Product ReviewsGarmin StreetPilot III Automotive Mountable

Great product for the $$$

We had (and have) a Garmin GPS V and since it has a relatively small-screen in addition to being so slow to download maps and has such a limited internal memory, we decided to get the StreetPilot III. We found a refurb unit here on eBay from an authorized dealer and so far have been very pleased with the performance...it even shipped with Version 8 of the mapping software (the most recent) at no extra charge.
Likes:
Bright, large, easy-to-read color screen that automatically changes to 'night' mode in darkness. Much better memory (128K card standard) than the GPS V (16K internal only). The card connects to your PC via a USB cable, much better and faster than the serial cable on its predecessors. The voice feature is clear and easy to understand. The 'sandbag' dash mounting feature is a good idea.
Dislikes (minor ones):
Seems to have given up a little functionality compared to the old MapSource software, mainly you have to know pretty much where you want to go (i.e., a given region) before it will find an address for you. Since it has a large screen, it is a large, somewhat heavy unit overall that takes up a good amount of real estate on your dash and might pose a visibility problem for shorter drivers (my wife and I are both six-footers and this isn't an issue for us).
Generally, this is a really great GPS unit that compares favorably in function with some of the two-thousand-dollar-plus in dash units found in some upscale cars. With the discounted price available on a refurbed unit, this is a very good value that will give you your money's worth and considerably more.Read full review...

Stil together after all these years

I've had my Garmin Street Pilot Gps Receiver for about 3 years now. In fact I wrote an epinions review for it a year ago.

Here is an excerpt: "Being relatively new to the area and seriously directionally challenged, this item was a lifesaver for me. It's like a map quest that actually works. Get trigger-happy and turn the corner too soon? NO problem. It recalculates your route and either tells you to turn around or just gets you back on track efficiently.

It has a safety lock which requires you to set your destination while the car is not moving, but you can disable it if you often drive with someone else who can operate it while you drive (lets say I do)

I can see where it will pay for itself, especially in my case, where I will no longer be late for appointments, causing me to lose sales, I will also save me in mileage and gas that can rack up quickly when driving in circles.
I still love it very much and for the most part I would still agree that is was relatively easy to learn. I would also still say that is does a pretty good job of keeping you from getting lost."

At this point, I have traveled up and down the East coast using my Garmin GPS system with little problems. (I did still manage to get lost in New Jersey and on St Simons Island though) I have noticed that it has trouble around most mountains... It loses track of where it is, momentarily.

The only problem with it is the need to spend $100.00 for upgrades. I live in an area that is still being developed. So any house or building built in the last 3 years is not accessible without this upgrade.

A new feature I recently discovered that I seemed to have missed until recently is the function that allows it to mark where you are so you can get back to that point. So my suggestion to read the instructions before using it so you won't have to miss out on key functions like I did.

Ahermitt is an artist, decorator, and homeschooling mom. You can purchase art, kids room murals and accessories for the home at www.http://cgi3.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=ahermitt .Read full review...

Still like it after 3 years

I have had my SPIII for over three years now. I have been back and forth across the country and it has never let me down. It even guided my to my daughter's house when the paper maps would have gotten me lost due to a changed route number. It is easy to read, easy to use, and I use it instead of my speedometer for speed checks. It lists all roads and even tells you the next one coming up.
I thought I would upgrade to a Lowrance 500C. The first TWO addresses I punched in gave me the message "Can't Find Address". I punched the EXACT same address into the SPIII and in seconds found the address. It is truly state of the art, even though it has been discontinued.
My complaints? You have to load maps. PERIOD. That is my only wish for an improvement. I have a 256 meg data card and it will load must maps I need. I will buy another and have just about the entire US in memory...
And, at the new price for Refurbed units, You can't go wrong..... JeffRead full review...

Garmin SteetPilot III GPS Receiver for me!

