My friend Philip commented in the post I made about losing my GPS that I should just get another Garmin Legend HCx, since they have gotten more affordable. I looked at the newer Oregon/Dakota models but I ended up taking Philip's advice and just getting another one of the exact same thing I had before. I went to a store and played with the newer Colorado and Dakota models and came to the conclusion that they weren't really improvements over the eTrex line.
The eTrex line is proven as a good tool. Sure, they're not perfect but they're pretty good. The only real complaints I have are the screen is dark without the backlight on and the joystick sticks up too far and keeps moving around when I put it in a pocket. Other than that, it's pretty much fine.
The newer models show quite a bit of "improvement" from the "slickness" department. The main change is the touch screen and the new "friendly" UI. You know how there' Lego blocks, and then there's Duplo for the younger kids? The eTrex User Interface is Lego and the Dakota is Duplo. The touchscreen is very "eh...". I have an iphone so I know what touchscreens are supposed to be like. This is not responsive or accurate like that. I have no idea what would happen if you were wearing gloves.
Then there's the new and improved larger, bulkier size. And the crappier battery life.
Wait - It costs more too?
You see where I'm going with this... I hope they never discontinue the eTrex. You should buy one. (as long as it accepts a micrSD card for recording tracks to.)