CrunchDeals: Garmin nuvi 285W with traffic and Bluetooth for $100

Good news first: $100 is a pretty good deal for a 4.3-inch GPS with both traffic service and Bluetooth built in. Bad news: the traffic is via MSN Direct, it’s only free for nine months, and the service is completely shutting down on January 1, 2012.

But that still gives you almost two wonderful years together (assuming you pay the $50-per-year subscription fee after the free nine months ends). And you can actually buy a different traffic receiver, the GTM 25, which provides free traffic data for life.

I’d personally go with the kit as-is for now and then when the MSN Direct honeymoon ends in nine months, pick up the GTM 25 for around $90 or so. But that’s just me.

Aside from the traffic stuff, you get Bluetooth pairing for use with your cell phone, built-in maps of the US and Canada, text-to-speech directions, 4.3-inch touchscreen, four hours of battery life, and photo viewer.

Regular price is around $130, Amazon’s selling it for $100 today only.

Garmin nüvi 285W-285WT [Amazon.com]