The Garmin SteetPilot III GPS Receiver is an excellent handheld GPS for the money. The manufacturer has installed many user-friendly features that make the first time buyer or the professional happy. They manufacturer has excellent customer service and many additional add-ons to make this unit an extremely versatile GPS to be used in town, on trips, hunting, fishing, cycling, hiking, four wheeling or camping.
Suggestion:
1. One of the best ways to protect investment is to purchase a Protective Case for this GPS. You can find a top of the in line protective case that protects while allowing full viewing and access to all the features of your GPS unit. See a variety of cases at: http://stores.ebay.com/FIS4HER1-COM_W0QQssPageNameZL2
2. Purchase cable accessories that allow you to upload or download maps and data from your GPS. Purchase a 12v auto charger so that you can always keep you unit charged before heading out cross-country. Purchase quality power and data cables at: http://stores.ebay.com/FIS4HER1-COM_W0QQssPageNameZL2
3. Purchase an Amplified External GPS Antenna for the unit. The internal antenna is ok but will become intermittent in high buildings, cloudy skies and stormy weather. Purchase a quality, high gain remote antenna. See specification on 28dB and 55dB GPS antenna at:
http://stores.ebay.com/FIS4HER1-COM_W0QQssPageNameZL2

Cheers – Fis4herRead full review...

Streetpilot versus Streetpilot III

The Streetpilot III (aka SP3) is a mixed bag. I own and use the SP3 color model and its predecessor, the Streetpilot (aka SP1 monochrome (amber) version. Either model can be bought on ebay for $15-30 if you're patient.

Both models have surprisingly good built-in BASIC HIGHWAY maps, but don't expect street-level details in cities and towns. For that you gotta buy the Mapsource software (not cheap, even on Ebay, and it soon goes out of date), and then you have to load the data onto a propriety data card (maximum: 32mb; expect to pay about $2-3 per mb) using the proprietary card reader. Both models can handle a maximum of 50 maps, regardless of their size. You'll soon find yourself doing card memory management, trying to stuff lots of maps onto various sizes of cards. If you don't like to fool with software, there is much to be said for a GPS that has ALL available maps, including cities and towns, BUILT-IN. These don't.

These two models have different strengths.

Even with a home-made hood added above the color display of the SP3, the color display is USELESS in daylight, so don't even consider it for an open vehicle such as a motorcycle, convertible, boat, jeep, or ATV -- in spite of what propaganda you read (almost surely written by, and plagarized from, the Garmin Marketing Dept.) that these displays are "easy to read -- even in daylight". By contrast, the amber screen of my SP1 is readable in daylight, especially with a hood Velcro'd above the display, so I use the monochrome SP1 on my motorcycle with good results. The additional features of the color SP3 are nice in an enclosed vehicle.

The color SP3 can provide spoken directions from the rather clunky speaker built into the cigarette lighter power cord. Since spoken directions can't be heard on a bike anyway, the SP1's lack of spoken directions doesn't matter.

Don't believe the claims about battery power consumption. There ain't much internal power AVAILABLE to draw from the 6 AA batteries in series, and the color SP3 has to supply power to THREE colors versus just one color in the monochrome SP1; therefore, the SP1 will definitely last longer on internal battery power. Be SURE to buy a cigarette lighter adapter for these two models. And they are not cheap either, since Garmin used a proprietary connection plug. [When WILL the idiots that design electronic devices STANDARDIZE power plugs?!]

The color SP3 has one BIG advantage; it can store 500 waypoints (locations)whereas the monochrome SP1 can store only 100. That's a BIG difference when you want to store multiple routes or the locations of all your girlfriends. I'm continually fighting the lack of waypoints on the bike.

I don't agree that the screen of the color SP3 is "large"; its viewable area is 1/2" smaller vertically than the SP1. That's a lot of difference in a small display, and it SEEMS smaller than desirable.

A remote antenna makes using either unit easier.

