Countdown to Black Friday: Best GPS deals

Black Friday is the busiest day of the holiday shopping season and with the state of the economy, a number of stores are offering great discounts and deals on a number of popular items. In fact, some are so anxious, they are offering door-buster-grade deals well in advance of the official sales holiday.
From the deals we’ve discovered, portable navigation systems (PNDs) have come down considerably in price and many of our top-rated models are now more affordable than ever. Some are basic models that will get you easily from point A to point B, but increasingly affordable mid-level models offer added features such as a wide screen, spoken street names, and traffic capability.

Whether buying a gift or for personal use, consult our GPS buying advice to learn about key features, then check the Ratings, which will soon be updated with three new models—the Garmin 1690, Magellan RoadMate 1700, and TomTom XXL 530. There is a convenient product selector to help sort and filter the GPS Ratings based on the features that matter most to you. (Ratings and selectors are available to online subscribers.)

The best GPS deals

We have scoured the brand-name retailers who have historically offered good GPS deals and pulled together a list of standout deals. Last year we saw new, smaller brands challenge the market giants with low-cost (and often low-rated) units. Still sore from the 2008 bruising, Garmin, Magellan, and TomTom have come out this season with aggressive pricing on good devices, effectively reclaiming the space in sales flyers and door-buster status.

Below is a list of GPS deals available for Black Friday, November 27th. Better pricing may be available at other retailers, particularly Web-based stores. Availability and pricing may change at any time, so it’s a good idea to confirm all the details with the individual retailers. As of today, a number of companies including Amazon.com, Buy.com, and Circuit City have not yet announced their Black Friday sales, but we’ll bring you more GPS deals next week.

Remember, ordering online may save you from the harried competition and waking up at the crack of dawn. You can compare prices from with our GPS model pages by using the Price & Shop function, tapping in approved stores, each listed with a user rating.

Definitely check the ratings before buying. In the list below, there are two and even three product generations represented from the manufacturers. In many cases, buying a newer unit will be the right move, as it will have more advanced features and fresher maps. (Older units may well have been sitting on a warehouse shelf for a long time.)

Happy shopping!

Garmin Nuvi 205W
$99.99 Best Buy

Garmin Nuvi 205
$89.99 Sears

Garmin Nuvi 255WT
$129.99 Best Buy

Garmin Nuvi 255W
$119.99 Staples

Magellan RoadMate 1220
$89.99 Sears

Magellan Roadmate 1440
$119.99 Sears
$119.99 Kmart

TomTom One 130
$77.99 Office Depot
$79.99 Kmart
$79.99 Sears

TomTom Go 630
$169.99 Office Depot
$169.99 Sears

TomTom GO 730
$174.99 Best Buy

TomTom XL 340S
$97.00 Target

TomTom XL325-SE
$89.00 Walmart

For more information on portable automotive GPS navigation systems, see our Ratings, first looks, and buying advice and watch our video guide. Discuss GPS devices in the forums.

—Liza Barth