OK, I'm going to take the plunge... I just saw there was a price drop on the Garmin 296 and the 396...
I just called JA Air Center (I like these guys) and I'm going to buy either a 296 or a 396 soon. They will give me $500 for my old Garmin 196, making my cost on the 396 $1,700 (rounded off)...
The thing about the 396 I like, is I can pay for the XM Radio service and take the XM service with me in my ugly VW, my ugly van, my wife's really nice 2006 Jetta, my good looking Harley, and/or cancel XM radio in my Sliverado pickup and enjoy it in all vehicles with my Lightspeed 30G headsets.
Since I'm a tightwad, I DON'T think I'll ever buy the weather subscription, but who knows? It might be nice to have this feature on a month-to-month need. It is my understanding you can buy a month's worth of weather or several months, depending on what your needs are.
So, my question is, what difference in performance is there between the Garmin 296 and the 396? I'm not a geek, I haven't played with either unit, I just am very impressed with the 196 I own and Garmin in particular.
If I decide I'm too cheap to pay for the XM radio subscription, why bother buying a 396 and why NOT simply go with a 296? Without XM radio or weather, are there any features on the 396 that make it standout?
Thanks,
Roy
