy to use right out of the box. You can also go to Garmin's website and download more vehicles to display for personalizing it. It doesn't have bluetooth or the ability to play mp3s though. I think that those things are personl preferences but not necessary for getting you from point A to point B. It also doesn't have speech to text, meaning it doesn't say the name of streets. Instead, it tells you to turn in so many miles or feet but in plenty of time to do so. This feature is also sufficient. I don't miss the "speech to text" because the street names are displayed on the screen of the GPS. It also has suffcient volume so that you may have a conversation with someone in your car or listen to the radio at decent levels. I'm very pleased with my unit and would recommend this GPS to anyone who doesn't care about having all the bells and wistles that comes with a lot of other GPS systems.

I bought this GPS wanting just that - a basic GPS unit for the car that would calculate routes for me, get me to unknown/unfamiliar addresses easily, and serve as a good map to always have on hand. It performs these tasks well. It usually takes anywhere from a very fast 5 seconds or so up to a couple of minutes to find the satellites, depending on weather and terrain. But it's always located them, and almost always very quickly. The car mount is very sturdy and well designed. The screen is clear and easily viewable in bright sunlight; night mode is equally nice after dark (background changes from white to black), and when set to "auto" it will change the background from day to night for you when it gets dark. The preloaded maps (NT 2008, I believe) are very accurate, at least around here, and I have been suprised at the level of detail (dirt roads, jeep trails, private roads, etc). Rerouting is fairly quick if you leave your main route. I didn't need/want any bells and whistles as on the higher priced models (I don't really care about Bluetooth to my cell phone, viewing pictures, or listening to MP3s on a GPS unit). It would be nice to have the full text-to-speech capability, but again, with the next model up that offers that feature being a good $50-75 more at the time of my purchase, it's just not worth it. Only two complaints - I would have preferred if the car charger could plug into the base of the unit rather than the unit itself. But this is a minor quirk and may not make any difference to most. Secondly, the battery life is not quite as good as some other models. (Advertised five hours - I can get about 3.5 - 4 hours out of it). But since I rarely need to take it out and put it into another vehicle other than my daily driver, this is not a big issue for me. If you want a good entry level GPS that does GPS well, and you won't miss the "extras" of the higher priced models, this one is highly recommended.

Just received the Nuvi 200 for Christmas. Wasn't expecting a GPS system, so didn't even know much about them. I drive a lot for my job and it's great. Now that I have a Nuvi, I wonder what I ever did without it. Keep learning about more and more cool features everytime I play with it. I've found that the maps are accurate and up to date, and I've had no problems with satellite acquisition. My favorite component (besides from accurate directions) is probably the "points of interest" feature that you can use to locate a starbucks, panera bread, an atm, or whatever your heart desires. You can even program it to pick up your latte near your starting point, en route, or near your destination. Now that's cool!!! Also like the "avoidances" feature... I hate toll roads and I try to avoid them like the plague!!! I like, too, that you can avoid expressways during high traffic times. I also like that you can program it according to whether you're driving, cycling, or walking around the city. I've read that the Nuvi 200 is supposedly "basic" and considered an "entry level" system. I can't even imagine what the more "high tech" versions do, drive for you? I guess if I had any complaints (and I'm really reaching), it would be that you can't charge it in the wall w/o making an extra purchase. And I wish the "avoidance" feature included avoiding routes with railroad tracks (but in Chicago, not even sure if that's possible). And, I think the Garmin website could be a little less confusing. Kind of hard to navigate for making purchases and updating maps (in the future). All and all, it's one of the coolest and most useful gifts I've ever received. I think everyone should have one. Definately worth the money and I can't wait to use it on a long distance trip!!!

