Aftermarket Nav System < $350

[gmofftarki]

I have no sense of direction, but a decent sense of traffic, so a traffic connection, while useful, probably wouldn't be required (though the ability to add one later might be nice).

Looking at Epinions, I see that Garmin comes highly recommended, and that I can get a Garmin C330 for 258 dollars through one of their Trusted Stores. I can also get a C340 for 300 even.

I would highly prefer something with a permanent mount, and something that gives voice directions, either through its own speakers, or I can connect it through the aux jack on my Mazda 3 if absolutely necessary (though I'd prefer the ability to listen to music as well as the GPS if at all possible). A decent visual display (ie. one from which I can get the information I need from a glance rather than pulling over and peering at the screen for 10-15 seconds) is also essential.

The TomTom selections have been getting pretty average reviews, but I'd consider them if they're better than claimed.

Does anyone have a suggestion on the best GPS unit in this price range? Again, Garmin has been getting by far the best reviews. What would I get with the C340 over the C330, the sites at which I've seen it haven't given concise comparisons.

Any help would be most appreciated.

[PaulD]

I just use a map

[sickcallawayc12]

Garmin does seem to be on top. Whether which is better than the other, hard to tell. Go to www.circuitcity.com and check the reviews on both. Some good, some bad.

If you ask me though, I would just save up some extra money and invest in a used model of one of the pioneer AVIC series navs. I think they will do a much better job of what you want. Or you could spend 15 bucks on a good 'ol big ass Rand McNally.