Refurbished GPS units?

[Promethean]

Considering the price difference between a brand new Garmin 2610 & a refurbished one, is there a reason as to why a refurbished one might not be a good idea?

I'm just curious...I've been watching the prices on the 2610 for a while now...

[arkline]

Abhijeet,

As long as the refurbished one comes with all the stuff a new one would, I'd see no problem. CD, manual, USB cable, power cords (of various kinds, I'm sure).

Refurbished should mean swapping out the offending part(s) for new and reselling. Is the price differential significant?

[Promethean]

Thanks Ron. The price difference varies. Right now a refurbed unit is about $100-$150 cheaper depending on where you buy from. It's a nice toy to have but I have a long list of accessories to acquire before I get to the 2610.

[fganger]

I have a 2610, which I really like. However, I did need to send it back, I think it had a "GPS Stroke." Garmin sent me a replacement right away. If I didn't have a year warranty (new unit) I'd be a bit miffed.

So, to make a long story short, how long is the used GPS warranty?

Frank

[Promethean]

From what little research I've done, the refurbed units have the same warranty as new ones (don't hold me to that).

In any case, this toy will have to wait. Next on my list are leathers and a more comfortable seat.

I was originally looking at the BMW Navigator II but dropped the idea. The unit has an MSRP of $1499. It's nothing more than a souped up 2610 with 4 buttons on the left side of the unit at 3 times the cost of a new 2610.

Folks on AdvRider have glued a stylus to their left glove index fingertip to work with the touch screen. Very neat. Me like!

[Dallara]

Hey, Abhijeet...

I haven't tried it as my little Magellan Meridian Color doesn't have a touch screen, but a friend of mine who has some model Garmin with a touch screen does something different than gluing a stylus to his glove finger...

He simply put on his left glove, put a pretty good sized glob of silicone seal on the tip of the left index finger, shaped the silicone seal with a piece of ice* until he had the shape he wanted... Then he wore the glove just long enough for the silicone sealer to set, then pulled off the glove for it to completely dry.

Essentially he just made a little rubber nubbin on the end of the glove finger. He says it works great.

You might try that...

Hope this helps!

Allan (Dallara - NACD)

* (If you didn't already know it, ice is the perfect tool to shape and smooth silicone sealer since silicone will not stick to water or a wet surface. Just melt a cube of ice in your hand a bit to get a really smooth, drippy surface and use the cube as your shaping tool. Works great!)

[fganger]

Allan,

You are kind of handy to have around.:eusa_clap:

Frank

[Promethean]

Thanks Allan! Interesting tip. I'll try it after I get a 2610.

Silicone eh? Well....that's another use for that material....not the most appealing but useful nevertheless. :037:

[BobFV1]

I got my 2610 off EBAY at a very substantial discount over new. It turns out that a guy was transferring for work from here (Phoenix area) to Florida. He bought the unit at Best Buy in Mesa (4 miles from my house), drove to Florida with it, and put it on EBAY. When he sent it to me it came complete with the slaes receipt from Best Buy right up the street! It has worked great for over a year and a lot of miles - a great unit. It did smell a lot like cigarrette smoke when I got it - had to air it out before I programmed it with new maps and stuff...

[bimrluvr]

Here's where I bought my refurbed 2610...I've been happy with it.

http://www.gpsdiscount.com/products/index.html?p=769

Another place to look is this one...

http://www.gpsnow.com/gmsp2610.htm#order

An excellent resource for everything GPS is this site:

http://gpsinformation.net/

[Deans BMW]

Welcome bimrluvr, hope you enjoy our site. Please fill out your profile, makes for a more robust cup o.

[Dallara]

Since this thread is all about GPS units I thought I would put a pointer here to the new thread on my new toy - a Garmin StreetPilot 2730. Check it out here:

http://www.motorcyclistcafe.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5075#post5075


Cheers!

Allan (Dallara - NACD)

[Promethean]

Just read your review. I like the featureset of the 2730. Very interesting. Thanks.