Decided to finally breakdown and buy a GPS as I travel frequently in the Eastern US. This was on sale and told being discontinued for a new model that tells me street names at the turns instead of displaying them. All for $200 more. I like the size and portability and battery life (5 hours) so I don't need to take the power cord and bracket with me when I fly. Very easy setup. Literally 2 minutes and good to go. Finding restaurants very easy by spelling. Needed a "Mighty Taco" in Buffalo. Punched in the name and in seconds, came up with a location 1/2 mile away. So far has been 98% accurate. Software could be updated as some locations have been out of business for two years, but all in all, this is a great unit if you don't want all the bells and whistles of something much more expensive. Only downside is no reroute capability from your starting location. Must go a different direction, or skip a turn and will automatically reroute, but if you know a highway is blocked before you leave, and have to find another route, you'll need a map, or just start driving a a different way and it will then recalculate

I was tired of getting lost in Indianapolis during Thanksgiving and thought I would check the Black Friday GPS prices. I chose the least expensive one that was in stock, the Garmin Nuvi 200 ($169 special deal!!!!). I opened the package in my car and in less than 2 minutes the thing was displaying my mall location! It worked even though I had in in my hand, thus the receiver is very sensitive, picks up the satellites in built up areas. Leaving the mall, it gave me instructions to turn right instead of what I thought should be a left. I decided to go for a joy ride and see what happened. The thing got me back to my relative's house 50% quicker than the route I had been taking, amazing (I should have had the device the day before when I was driving for an hour hopelessly lost!). It is VERY easy to use, navigation is via easy to understand touch screen prompts. There is no external antenna to connect , an unexpected pleasant surprise. I was also surprised it has a rechargeable battery that enables portable use . The manual does not describe how to update the device via the USB port, I am still working on this (though most items are not in need of an update). I have not mounted the device in a vehicle yet but have found that suction cup mounting systems do not fit mini vans, the center of the windshield is too far away from the dashboard. I suspect the same will apply to the Nuvi 200. A dash board clue-type mount would have been helpful. A very good GPS device.

This is a great GPS system that can be used immediately out of the box. It is portable, and can be used in different automobiles or as a personal GPS out walking. What I like most is the fact that you do not have to pay a cell phone company a monthly fee to use it. It is guided by a satellite rather than Cell phone towers, so it has less dead spaces. It tells you your speed, distance traveled and estimated time of arrival. In the several trips we have used it for, the ETA was right on the money. There was one location out on a four lane that required passing the destination and making a U-turn just down the road, it told us to U turn at the first available place (certainly not a feature one would expect to find on a street map). This is a unit that is good for beginners and those that do not have a lot to spend on high tech items. The only draw back is that you cannot program it to keep the directions on major roads (it will send you down country roads on occasion) but if you decide to stay on a major road the unit will recalculate and give you directions from where you are at!

This is an amazing unit for anyone. I did a lot of research including "test driving" some friends GPS units and finally settled on the Nuvi 200. I vacation tested a $600 brand with a name similar to "Tim Tim". In my opinion the Nuvi 200 is far superior for the average user. I don't want to spend the extra money to have the blue tooth hooked to my phone, I don't want to play mp3's or deal with traffic alerts, I don't care if it will show me vacation pictures and give me directions in the voice of Ozzy Osbourne. I want clear accurate directions that will get me where I want to go. I looked at the 200w, but the bigger screen only gives you a wider view when what you would really want from a bigger screen would be a taller view. The 200w does display more menu items at one time, but to me that is not worth the extra money and trying to fit a larger unit in my pocket every time I get out of the car. The volume on this device is amazing and clear. I actually had to adjust it down to 20% and I can hear that clearly while driving. I deal with technology daily in my job so for me a new toy is easy to get to know. I bought another for my retired parents and they were able to use it on the way home not even having read the directions. Trust me, you can not go wrong with this device. Feature packed, easy to navigate and at a great price. You will wonder how you ever got along without one.

I was recently on a business trip with an associate in a small city that neither of us had ever been to before. When my friend pulled his TomTom One out of his pocket to help with directions, I kidded him openly about being a "gageteer". BOY WAS I WRONG! After meeting clients for dinner in an unfamiliar part of town and effortlessly finding our way back to the hotel, I knew that I had to have one. The Best Buy salesperson encouraged me to consider Garmin over TomTom and actually delayed my purchase overnight while I went home and studied my options. The NUVI 200 won out over the TomTom One because of size, the built in JPG viewer accessory as well as the depth of the company's GPS experience based on the number of other models as well as the time in the business. I have not been on an out of town trip yet but have used the NUVI 200 around the DFW area for the last two weeks and am EXTREMELY impressed. It intelligently chooses the route much as I would have chosen most of the time, but even when it picks another route, it is NEVER a bad choice. I like that there is a "detour" feature that will force the choice of an alternate route. Even my wife who is militantly "non-tech" is warming up to this thing and has even asked to borrow it for a recent errand. I can't recommend the NUVI 200 enough.

