Handheld GPS Reviews - Customer reviews - Garmin StreetPilot c530 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator

Manufacturer: Garmin

List Price: $363.79
Our Price: $183.00
You Save: $180.79 (50%)
Refurbished Price: $88.90
Used Price: $119.00

Average Customer Rating: -

Product details

Offers (18)

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Spotlight customer reviews:

Name: J. Fraser
Location: N. California
Date: 2007-02-23
Customer Rating: -

Summary: Street Pilot c530
Comment: I have been using gps devices for many years and have always relied on Garmin for top quality products. My latest is the Street Pilot c530 which has proved to be giant steps ahead of anything I have ever tried. After only a month of usage, it has become an indespensable piece of equipment. I read dozens of positve reviews and talked to several actual users and agree with all that this is a product almost without flaw. It leads you to almost anywhere you might to go with very little help and the directions are clear and easily understood. I thought this was close to being the best buy in the entire line because of the extra new hi tech features such as the SIRF chip that picks up satellite signals even through the roof of the store or at home. That coupled with the extra bright screen equals the top of the line and saves big bucks. The c530 goes with me eveywhere now and it's fun just to have the map turned on even in areas that are familiar.Buying from Amazon can't be topped. I'd rate it more stars if it was available!

Name: TOB9595
Location: NJ, USA
Date: 2007-08-14
Customer Rating: -

Summary: Easy and accurate
Comment: Out of the box this C530 was easy to use. I've had this for a month now and am in awe of how I can get to a destination that I never went to before without wrong turns.
There are some destinations that I am VERY familiar with and I think there's a short cut that the Garmin c530 doesn't take me through. This is inevitable. I am sure that I will not get lost going somewhere.
THe screen is bright day and night.
I can see the map and read the text very easily. I do need a wee bit of magnification to read well so I use 1.25 cheaters. I don't need cheaters to read the text.
The voice is loud and distinct.
I contacted Garmin and there is an updated full app MapSouce disk heading my way. This will enable me to see the map on my computer and input POIs (point of interest).
The menu is thorough and easy to learn.
I downloaded new vehicles from Garmin (Garmin.com/vehicles) these installed easily.
The Garmin c530 showed up easily on my computer.
This is ideal for my use.
I would buy this unit for my Dad who is computer illiterate and be assured that he would use it out of the box.
[...]
Very good tools.
I paid $[...] for this and it is well worth it. Last I saw the price was going down.
I ordered and use the "mat" to hold the unit in place. Very solid holding surface, thus far no shifting on the dashboard even in tight turns. I had the first windshield mount fall off after a bunch of hot days.
TOB9595

Name: J. Koepp
Location:
Date: 2007-01-03
Customer Rating: -

Summary: Meets all my expectations
Comment:
In selecting a GPS, I made a decision that I was not going to spend a penny over $400. With GPS really entering the main stream this Christmas season (Gamin, Tom Tom and Magellan commercials are everywhere) I felt it would be wise to stick to the budget. I think GPS units are going to follow the lead of digital cameras and have big price drops in the next few years.

At the last minute, I did a 180. I was seriously looking at the new Magellan Roadmate 2200T. It had all the features I needed, was solid state and waterproof. However, I kept on reading less than glowing user reviews. It is not uncommon for the units to lock up or crash and the routing it chooses is not the best.

Based on that,I ordered a Gamin c530. Of the 50 or so user reviews I read, only 1 was negative. The other 49 gave it their highest rating. They raved about the units accuracy in route selection. It also have a wonderful screen that is bright and does not wash out in direct sunlight and uses flash memory. As is the case in life, there were trade offs to consider.

1. The c530 is not waterproof. However, I do not ride my morotcycle much when it rains. On the few occasions I do ride in the rain I will stick to major roads and a map should work just fine. I am not going to explore the back roads in bad weather. Plus, I will use it a lot more in the car than on the motorcycle.

2. The c530 does not have text to speech. That would have been nice, but it does tell you when to turn and the street name is prominently displayed on the screen. I felt the superior accuracy of the Gamin was more important than the text to speech the Magellan offered.

3. The Gamin will not save multiple destination trips. I rarely do long cross country motorcycle trips so this feature was more of a luxury than a necessity for me.

In the three weeks I have had the c530 it has worked flawlessly. Although it does not have a couple features I was hoping for, that is more than offset by the 530's accuracy and ease of use. Another positive is that I was albe to make the purchase well under my budgeted amount. I figure in two years prices will be lower and I will buy a new unit for the motorcycle and give the c530 to my wife to keep in her car. The Magellan 2200T has wonderful features, but it does not seem to be accurate or reliable. If they ever get their act together, they should have a winner. I felt more comfortable buying a unit that is getting rave reviews from current users. I have no regrets. I defenitely feel I selected the right unit to meet my needs.

Name: MacInTX
Location: TX
Date: 2007-01-09
Customer Rating: -

Summary: Great navigation tool
Comment: I received the StreetPilot c530 for Christmas and have been very pleased with it's operation. The tracking and displaying of images is quick and fluid. The route determination is quick. Even when you divert from a calculated route, the c530 calculates a new route immediately. The display brightness and vocal crispness make it easy to use. Saving the current location as a favorite is extremely easy. The windshield mount is very secure and yet easy to remove and store.

I do wish there was some type of optional indication of the scale that is being displayed.

Name: W. J. Grasty
Location: Carrollton, TX United States
Date: 2007-02-16
Customer Rating: -

Summary: Garmin c530, excellent performance
Comment: I've had the Garmin c530 for about a month now. This is the first nav system I've had. In general, it works very well. About 90% of the addresses I enter, the routes it gives are very good. The other 10% are, shall we say, a bit twitchy. They get you where you're going, but nobody would have chosen that route. Also, if you miss a turn, or decide to go a different way, it is very fast to re-calculate a new route. Almost without fail, the unit tells you the right times to turn, so following its directions is quite easy.

I've updated the software for the unit from the Garmin website, and it worked quickly without issues. The nav picks up the satellites very quickly and there's little delay in getting going. The unit also does a good job of anticipating what address you are entering, so you don't need to push a lot of buttons to input the address.

I live in Dallas, and the maps in general are very complete, but there are a few areas where the maps are not quite up to date, especially in the far north suburbs where there is a lot of new construction.

Highly recommended.

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