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November 12, 2008 7:27 AM PST

Get a refurb Magellan GPS for $69.99 shipped

by Rick Broida
(Credit: Magellan)

As part of an early Black Friday sale, J&R is offering Magellan Maestro 3100 GPS navigation systems for $69.99 shipped. These are refurbished units, but at least you don't have to deal with any rebates.

The Maestro 3100 offers a 3.5-inch touch screen, 2D and 3D map views, 750,000 points of interest, and multidestination trip planning. But that's about it in the feature department. Don't expect text-to-speech capabilities, a media player, or any other advanced options; this is a system designed to navigate you from point A to point B (and points C through T, if you desire--it can handle up to 20 destinations per trip).

CNET gave the Maestro 3100 generally good marks (and a rating of three stars out of five). Users were a bit more generous, bumping the rating to 3.5 stars. But keep in mind all those scores were based on the original list price of $299.99. At 70 bucks, it might have scored even higher. The refurbished 3100 comes with a 90-day warranty.

Rick Broida, a technology writer for nearly 20 years, is the author of more than a dozen books. In addition to writing CNET's The Cheapskate blog, he oversees BNET's Business Hacks. Rick is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CBS Interactive. Disclosure. Deals found on The Cheapskate are subject to availability, expiration, and other terms determined by sellers. Follow Rick on Twitter at cheapskateblog.
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by Pishkado November 12, 2008 10:27 AM PST
The video is about higher-end Magellan models (mostly the 4040, with a couple of variations on it mentioned at the very end) with text-to-speech and other features the Maestro 3100 doesn't have. That doesn't make the 3100 a bad deal at $70; just don't expect to learn much about it from the video.
Reply to this comment
by rickbroida November 12, 2008 10:50 AM PST
You're right! Sorry about that. Fixing it now...
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by bearnoble November 12, 2008 2:30 PM PST
I have been reading your blag for about 2 months now and appreciate the service you do. I have been waiting for a deal on a decent GPS unit for quite sometime as my wife could get lost in a box! Thank you for your help i have purchased this unit.
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by mftuchman November 13, 2008 11:07 AM PST
If it's there, it certainly didn't jump out at me. When I clicked on the Magellan link, I did not see any 3100s for sale. I don't expect it in bold red letters, but I also shouldn't have to dig too hard, either. End result: No sale.
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About The Cheapskate

The best things in tech are cheap. "The Cheapskate" scours the Web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets, and all the other tech stuff that makes life worth living. Send your own cheapskate tips to thecheapskate@gmail.com. Rick is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure. Deals found on The Cheapskate are subject to availability, expiration, and other terms determined by sellers.

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