I bought my nuvi 200 on a few recommendations that picked garmin over all others. The main attraction was its portability, slim profile, and good features, but not all the stuff i don't really need, eg. traffic, bluetooth, weather, etc. (i have all that in my car anyhow) the c330 was initially my first pick, but is just too bulky, this fits right in my change compartment until i get it installed directly (which best buy will do for a small fee as well), and i was willing to pay a little more and a few extra features to get a slimmer one. I was at first skeptical of how it would work (my first gps), but immediately after i bought it, i took it out to my car, plugged it in, let it run its setup program, quickly punched in where i was going next, and whalaa, i was there, no problem. I purposely took a few wrong turns, and in 2 seconds, new routes were plotted and directions voiced. I've got the 'ole map in the glove compartment just in case, but i dont think i'll be needing it any time soon.

First time using a nav system. I bought this after I had used the nuvi 260 series so I could have one for both vehicles. As far as I can tell, there really isnt any difference between the two. They are great products. Beats busting out the fold-up maps (as if they ever really did refold) Gives intel on detours, when to turn, and what to do if you missed a turn. Gives info on 'points of interest.' Lets say I check my gas and I'm low, just touch that option, select gas, and it lists all of the stations nearby, select one and you're on your way. I used to get lost alot... now It seems that i have to try to lose myself, especially with it yelling at me that i missed my turn, which makes it even more difficult. It frustrates a lot of people because they claim that the voice gets on their nerves. Some advice (take it if you want) I suggest naming the garmin, as you look less insane when you're yelling at it when it nags! It can be a pretty fiersome backseat driver sometimes.

Were I to advise a family or friend (especially non-technical people) I would first describe expectations. Commercial GPS isnt absolutely "perfect" 100% of the time because roads change faster than maps in the devices and no complex device is without its flaws. Sometimes you expect to navigate to an Italian restaurant only to find out that it is now a Tire store. That said, if you have an address or a set of coordinates, this device will get you there and even give you a rough idea of what time. The Nuvi 200 works just as well as higher end models without all the bells and whistles. If you can do without of these features, this model is a smart choice. Text to Speach - This is a biggie. "Turn left on Maple Lane" is better than "Turn left in 100 feet ... turn left" but those models cost more. Eventually, all models will have this, but right now you save $50-100 if you can glance at the screen and read "Turn left on Maple Lane" or see it on the map. I have used a Nuvi with TTS and if you dont have it set to a language pack that has TTS, it navigates idenically to this model. The 200 I got from BestBuy has a newer software version than the 350 I've used. Besides TTS, more expensive Nuvi play mp3's and can access Traffic Updates. All that is great but if youi just need the highest quality GPS device for a very reasonable price then this is your device.

I have never owned a GPS system but travel a lot with my kids and their travel sport's teams. I have gotten lost too many times and decided to puchase one. We researched and found this Nuvi 200 by Garmin and it has worked out great. It has every thing you need if you are a beginner or even if you have had one before. I am not much on figuring out technology and this was one of the easist things I have had to figure out. I basically read a little of the directions and plugged it in and we were off. It is great and I would highly reccommend this to anyone. It has shopping, places to eat, hospitals, hotels and many places of interests listed. It doesn't have a lot of gadgets but enough. It only has maps for the US so if you are traveling abroad you need something a little more sophisticated. The only downside I found so far is that when you want to find an area you have to put in the address or city instead of putting in just the zip code which would make it a little easier.

I received this as a Christmas gift from my husband and am so grateful to him for this wonderful device. It is easy to use, program, and set up. I was amazed at the many features this possesses AND what really amazed me was that if I got lost ( which I have been known to do ) all I had to do was go to the favorties button and push HOME! It brought me right home. This is fantastic for the directionally challenged, the new driver, skilled driver, and the adventurer! If you have parents that get lost, buy them one! You have a new driver in your home? Buy them one! You will never hear, " I got lost", again! I cannot praise this device enough. I just program new places before I go OR find new places on my way. If you are a person with illnesses, you can find a hospital with the touch of your finger. Got a hankering for Asian , Italian, or All American food? Just touch the screen and ALL of these will pop up for you to choose from. You feel like a shop-a-thon ? Just touch the screen.. Your wallet will scream in agony and YOU my friend, will scream in ecstacy! Bottom line? If you have ever been lost, are new to an area, or just would like to have that added touch of feeling "safe", when driving on your own.. then this is a MUST have for you!

