That is why the greatest advantage to purchasing a refurbished GPS is the cost. You see, refurbished items are often sold at a high markdown because the item originally had a mechanical malfunction or a cosmetic problem. Whatever the problem was has been fixed (in the case of a mechanical flaw) or does not affect the actual function of the GPS (as is the case with the cosmetic problem). Therefore, a refurbished item is just a cheaper version of a 'new' item with a past.



Now it is important that we establish that neither of these difference from the 'new' GPS is any reason not to buy a refurbished device. In fact, one of them provides a very strong reason to go out of your way to buy a refurbished item - namely its lower price. Refurbished electronics can be reduced by up to 60% of the original retail value. It is probably safer to guess 20%, but that is still a very large discount.

I would take a 20% discount on anything that I thought was equally as good as another product. Some people might even say that I would be stupid to do otherwise.

So the fact that the refurbished GPS costs less than a 'new' GPS is actually a strong argument for buying the former type of device. What about the fact that it has a history of breaking? Is not that something to consider?

Well, consider a car for a second. It is my opinion that these mechanical contraptions are the main reason most people believe that if something is broken once, it will only break again and again. In day to day life, these vehicles always seem to have problems in clumps.

If you get a flat tire one day; the next you smell burning oil; and then you find out that a fan belt broke; and then you notice some radiator fluid underneath your car; then the door handle breaks; and on and on the cycle goes. This can be really frustrating and big money drain. If that is what a refurbished item is like we do not want to have any part in it.

But let us take a closer look at these problems. Tires have absolutely no relation to our engine burning oil, or with our door handles, or even with a fan belt. The real reasons these problems are cropping up is a lack of proper maintenance or natural wear and tear on the components, not because a car with a flat tire is more prone to have other non-working parts.

So when a GPS unit has a scratch on its side or an internal component was replaced because it was manufactured with a defect, it is no more likely to break down than a 'new' item is. The wear and tear that would result in something breaking is just as likely to affect the 'new' model as it would a refurbished one because now both are being subjected to the use by the end-user. The end-user can make his GPS last as long as he maintains it properly and keeps it in working condition.

As you can see, there is no real reason not to buy a refurbished GPS. These devices are just as useful as their 'new' counterparts and have an attractive price point on top of that. They are definitely a win-win.