I've been using the Garmin 496 for a couple of years. It took a little study to learn all
the button strokes, but once mastered, it has exceeded all my expectations. The negative,
perhaps the cost of maintaining the data base is a little high, in my opinion.
I got a Garmin Nuvi for the car before I got the 496 (birthday gift). After enjoying using
it on vacations and such it has also turned out to be a great tool.
Those experiences combined with having seen some of the demos and sales
propaganda on the new Aera, that is the machine I would choose today. Luckily for
me
, the 496 looks like it will keep going for years.
Good Luck.
the 496 has the Visual reporting points that the older Garmin data base lacked.
Very useful and worth confirming on the Aera.