No 396 to 496 Upgrade

[Mike Granby]

In response to my question about an upgrade or trade-in route from the
396 to the 496...

=========

Thank you for contacting Garmin:

Unfortunately, no. Garmin is a new equipment manufacturer, and we sell
our equipment exclusively through our distribution network. Because we
do not sell equipment directly, we have no market for used equipment
taken in on trade.

In a few limited cases, your Garmin dealer might consider a trade-in of
your existing model for a newer model. In such cases, there would still
be a cost associated with the purchase of the newer model. Your
trade-in price would depend on the condition of your existing GPS unit,
what accessories you have for it, and your dealer's ability to resell
it to another customer.

Best Regards,
Dustin B.
Aviation Support Specialist

[Robert M. Gary]

This is probably a more appropriate question for a place like Gulf
Coast Aviations. Garmin doesn't even sell 496's, they just make them.
Sporty's, Gulf Coast, etc sell the units.

-Robert

Mike Granby wrote:
> In response to my question about an upgrade or trade-in route from the
> 396 to the 496...

[NW_PILOT]

So they don't sell factory refurbished units?


"Mike Granby" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> In response to my question about an upgrade or trade-in route from the
> 396 to the 496...
>
> =========
>
> Thank you for contacting Garmin:
>
> Unfortunately, no. Garmin is a new equipment manufacturer, and we sell
> our equipment exclusively through our distribution network. Because we
> do not sell equipment directly, we have no market for used equipment
> taken in on trade.
>
> In a few limited cases, your Garmin dealer might consider a trade-in of
> your existing model for a newer model. In such cases, there would still
> be a cost associated with the purchase of the newer model. Your
> trade-in price would depend on the condition of your existing GPS unit,
> what accessories you have for it, and your dealer's ability to resell
> it to another customer.
>
> Best Regards,
> Dustin B.
> Aviation Support Specialist
>

[Dave Butler[_1_]]

Mike Granby wrote:
> In response to my question about an upgrade or trade-in route from the
> 396 to the 496...
>
> =========
>
> Thank you for contacting Garmin:
>
> Unfortunately, no. Garmin is a new equipment manufacturer, and we sell
> our equipment exclusively through our distribution network. Because we
> do not sell equipment directly, we have no market for used equipment
> taken in on trade.
>
> In a few limited cases, your Garmin dealer might consider a trade-in of
> your existing model for a newer model. In such cases, there would still
> be a cost associated with the purchase of the newer model. Your
> trade-in price would depend on the condition of your existing GPS unit,
> what accessories you have for it, and your dealer's ability to resell
> it to another customer.

I'll bet JA Air has a trade-in program. They took my 196 in trade when I bought
my 396. It might be a good place to shop for a slightly used 396.

[john smith]

In article >,
"NW_PILOT" > wrote:

> So they don't sell factory refurbished units?

I haven't seen any, yet.
I have been searching for someone who might handle them throughout the
past year.

[~^ beancounter ~^]

yes, ja does take trade in units....


Dave Butler wrote:
> Mike Granby wrote:
> > In response to my question about an upgrade or trade-in route from the
> > 396 to the 496...
> >
> > =========
> >
> > Thank you for contacting Garmin:
> >
> > Unfortunately, no. Garmin is a new equipment manufacturer, and we sell
> > our equipment exclusively through our distribution network. Because we
> > do not sell equipment directly, we have no market for used equipment
> > taken in on trade.
> >
> > In a few limited cases, your Garmin dealer might consider a trade-in of
> > your existing model for a newer model. In such cases, there would still
> > be a cost associated with the purchase of the newer model. Your
> > trade-in price would depend on the condition of your existing GPS unit,
> > what accessories you have for it, and your dealer's ability to resell
> > it to another customer.
>
> I'll bet JA Air has a trade-in program. They took my 196 in trade when I bought
> my 396. It might be a good place to shop for a slightly used 396.

[Mike Spera]

>>In response to my question about an upgrade or trade-in route from the
>>396 to the 496...
>
> This is probably a more appropriate question for a place like Gulf
> Coast Aviations. Garmin doesn't even sell 496's, they just make them.
> Sporty's, Gulf Coast, etc sell the units.
>


The point is that Garmin is not offering a factory sponsored trade in
program for a fixed price. They don't view this as valuable to them.
There may not be enough interest in this type of swap to justify the
program's administrative cost. Besides, business is good so they don't
have to dream up ways sell stuff. It already sells.

The problem with doing it through a dealer is the same as trading in a
used car. In order for the dealer to do it they want to make a killing.

Good Luck,
Mike

[Robert M. Gary]

But I can undestand why Garmin doesn't sell GPSs (new or refurbed).
They are in the business of making GPSs, not the retail business. Let
someone else sell the units. Garmin has decided that retail sales are
not their core compentency. With their current Walmart deal, they've
obviously decided that selling in wholesale bulk is the way to go.

It would be interesting to see Garmin start a retail outlet for
aviation supplies in general (focusing on avionics). With their brand
equity they would instantly have space in the market. They could later
sell off or spin off the unit. Could be a worthwhile project. At the
moment the financial market is a bit concerned that Garmin may be
losing margin with the deep discounters. This could be a way to
increase margins. WSJ had an interesting article on this yesterday.

-Robert


Mike Spera wrote:
> The point is that Garmin is not offering a factory sponsored trade in
> program for a fixed price. They don't view this as valuable to them.