Garmin etrex Vista CX

It seems that Garmin is offering $50.00 rebates until the end of the year on certain models of GPS.. I was looking at the vista CX. Can anyone give me any insight as to if this unit will fullfill my cylcling needs and if any addl. accessories or software is needed to make it work the way I want it. Cheapest price I've seen is $278.50 less the rebate. Seems very reasonable. Any help would be appreciated. I've never owned a GPS before.

eTrex Vista

I've had an eTrex Vista for over 3 years, and like it a lot.

The Vista CX is the same piece, except for the color display. A nice feature is the ability to upload 24MB of maps from the Garmin MapSource CD.

The unit is not as big as the very expensive units that seem to be favored by folks with more $ than me, but I find it very useful on the RT or in the car.

You might be able to tell from the photo that I use the suction cup accessory to attach it to the tach face at the rightmost position- that way I can still see the tach up to 5K RPM.

The aux power supply and the suction cup are the only extras you'll need to use it on the bike.

$280 is a good price! Good luck with your choice.

Will I need to buy detailed software for my area or does it come adequately preloaded?

Garmin Roads

It comes pre-loaded with main roads; me, I like to see every little back road to make every trip an adventure!

Turn it on in the store, and you'll be able to 'pan' the map around to see what the loaded roads look like.

Try to get them to throw in a copy of the MapSource CD, or at least give you a good price on it. The last time I checked, the CD was over $100.

Sully said:

It comes pre-loaded with main roads; me, I like to see every little back road to make every trip an adventure!

Turn it on in the store, and you'll be able to 'pan' the map around to see what the loaded roads look like.

Try to get them to throw in a copy of the MapSource CD, or at least give you a good price on it. The last time I checked, the CD was over $100.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the input!!

I have used the GPS V for the last 6 years on my 97RT and put over 90,000km on it. It's been a great unit. It's been dropped, run over, submerged, and baked in 120deg heat of the plains and it's still going strong. It came pre loaded and can download specific maps if needed but it does have limited space, 19meg I think, but have rarely used it all. I have been using a TOM TOM Rider for the past 2 months and put almost 35,000km on it. If you are doing the miles and can get past the price, about $700us, it's the best thing out there. Heavy glove friendly, comes with wireless ear bud for directions and phone, daylight and night light sensored, and way to many extras to mention. If you do a lot of traveling I can't say enough about it. My RT has over 200,000km on it and I wouldn't go anywere without my GPS
You might try online and get a used or referbished V for about $250 from GPS City Online or google GPS online for some more ideas. This is an item you really do get what you pay for. Stick to Garmin or TOM TOM would be my suggestion.

Have fun