After observing a few really stupid stunts on the roads around here, my wife and I thought that it might be a good idea to get Dash Cameras.

In one of the threads showing some accident videos, Mars Attacks mentioned that he was well satisfied with his, a Garmin DriveAssist 50 (or was it a 51?).

I did some looking at these. They are both combination units -- GPS and Dash Camera. The DriveAssist 50 is manufacture discontinued and has been replaced by the very similar DriveAssist 51.

Since neither my wife's vehicle nor mine has built-in GPS, the Garmin combination unit seemed like a good deal, but pricy at $299.00. Some poking around on eBay found a seller, GPS City, who was (still is, as of this writing) offering the DriveAssist 50LMT, refurbished and warranteed by Garmin, for $102. That is not much more than a stand-alone entry level camera, so having the GPS included looked like a really good deal, so I ordered two of them: one each for my wife and me.

After a couple of days of use, we are both pleased. Automotive GPS has come a long way since the early units that we have had.

Comments on the features. First, the "LMT" in the model designation means Lifetime Maps and Traffic. Downloads for these are free.

The camera can be set to start recording as soon as it is powered up, you can save "incidents," and if you don't save, the SD memory card wraps around when full -- the oldest recording is overwritten by the newest. It comes with a 4Gb micro SD card and will accept up to 64 Gb, which go for about twenty bucks on eBay or Amazon.

Nothing new there, pretty standard as dash cameras go. But there is nice integration with the GPS. For example, when arriving at destination, the display automatically switches from map view to camera view, and you can actually see your destination. The camera is used to generate lane departure warnings. If you're sitting at a traffic light that has turned green and the vehicle in front starts moving, you get a "wake-up" notice. When you need to be in a specific lane for a ramp on a highway, a photo is shown. All neat stuff.

Today on my way home from the airport, I received warnings about the hated red light cameras that have been installed at some intersections.

But wait -- that's not all! Neither my wife's vehicle nor mine have rearview cameras. Garmin offers the BC-30 backup camera, that sends video to the GPS display. Transmission is via WiFi, which I believe offers better fidelity than BlueTooth. I have a couple of these on order. As I understand it, the BC-30 can be connected to the vehicle's back-up lights and the display will switch automatically, or it can just be connected to a source of DC power and the display can be switched manually. I'll know more when we receive these.

Bottom line: If you need a dash camera / GPS unit at a very reasonable price, take a look at the re-furbished Garmin DriveAssist 50LMT offered by GPS City on eBay, for $102 (shipping included).

Thanks for the write up. I bought entry level dash cameras about a year ago. They are spytec a119's and had the highest ratings for stand alone budget cameras.

When you decide to upgrade the memory card, be sure to look for high endurance cards. Regular memory cards are not designed for non-stop use and unless you check that the images are actually recording on the card, you could have an unwelcome surprise when you think you have a recording only to discover your card failed.

The high endurance cards are more expensive than the regular cards.

Here is a link to a review of not only dash cams but memory cards as well:

https://www.carcamcentral.com/

Ive thought about a dash cam, especially when on a bike. I’d want something that could be swapped around fairly easily.

My other issue is that I work on an army depot. I wonder what security would think about that?

I’m a new dash cam user and believer also. Recent incidents and morons on the road pushed me to purchase them. My wife kinda thinks I’m a paranoid idiot, which remains to be seen.... but she’s the exact opposite and walks around with rose colored glasses on. I digress, good for you V Tail. I’ve heard people say good things about the Garmin units.