BUYING used ScanGauge II
 

im hurting on money a lot lately, and just can not afford a new one.
Please help me out!

Why not get an Ultragauge?

Yeah, an UG or an SGe. I'd recommend it for most any non-hardcore/non-hybrid owner. Can't speak for the UG as I've never used one.

I still love my ScanGauge, but my eyesight's gotten to the point I can't read it with a quick glance under all lighting conditions anymore. (To be clear: The SG display is crisp with good contrast, reasonably sized characters, and a nice backlight. No complaints with it, my eyes are the problem!) So I decided to give the UltraGauge a go.

Note that I got the newer (more expensive) model, which eliminates most of the complaints I've heard about the original.

Even the smaller gauge font is bolder than the SG's, and it seems to be a transflective display since it's perfectly readable -- even bright -- in direct sunlight. Add the (tunable) automatic backlight, and it solves the poor vision issues I had the SG.

It won't do a lot of stuff a ScanGauge will; no custom commands, no coloring the backlight to match your vehicle's gauge scheme, no "magic" today/yesterday readings, no automatic calibration on fills, no easy way to reset on the fly (e.g. for mod testing), etc. But it also does things a ScanGauge can't: Up to eight gauges on a page and more pages than you could possibly need, multiple MPG/trip trackers you can use however you want (e.g., once calibrated you can maintain "lifetime" and per-tank figures, or per-tank and per day if you prefer, or by trip, or whatever -- only the "short trip" figures are managed automatically; they reset every time you shut off the engine/ECU). And so on.

I have noticed some quirks; the whole display "winks" -- blanks and repaints -- on a regular basis (not a problem, just odd). And once it was displaying 0.00 MPG (even for instantaneous) as I rolled down the highway -- a "save and reset" cleared that state and it hasn't happened since. There are some things I don't care for, too... but I can say the same thing about the ScanGauge.

Overall, I'd say the (new model) UG is every bit as capable as the (latest firmware) SG II (I haven't tried an SGe). There are things each unit does better than the other (or that the other can't do at all), but there's also a LOT of overlap in utility. Either would be a worthwhile purchase and do the job for most folks. Only those of us with very specific requirements (e.g. lousy eyesight, needing to read a manufacturer/model-specific parameter, needing more than four gauges at a time, doing a lot of heavy testing, etc.) would find either coming up short.

I hope that helps someone. Happy to answer any questions I can.

Cheers,
Rick