Garmin Drive 51 USA+CAN LMT-S GPS Navigator System with Lifetime Maps, Live Traffic and Live Parking, Driver Alerts, Direct Access, TripAdvisor and Foursquare data (Renewed)

I received this right before my trip for work so I decided to try it instead of using one I borrowed from a friend. Overall it worked great, I had a few wrong directions due to I haven't hooked it up to my computer to download the lifetime maps, so I ran into one spot where there was a new road and the GPS did not know it was there. Only other thing is that it has no battery life but I'm not worried about that to much as I will always be using it in the car plugged in. Overall I am really happy with it especially the large screen on it.

Garmin is the best in GPS navigation. I've tried other brands but nothing compares. You don't need instructions because it's so easy to understand

Took receipt of the unit on Tuesday. Left for a 1,400 mile round trip on Thursday. In between, I updated the software, but not the maps. The software update took 30 seconds. The map update was an estimated three hours.I was gun shy about buying a refurb, but the unit appears new and functions as new. No issues at all with the refurb aspect. As noted by others, no instruction manual is included, but that is, I believe, downloadable off the Garmin site. That said, the interface is not that complicated. I did not need a manual, I just rolled through the various menus changing a few settings as needed.This unit is at its best on back roads and where cell service is spotty - so very rural areas. It does fine on the interstate, but it is just hard to beat Google maps when you have a good signal. The routing/navigating was decent. It did not take us on any weird routes and recalculated fine when we had to divert for gas and food.Two things that are a little janky with this unit. Inputting an address in another state is a bit annoying because the software wants to default to nearby addresses - you have to keep typing enough to include the state. Sounds obvious, but when doing it on the GPS, it tries, badly, to autofill the address. Also, there were times in the interstate when I wanted to zoom out and see the overall route. It zooms out fine, but getting it back to the zoom level most useful while navigating/driving was aggravating.The screen size is good, but I'm not sure it is that big of an upgrade over my old 5" Nuvi.So, good overall purchase. Running this GPS in tandem with Google maps is probably optimal if a little overkill.

Took it on vacation to Utah. At first, I was annoyed that Garman refused to allow me to enter any information or request a destination if car was moving! I get it! But, I was the passenger. Then when we got home, I saw that it takes voice commands. And, does it well!! Don’t really care for Google Maps because it doesn’t store locations like the Garman. What can I say? Guess I am kinda old school.

So why am I giving this a 1 star when it's not bad? Overall the GPS is OK, but I have two complains. It seems a bid slow. Going from one end of the city to the other when I avoid the toll road it takes a LONG time for it to find the route, but I'm usually OK with that with Garmin as they don't put too much processing power into their unit. My biggest gripe is their traffic. This is a LMT-S, which means it should have lifetime map and traffic, but which it does. However, those clowns at Garmin did NOT provide a cable capable of receiving traffic over the air. So you will NOT have any traffic data unless you install an app on your phone and pair it via Bluetooth with your Garmin and run the app when you want traffic. Well if I wanted to use my phone for traffic or navigation why the hell would I spend hundred dollars or more buying a Garmin? I could use Google map for free. Fortunately for me I still had my cable from my last used Garmin I bought that died on me. Once I used that cable it started receiving traffic over the air. Hey Garmin, spend 50 cents extra and provide a traffic capable cable. Really, really idiotic.

Original Review 8/20/21 [5 stars]: Took a chance on this "renewed" item. So far, so good. Out of the box it looked brand new. Updated the maps, which only took about 35 mins, and then used it for a trial run in familiar territory around Lake Michigan: MI, IL, WI, out to MN, back through the UP, and then down to where we started -- about 1800 miles. It preformed just fine, even while spending hours on the dash in the hot August sun. The only issue I had was an occasionally stubborn screen within the settings menu. Not sure if that's an issue in general with this model or not. That said, the screen is FAR more responsive when manipulating the map than my previous Garmin (a nuvi 1450 which lasted probably 13 years, so no complaints). The included attachment fit the dash mount I already have. GPS boots up and finds satellite connection quickly. There seems to be more ways to customize this model, I set it to show gas stations, hotels and restaurants. This was really helpful while we traveled rural county highways. It gives a tone and visual warning when a reduced speed zone is ahead (including school zones), I appreciate those. The curved road warnings I can do without, they can be pesky but I suppose may be useful after dark on a rural road. My old unit gave a visual indication of how many lanes split off on the interstate, this one gives verbal instruction, like "be in any of the 3 right lanes". I like that change. But if audible sounds become bothersome, there's a shortcut tools icon on the map (which can be customized) where muting the narrative or other other adjustments can be done easily. Didn't do anything to set up the traffic feature (thought I read that it needs to be enabled?), just worked automatically. It warned of construction, accidents, and other delays, including how much time to expect the delay to be. There were a few warnings of construction delays that didn't exist so I'm glad we didn't reroute on those. Overall, we found the maps to be accurate and the unit to be helpful while traveling. That's the goal. I considered other, less-expensive models, but am very glad I stuck with Garmin. It's a quality, reputable product. Amazon offers a 90 day return policy on this renewed item, that makes it worth trying IMO.Review Update 3/12/22: Months later, and beyond the return window, my GPS is starting to have some issues. Others have complained about the short battery life, true. But worse, mine goes dead within a week of not being used. Previous model could sit for months on a shelf between uses and still have some charge left. This is very annoying when needed for a spontaneous jaunt -or- when I want to program it at home before a trip. Need to charge it first, which takes HOURS. Also, the screen has become considerably more temperamental. No longer responsive to light touches, now I have to basically smash it. Again, don't know if these issues are typical for this model or because its a "renewed" unit. I'm bummed. Down to 3 stars as it does technically work as a GPS very well.