I usually get to the latest gadgets with a lot of delay, even though my navigational skills would have argued for buying this earlier. I settled on this model because of the many good reviews, its small size, and price. It was very easy to use from the start (no need to even look at the manual) and I first tried it on places that I knew exactly how to get to. The voice instructions are clear, and it is good to see what streets you are intersecting, given that the lighting where I live is very limited compared to the places in Europe I know. When you disobey the instruction, the unit is generally very fast in recalculating. The main con I found so far is that the civic numbers are often quite off, sometime more than one block wrong -even for places that have not been modified in the last 35 years. Also, but this is hearsay, it seems that updating the maps is rather expensive, which is one of those things about commerce that really annoys me (like when you buy a printer real cheap, but the ink cartridges cost as much as the printer). Overall, I like this unit, and it is easy to carry around in a pocket. I have had it for two weeks, and when I had to go somewhere where I did not know the exact area it made the experience considerably easier.

Just bought mine on Black Friday. VERY NICE PRICE! I can't beleive all the places, all the functions on this thing. Very accurate in finding gas stations, and addresses that you put in yourself. Pre loaded ATM's, Hospitals, Resturants, Parks and on and on. I bought mine as a "Toy", but I can see now that it's more than a toy, it's going to be a very helpfull traveling device. "IF" I need a Hospital while on the road, I now know where all of them are and how to get there!! No guess work, no asking, I just dirve to the front door step! I hope I never have to use this, but if I do... I've got it! Very compact, fits in a shirt or pants pocket, easy to read, shows up comming streets and name of streets.

i call this my girlfriend: nuvi. takes me everywhere i want to go: on the car, on the boat, or even as a pedestrian walking from museum to museum. speaks well and clear. very accurate with ETA and mileage. have used it around tennessee, georgia, illinois, washington dc, california. easy to find places to go to: restaurants, museums, parks. very portable and looks good and sleek. basic and easy to use features. garmin car image downloads are nice. has all i need to get where i want to go. i would like to keep the maps upgraded but it could be costly. maybe i will upgrade every other year. i hope there are free map upgrades. i have had this for a year and battery life seems to be running low when unplugged. i keep it power plugged for now when in use but would investigate on what i need to do to keep it going while running on battery power. sometimes it takes too long to pick up satellite reception. but all in all works very well. i can't go anywhere without it. i even use it around familiar town to go to meetings just to see which route it would give me. so far so good. i give it a thumbs up!

This unit works great so far. I have had it for a week and enjoyed every minute. I am going out of town next week to really test it out. The unit has an easy interface to use. It recalculates quick when you miss a turn. It is what I expect from Garmin. The cost was great $249 on sale. It lacks a few high-end features like turn confirmation (magallen has a sound to confirm), but that is really not needed. It also does not have text-to-speech to speak the street name you turn at, but again not needed just nice to have. It has a calculator, currency converter, .jpg picture viewer, and expandable SD card slot. It comes with car charger and suction mount for window/windshield. It has mini USB port to connect to computer (to download updates), which is also the charger port so you can charge via PC, car, or if you have a Palm/Windows Mobile device you can use your AC adapterto charge thru the mini USB port as it is the same (does not come with home charger), must buy seperate, but really not needed with the car charger.

I bought this for myself because I plan to move to a larger city soon. The unit itself was ready to use out of the box. The suction cup mount worked without any problems. Haven't tried the dash mount yet. It uses a basic USB type connector like the motorola bluetooth headsets and motorola razr do. When charging through a cell phone charger or through your computer, the maps are unavailable to be seen. The only way to charge it while still being able to use it at the same time is with the included car charger. A home charger would have been great to have included along with more detailed maps. This one does not say the street names, but gives very general verbal directions. Nice size and will fit easily in your pocket. The size is about the same thickness as a motorola razr and height + width is about the same size as 1 1/4 razrs put side by side. Has some nice odometer features and the built in speedometer feature is a plus. Great buy for how inexpensive it is in comparison to the other models.