Having used a huge number of GPS units over many years, I must say that the 76CX is very good.
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br /Pro's
br /Removable memory (now up to 1GB)
br /Can be powered from 2 AA cells for a long time.
br /Nice Color Screen, no back light needed daytime
br /Water resistant
br /No easy to break off parts
br /Can be powered from USB connection!
br /Memory Cards(Micro SD) can be written to outside of unit
br /Does a good job routing for automobile use
br /Has marine and geocaching functions as well as hiking stuff like track logs etc.
br /fair pricing
br /Lots of optionally available maps
br /Garmin support is good including firmware updates that add functionality.
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br /Cons:
br /Screen could be larger
br /Requires purchase of maps for street level(but this keeps price down, for people who aren't driving with it)
br /Even with car kit unit doesn't talk at all("turn right next" or more recent auto units that pronounce street names)like the NUVI units do.
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br /That said this and the 60 series are the only GPS units that you can drive with as well as use for hiking/boating/geocaching that work really well. The Magellan units that support both Meridian and Explorist are not nearlly as nice from a hardware, software and firmware point of view.
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br /I will keep this unit until Garmin comes out with one that talks and pronounces street names as well as all the other functions that the 76 has. Would have also cosidered the 60CX but the price of the 76CX was better with the rebate offered this month.
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...but there are two things that annoy me:
br /The color display is significantly smaller than the one on the older monochrome gpsmap 76.
br /The screws on the back of the unit quickly get rusty when exposed to saltwater.
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br /If you don't need a device that floats, I'd recommend buying its prettier sister, the 60csx for the following reasons: it is smaller (but its display is the same size), it looks nicer and it has the keys in the right place (below the display).

To say this thing is designed for boaters is as big a joke as a lie!! The included database does not even include the basic outline of local lakes smaller than the Great Lakes. Minnesota - the "land of 10,000 lakes" has been reduced to the land of 2 or 3 lakes. The map that came with it is from 2001. Perhaps the glaciers had not done their work by then. Truthfully, the Garmin 430 that we use for our car has a far, far better database. This unit was designed for one purpose - to make you buy additional databases. The picture on the 76Cx page shows an image of a lake with depths and navigation aids. Nowhere does it say the image requires optional addons to get that kind of detail (or even see the lake) although on the box (once you've shelled out the money and it arrives) you find that in very small print on the back. The only claim that may be realistic is that it is supposed to float and I am sorely tempted to put that to the test. To get maps of two popular lakes in MN, Rainy Lake and Lake Superior, I need to buy two addon charts at over $200. If I want to see a handful of the other lakes I can pay another $89 for the Lakemaster addon (which conveniently doesn't include the other two lakes). Grand total - over $500 including buying the initial piece of junk which feels like a 80's vintage cell phone. Large color display? Maybe for geocaching but not nearly big enough to be mounted in the cockpit of a boat and the resolution is very poor. Save your money and buy a better unit - preferably not a Garmin as their business practices are suspect at best. If you do buy it, good luck with support. I couldn't even get on the web site and I gave up on the phone after 30 minutes. I'm a pretty easy consumer usually but this is a major rip off!

I wanted a hand held device that would work well in a car and this does both very well. No external antennae needed in the car either. However, an external power cable is needed because batteries do not last long. Accuracy is excellent.

The 76cx is a great little GPS. I can't believe how well it stays locked on even when in the car below the dash panel. I use it between boat and car and did understand before purchasing that two software packages were needed before it would guide me either street by street or navigate the waterways.
br / The screen is quite small, but readable. The rubber cover that goes over the USB port on the back came off. It is held in place with a tiny phillips head screw. When I took out the screw to reattach the cover, it fell on the floor and was impossible to find again. That is my only complaint so far.
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This is a great step from my 12XL. I got this along with City Select North America 7. The standard 128M hold all of the states in my area (New England), but I still upgraded to the 512M memory and plan to upgrade to the 2G when it is readily available (has been released at this time, just cannot find one to buy). The maps are shown easily and the variety of controls is sufficient. I bought mine with a Garmin bike mount to put on my handlebar. Good so far. Glad I got it.

