Author Topic: Why is Garmin 12 GPS so popular? (Read 900 times)

ba_50 · « **on:** November 23, 2004, 12:54:42 AM »

I have been watching the 12's on Ebay and they all cost around $60-120 depending on condition. You can buy a new Etex for less brand new. The 12's are simple to operate, but since they no longer make them I was wondering why the cost is running so high?

Ba-50

Siskiyou · « **Reply #1 on:** November 23, 2004, 08:12:55 AM »

I just checked one of my sources for a new gps 12. They no longer listed the GPS12. I checked the Garmin page to look at it's features. It does not offer much more then the basic etrex, except garmin claims it has good reception under trees. Maybe that is the reason. Or maybe it's larger screen?

Recent ads for more advance Etrex models are showing a steep drop in price. In my opinion the gps 12 might be a value around $50 for a low price Christmas present. This is not knocking it as a unit, but as a discontinue/or soon to be discontinue model. The manufacture's recommend price is more then twice the price of the basic Etrex.

Graybeard · « **Reply #2 on:** November 23, 2004, 10:41:34 AM »

I know nothing about the newer GPSs but I do have my old Garmin GPS12XL and I darn sure wouldn't take any $120 for it. Maybe $150 but not a dime less.

It works as well under trees as in open. It works perfectly with me sitting on my front porch or in a pickup truck riding down the road. I've never been anywhere it didn't work. The new ones might be better and might have more features, I dunno. But unless you're a lot more sophisticated about GPSs then me there isn't much they could do this unit won't.

Siskiyou · « **Reply #3 on:** November 25, 2004, 08:37:28 PM »

There is a very positive test conducted on gps units by the Cibola Search and Rescue. Your can still find it in pdf format at http://www.swcp.com/csar/GPS_study.pdf

The GPS 12XL appears to have come out on top in their test. They have pulled the report off the web in other formats because of it is outdated. Sounds like a good unit.

It might be like the old Savage 99 I was looking at the other day. It was in the 30-30 Winchester caliber. The price was two hundred dollars. I suspect that was twice what it cost new.

Graybeard · « **Reply #4 on:** November 25, 2004, 10:57:30 PM »

Best I recall my GPS12XL was about $300 new.

CJ · « **Reply #5 on:** December 04, 2004, 10:41:34 AM »

Siskiyou, I hope you bought that Savage!

Siskiyou · « **Reply #6 on:** December 04, 2004, 12:53:57 PM »

I thought about it a couple of times from a historcial stand point. But there was a little red flag popped up in my mine. I am not a savage 99 expert, but the folks who run that gun shop know guns. I think a Savage 99 in 30-30 would be a great little rifle. There was an area on the barrel that ran from blue to bare metal. Had heat been applied to the barrel, or had somebody taken steel wool to the barrel. The area that was missing blueing shined from polishing.