Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I was looking for a solution to stop driving my fianc''s car, which has a factory installed GPS, because my car gets better gas mileage. When considering the options, for my car to get a stereo faced GPS unit (the new Panasonic), it was going to be more than I wanted to pay, in the area of $2500 (this including installation, the stereo faceplate for my car (Mazda6)). That option was unacceptable so I went looking for another option. I chose the Garmin C340 for a few reasons. First, I'm a gadget freak and it was a new model coming out. Second, it has a traffic ready option which means if you buy the antenna and pay for the service, it will navigate you around a traffic jam...the only word for that is COOL! (especially since I live in the DC area). I haven't bought the antenna, so I haven't tried this option. Third, we travel a lot out of the country, and wanted a unit that could be taken all over the world. Fourth, Garmin has such a great reputation, that I felt confident in buying a brand new product from them. I received the box two days ago, and took the GPS out for a spin immediately. I was amazed at how well it worked. I didn't have a problem with it acquiring satellites in the city at all. The only problems I did have with the GPS are: 1) that I couldn't input an address until I called Garmin because only two states would appear. I called Garmin about the problem, and apparently it's a common problem with new units and they had a simple solution for it. 2) The bracket/stand that comes standard is hard to tighten, so for someone with arthritis or bad hands will have a lot trouble fastening the bracket/stand so that the GPS unit does not move when in use on the dashboard. 3) I expected more in the box, it essentially only came with a driver CD, and the GPS unit. All in all, I fully endorse this product. It's a viable GPS solution for those who don't want to spend a small fortune to get their car into the 21st century. ~/~/~/Update\~\~\~ I've traveled to several US cities, Canadian cities, and European cities (see posted pictures) and this thing has NEVER let me down. It loses reception in tunnels and garages, but quickly reacquires satellites upon leaving those places. The complaints I have are that: 1) while navigating, the Garmin will change my zoom perspective when directing me to make a turn, and not return it to my original view, 2) it will not allow you to transfer pre-selected routes from your mapping software (i.e. City Select Europe) BUT it will allow you to transfer Waypoints, which can then be mapped to, and 3) that it will direct you to "turn" when you're actually staying straight...which, if I don't have the voice activation going OR I'm listening to music loud, will lead me to make wrong turns. Other than that, this thing is flippin' sweet! %-% second update (3/15/07): So, I had to send my Garmin in to be replaced; the battery died. I learned that 1) Garmin has some excellent customer service. I didn't buy the warranty, and they replaced my unit free of charge - unit and window mount. I was only without a GSP for 8 days. And the transferred my saved locations and upgraded the software. WoW. Nothing but thumps up. If I could change my rating to 5 stars, I would based on the customer service. 2) I learned that you must plug the unit into a wall or computer via wall every few months to charge the battery. If you don't, the battery will lose charge and eventually die. But if it dies, CALL GARMIN.