A BIG criticism of both models is the very slow screen updates; when you make a turn, it seems like a LONG time (a half block or more) until the new direction is shown on the display; it can be very disorienting.

A big advantage of these models is their portability. It's relatively easy to take them from one (enclosed) vehicle to another.

Despite my adverse comments, both of these models are a good value for the money now that they have been around awhile. Do your homework when choosing a GPS.Read full review...

Great GPS for the price

This a great product for the money even with the latest touch screen GPS on the market. This unit does not support touch screen but that is no hindrance at all. Instead of touching a screen I touch a button next to the screen. It is really all up to your personal choice. Pay a little money to touch a button or pay alot of money to touch the screen. This unit after the detail upload does everything the newest GPS does. No you can't load the whole world into its data base at one time but I don't know to many people that need to see the streets all over the world in one day. It is a simple up load to get what you need. I travel the eastern US and I will never have to upload another map than I have already got in the unit today. It is easy to use and I will be enjoying it for many years to come.Read full review...

Pilot III is the real deal if Genealogy or Archology is in your field.

The Garmin Street Pilot III is the most reliable unit I have found to use the older version of Parks and Recreation. The Parks and Recreation software is the only software that shows old paths, old cemetery's, old school houses and such. As a Genealogist this software is most valuable to me. I also like being able to see creeks, train tracks as such that were laid up to 150 years ago. One word of warning. DO NOT LEAVE THE BATTERIES IN THE UNIT. Batteries will corrode and ruin the unit. The unit I bought was so corroded that after cleaning it would not work. I love this the two working two I have and buy them up when the price is right. The recording source is a special storage chip made my Garmin but is reasonable. Maximum storage in 256 mg or about everything in two states.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: dejaybailey1

Garmin Street Pilot III

I purchased this GPS for my BMW motorcycle. I like sport touring so I enjoy the functionality and the ruggedness of the SP III because I am often very hard on things. This GPS is a hammer too. It gets me where I am going with little fuss and helps me when touring new places. Its a bit of a learning curve to set up routes compared to the technology of today. I also like the simplicity of the device. There are no frills to go messing about with, which keeps my eyes on the road and what I am doing and not fiddling with a gadget. I ordered new maps for it, they keep updating things which amazes me. And I downloaded the British voice. For some reason I can understand this accent more so than the american one, yet I am from the midwest. That just goes to show you the flexiblity this GPS has. Now if could only download routes from Google Maps... some day perhaps.Read full review...

Good for boats not cars. Built Like a Brick *********

I purchased this unit as a poor man's marine chart plotter because it's water resistant and bulletproof. It does read Bluecharts very well. Shows marinas, markers and color depth differences. However, you have to use Mapsource on your PC to get your charts and your routes onto the proprietary memory card. I don't recommend this unit for automobile use because, unlike newer Garmin units which have all the US roads included, this one requires Mapsource to upload a more detailed group of maps along your route. The built in maps are quite crude. Technology has moved on in the world of highway GPS units. Buy a newer Garmin for your car, not this one. However, for you boat, it works great if you have access to Bluecharts.Read full review...

Good Unit For Basic Navigation!

I purchased this Garmin Streetpilot III to use on my boat. It works fine for getting from point A to point B with the maps that are factory loaded. Offshore islands are shown so that is a nice feature. However, it is of no use for fishing as water depths and locations of shoals etc are not shown.

I have been told that you can use Garmin Bluecharts with this unit. The Bluechart that would be required is on a Garmin proprietary data card and it is very expensive. You would be better off buying a Garmin 421 chartplotter.

This is a decent unit if you just need to find your way back to the dock on a foggy day but if you require something for more detailed use I would not recommend it for use as a chartplotter. Considering I paid $100 shipping included I am happy with the purchase. It mounts nicely on the dash of my boat and is more convenient than using a laptop with Fugawi or Nobeltec.

Of course I will still pack the laptop for fishing trips.Read full review...