I tried to buy a GPS online but my confirmation email said I had to call to confirm my order--sounded suspicious. Sure enough, the man said I had to buy a memory card and it would cost over $100 (don't remember exactly). I said I did not want it and he said there so no reason to buy the GPS then. I told him to cancel my order.

Do I really need a memory card for my GPS 270? If so, are they really that much?

Usually GPS comes with the maps, e.g. US/Canada if you buy it in North America. It's a different story when you want to take it to Europe. You will need to purchase a memory card with European maps.

Some GPS models uch as Magellan Roadmates already have european maps loaded but you have to pay an additional fee to unlock them

Connie. A Garmin Nuvi 270 comes with preloaded maps of Europe. Of course it is also loaded with US maps.

I just purchased a Garmin Nuvi 670. In the Nuvi series the models that end in X70 include maps of Europe.

Look at Amazon. The model I purchased came from them and the prices were very good.

Nothing had to be unlocked. Now sometimes you might want to purchase 2009 maps if your model does not have them, But it will have a 2008 map. And if you purchase a Garmin from anyone, you can call them and they will tell you by the serial number which version of maps you have.

We are taking ours to Europe next week!

This sounds like a classic ploy used by companies that offer prices that might seem too good to be true.

You don't need a memory card - the Garmin units have internal memory. If this model uses a card, then it probably uses SD cards, which can be bought at places like Walmart for less than $20.

I would suggest that you buy from reputable online dealers, such as Amazon, Buy.com, etc. I buy my gps units and maps from thegpsstore.com.

Just out of curiosity, what is the name of the store you tried to buy from? Have you done a customer satisfaction check on the store?

The 270 comes with U.S and European maps--that's why I'm buying it--for our trip in three weeks. I couldn't understand why I would need a memory card. When I said I didn't want one, he practically yelled at me that there was no reason to buy a GPS without a memory card. It sounded like a scam right from the minute my confirmation email said I had to call to confirm the order.

I found the company on one of those price check sites and they were the lowest price. I told him to cancel the order and he did send me another email with a cancellation number. I will be watching my CC charges though. The company was Techon Digital. I found another good price with Broadway Photo but when I got my conf email from them they want me to call to "expedite" my order too. Oh boy!

The lowest online price on electronics and cameras is rarely a good deal.

Broadway Photo is one of the most notorious rip-off places you can find.

Check out their reselleratings and read a few reviews:

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Broadway_Photo

Connie. I originally looked at the 270. After researching many of the Garmin models, I didn't get that one because my understanding is that to replace the battery you must return it to Garmin. And I do not think you need to do this with the other models. Also, it does not speak street names.

I may have misundertood, so maybe you would like to check out those features if it is important to you.

The latest Consumer Reports has an extensive listing of GPS systems and their ratings.

Of course, it doesn't tell you where best to buy them.

Thanks everyone. I'm going to see if I can cancel my order and use someone I know, even if I have to pay more.