Also, doesn't it seem a little annoying that after a guy pays $1500-1600 for a GPS you then have to buy the Auto kit EXTRA?
Amen!
You can get a 512mb card for around $140 from gpsCity.
The 276/296 (and works with the 396 too) car-kit comes with a 128mb memory card, the maps/software, beanbag mount, sticky-mount, and cigarette-lighter speaker cable. The software lists for $139, the 128mb card can be ordered for about $68. All things considered, the car-kit isn't a bad price (after you get over having bought the GPS in the first place of course).
My 196 will only use up to the 128mb card I have. I'm driving a trip next week and have one card loaded up with most of the northern half of Florida, central/eastern Georgia, eastern SC, and eastern NC. I have another card loaded with most of Virginia, DC, Maryland, and a good portion of Pennsylvania. You can also load a lot more raw mapping information if you tell the software not to load the address information (but then you can't find the hotels, iHops, etc, unless you create your own waypoints to those location).
