Massive Garmin sale brings the Forerunner 945 down to its lowest-ever price — and I’d still buy it over the newer 955

If you’re looking for a new sports watch there are always plenty of great Garmin deals to consider, and the biggest bargain going might just be the $320 saving on the Garmin Forerunner 945 available at Walmart right now for just $280.

That brings the price of the watch down to just $279.99, the lowest I’ve ever seen it, and while the Forerunner 945 is an older watch that’s been superseded by two newer models — the Garmin Forerunner 955 and Garmin Forerunner 965 — it’s still an excellent sports watch and as good as anything newer you can get for $280.

I’ve tested the Forerunner 945, 955 and 965 (and the 935, which remains an all-time favorite), and while there are advantages to the newer watches, the Forerunner 945 has all the key features runners and triathletes need. It offers accurate multisport tracking, useful training analysis, long battery life, full color maps for navigation and music storage.

The maps in particular are a standout feature on the Forerunner 945 at its reduced price. Garmin’s navigation features are second-to-none and the color maps are a feature restricted to its more expensive sports watches.

When you compare the Forerunner 945 with the Forerunner 955, some features you are missing out by opting for the older watch including dual-band GPS tracking and more insightful training analysis including Garmin’s training readiness feature. Those are all useful features, but not essential and you’ll have to pay a lot more for them, making the Forerunner 945 better value in the sales.

If you do want a newer Forerunner, the Forerunner 955 is reduced to $399.99 on Amazon and it’s still right up to date with Garmin’s best features, though it has an LCD screen rather than the AMOLED display you get with the Forerunner 965.