1st set Amazon sent was a disappointment. The unit intermittently went off by itself, during road use/usb connection to pc.
br /Amazon was kind enough to send me a replacement set pretty expediently and the 2nd unit has worked like a gem. This is my 3rd Garmin GPS.
br /My loss is the freight I because delivery charges to Singapore, Asia!

Before buying read all the review comments about problems installing maps. I ordered this unit a month ago and still can't use it. The map that comes with shows little more detail than Interstate highways. So, I ordered what I thought was City Navigator NT map software from Amazon but it was an update and could not be installed unless I already owned the software. Garmin agreed for an additional $30 (in addition to the $70 paid for the update) to exchange the update for the actual City Navigator NT and promised that I would receive the replacement in 4 days after receipt of my return. I received it 18 days after I sent them the update by Priority Mail. Now, when I try to install the software, the unlock code does not work. Nothing on the web page instructs how to do so if there are problems. I'm calling on the Friday before Labor Day, and they are closed through the weekend. So, no possibility of using it for Labor Day travels. I had also wanted to use this unit for hiking but consider the option of installing topo maps to be impossible. The unit satellite system works very well, but unless you are prepared to go through the expense of buying a different mapping software for every use and go through the complications of getting them installed, it's basically a nice (and expensive) paperweight that shows your coordinates.

After providing unhelpful recommendations, Garmin user support got frustrated with my questions and hung up on me. This was a first for me.

This GPS device is my first device and has everything that I want for my job. It detects multiple satellites in heavy wooded areas and has very good accuracy. Its ease of use with my laptop computer was very important plus Minnesota DNR has a very good program for uploading and downloading waypoints and tracks to the GARMIN units. I would recommend this to anyone that is looking for a good value (which is not equal to best price or necessarily the best GPS unit).

Great product. Takes some learning as it is not as intuitive as I would have liked, but the easy way is not always best.
br /I highly recommend this product.

The Garmin GPSMAP76Cx is very disappointing. Garmin recommended this unit after I contacted them about wanting a GPS I could transfer from my boat to my car and vice versa. It was more money than I had expected to pay but then it looked like it had everything I needed and although I knew I would have to buy a Bluechart map I was assured these were readily available on micro SD card. I was assured that the included Metroguide Europe software had detailed maps of the UK and therefore I would not need to purchase additional maps for using in the car. However when the unit arrived it became clear that the Metroguide Europe software does not do "auto-routing" (you can't get the GPS to find places and direct you to them) unless you have first worked out all your routes on a PC and uploaded them to the 76CX unit. If you want the 76CX to behave like a proper automotive GPS unit you have to purchase the City Navigator software which is another ?150! This seems completely crazy as dedicated car sat nav units are available for this price with auto-routing and all the bells and whistles as standard. The fact that Garmin didn't include the City Navigator software rather than the completely useless Metroguide software seems very mean spirited to me. At this point I was starting to feel a bit ripped off so I thought I would just buy the Bluechart Micro SD card and use the 76CX on the boat, and probably buy a proper dedicated road GPS separately. However when I tried to buy the Bluechart map on Micro SD card I couldn't find anyone in the UK who had them in stock. Garmin will only sell them directly within the US and eventually when I found someone who said they could order the card for me they said it would be "at least 10 days" to get it to them and it would cost 50% more than Garmin charge their US customers! After contacting Garmin's support team I was told to buy a blank SD card and the Bluechart map on CD - even more expensive! The Bluechart maps are also for quite large areas which is useless for me as I only have a small boat with a 10 mile range so really wont need such a large area but still you have no option to just buy the bit you need - you have to purchase an entire section! All in all this unit is fine - the screen is smaller than I would have liked and there's no voice directions, it also feels a lot flimsier than I thought it would, but the additional costs of maps and poor availability of pre programmed micro SD cards mean this is incredibly poor value for money - I really regret buying it now and wish I had done more research.