The 496 rocks. I love mine. It was purchased at Oshkosh. Up until that time my -6 has a 250XL and i was using an ipaq w/anywhere map. Although the features of the Anywhere Map where very nice, the only thing i miss are the cones of safety. The 496 screen is very readable (way better than the iPaq). The terrain resolution is outstanding. As far as the weather goes, it is on the pricey side (50/mo) but is worth it in my opinion. Dodging T-storms is a lot easier as you can see behind them! I love being able to get metars while flying. As you travel, the closest altimeter setting and surface winds are displayed on any page you want. The taxi diagrams are cool also. It is very easy to learn and use and the updates are no hassle from your pc. I bought it to put in my -8A which is under under construction, but use it in my -6. Expensive but worth it IMHO. I can't say enough nice things about this box.