• On CHOW: Sexy vampire party
The Cheapskate
 DEALS LEFT
January 29, 2009 6:18 AM PST

Price Watch: Refurbished Magellan GPS, $59.99

by Rick Broida
  • Font size
  • Print
  • 4 comments

This surprisingly well-equipped navigation system can be yours for just 60 bucks.

(Credit: CNET)

Ladies and gents, we have a new low! Buy.com has the Magellan RoadMate 2200T GPS for $59.99 shipped (after a $30 mail-in rebate). It's a refurbished unit, but it's also the least-expensive navigation system I've seen yet.

Needless to say, this model is a couple years old, so don't expect a lot of bells and whistles. It does offer text-to-speech, music and photo players, an optional traffic-monitoring kit, and a "smart detour" feature. Hmmm. Come to think of it, you get some bells and whistles, after all. It's even waterproof!

CNET awarded the RoadMate 2200T 3.5 stars out of 5, the major complaint being its sluggishness in switching between applications. I don't know about you, but I can live with that--seeing as I'd probably never use the other applications, anyway.

Because this is a refurb, the warranty lasts just 90 days. The rebate offer (PDF) expires February 4, but I suspect that these RoadMate 2200Ts will sell out well before that date. A full-feature navigation system for $60 is really tough to pass up.

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.
Recent posts from The Cheapskate
Get an 80GB Zune for $129.99 shipped
Get a 10-inch Netbook for $199
Five Black Friday deals you shouldn't miss
Get a 10-inch Lenovo Netbook for $209 shipped
Get a 32-inch HDTV for $299.99
Get a 26-inch LCD HDTV/monitor for $199.99
Konami's iPhone games on sale for 99 cents
Trade CDs, DVDs for an iPod or iPhone
Add a Comment (Log in or register) (4 Comments)
  • prev
  • 1
  • next
by ethan_v January 29, 2009 11:07 AM PST
I have this unit (refurb) a few months ago. Works fine, little slow when first connecting. The interface is old and a little clunky, but for $60 it's worth it. There is a map update, but Magellan is "Out of Stock".
Reply to this comment
by kuruption84 January 29, 2009 5:22 PM PST
I have this too, it gets the job done especially if you don't travel a ton. I just used it on a road trip to work and it worked very well. I paid about $100 and I think it's well worth it especially at $60 even with the rebate.
by krimey January 29, 2009 6:29 PM PST
I researched this a little bit. Maps are probably from 2006 and its costs $80 to update them. I live in a booming area with plenty of new roads that I'd like to know about and this would cost at least $140 total to make the GPS reasonable. Since its old, no telling how long it lasts till Magellan will not support. Outdated maps makes the detour feature suspect at best. POI (points of interest are also outdated).
Reply to this comment
by rickbroida January 30, 2009 4:29 AM PST
Excellent point. Map currency is always a consideration for an older GPS -- though not everyone lives or travels in areas that are developing. I would also advise any GPS buyer to investigate the cost of map updates before purchasing.
Reply to this comment
(4 Comments)
  • prev
  • 1
  • next

E-tailers linked to 'scam' blame customers

Priceline, Classmates.com, and Orbitz say customers should read the fine print before complaining about being charged to join loyalty programs they didn't want.

The 411 on early-termination fees

Verizon Wireless has doubled its early-termination fees for smartphones, but what does it mean for the rest of the industry?

advertisement

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.

Add this feed to your online news reader

The Cheapskate topics

advertisement
advertisement

Inside CNET News

Scroll Left Scroll Right