Car rental

[balletbear]

Does anyone have any suggestions for car rentals in Cancun and what about insurance ? Will be in Tulum for 12 days middle of May Thanks for any info bear

[Gale in KY]

I like Easyway and Buster..two local companies, not the big guys, but that is part of their charm.

They both include all needed insurance in their rates, and do not place a hold on your credit card for the deductible. Both offer discounts for cash payments.

Both are off airport property, but it is not a problem, they pick you up, take you to their offices for the paperwork and return you to the airport when you are departing. Works great. Have used them both a couple of times and wouldn't hesitate to use them again, they are both great companies that try very hard to please their customers. Of the two, I seem to have gotten better cars with Buster, but both offer late models and I have never had a problem with mechanics etc.

You can bargain a bit with Easyway on the cost of the rental.

www.easywayrentacar.com
www.busterrentacar.com

[c943]

Last time we rented a car for our 11 days...we needed it occasionally but not enough to cover the costs because we insured it. If you have some exeprience, you could try scooters to get around tulum, then taxis for anything major...or just taxis everywhere...we did that in feb for our two weeks...the taxis were convenient and cheap and the scooters were a hoot...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v700/Narley/Mexico%202006/DSCF0994.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v700/Narley/Mexico%202006/DSCF0877.jpg

[playafriend]

Where do you rent scooters in Tulum, how much a day are they with insurance?

[Jessie James]

I feel there's no need to worry about a car while in Tulum. We just bus to Tulum by way of first going/bussing to Playa Del Carmen. The buses are very comfy and cheap. The main stretch in Tulum the town is all you'll really explore and it's only about a mile long. You most likely won't wander more than a few blocks inward. To get to where one stays most likely on the beach there are tons of taxis working at all hours and it's only 35 pesos each way. I've never waited more than 5 minutes for a cab. In town taxis are everwhere. There are places in town for rental though, but I never bothered. The main road at the beach is among trees and you can't see the water so there's not much to look at. Have fun! I love Tulum and have been back there now three years in a row now.

[austxdan]

I see a lot of posts for renting with Easyway, and from what I've read I'm fine with that.

However, I don't want to rent in Cancun and drive to Tulum (staying 10 days in May at Copal). We'd rather do the bus/collectivo thing to get down, and only rent for a few days once we get settled.

So, what are my options for renting cars once I arrive in Tulum Pueblo?


Thanks for your help,
Dan

[jx2]

I see a lot of posts for renting with Easyway, and from what I've read I'm fine with that.

However, I don't want to rent in Cancun and drive to Tulum (staying 10 days in May at Copal). We'd rather do the bus/collectivo thing to get down, and only rent for a few days once we get settled.

So, what are my options for renting cars once I arrive in Tulum Pueblo?


Thanks for your help,
Dan
We used Easyway and had them drop off and pick up the car in PDC. I think they deliver to Tulum also. It was 1USD for that service to Playa. I dont really know about renting in Tulum, but I know their are places.

[Gale in KY]

I think Easyway will drop a car to you in Tulum, not sure of the fee.

Buster's has an office in Tulum, might be easier to rent with them there, no extra charges as you could return the car to them there as well. I used them once with no problems.

[satanhimself]

We rented from Europcar at the Cancun airport. They had the best price overall, including third party liability (we used our credit card coverage for CDW), for the kind of vehicle we needed. We rented a VW Pointer Wagon, which had more cargo space (for our 8 suitcases and 6 carry-ons!) than most other mid-size rentals. It ended up costing us about $500 for an 11 day rental. (We might have saved a few bucks by taking taxis, but we appreciated the convenience of having our own vehicle. Plus, learning to drive Mexican highways was a memorable experience, but not has difficult as some might lead you to believe.)

Just beware of two things:

There's a guy at Europcar, in a Europcar uniform, whose main job is to get you to sign up for a timeshare visit of Mayan Palace (though he claims it's not a timeshare).

Also: Make sure you take the time to mark every little scratch and mark on the rental agreement. During our rental someone, one night in a parking lot at our hotel, put a hand-sized dent in the rear hatch. Anticipating that they would charge me for the damage, I went to the local justice of the peace (nice guy) in Tulum and filed an official report (cost 150 pesos) because my credit card company would have required that if I filed a claim for reimbursement. As it turned out, upon check-in, the Europcar guy didn't even notice the dent, perhaps because of all of the other marks indicated on the original rental agreement. But I felt the 150 peso expense was worth it in case I had been charged for the damage.

[austxdan]

Thanks for the pointers,

I always "Just say No" to timeshares. There was a time when I traveled on a tighter budget and would put up with a pitch just to get a free breakfast. Fortunately, those days are gone.

That was a great tip on reporting the dent to the JP. I would not have thought of that, but a great way to protect yourself "just in case". Pretty smart move.

That said - I'm leaning toward Easyway or Buster in Tulum. I never listen to Satan ;)


Dan

[petecat]

We just rented from thrifty $192.00 10 days, booked thru travelocity, we do not take additional insurance as I have coverage with my credit card, and I always take trip insurance thru insuremytrip.com and that too covers rental cars.

[satanhimself]

...did you get for the $192, petecat?

[playaguya]

Re the car insurance, there's been plenty of discussion about this on LocoGringo. It seems to go like this - If you make it through the stay without an accident, no problem. If you do have an accident and want to avoid any hassles, get the insurance.

[GEB44]

We rented a car in PDC to go to Tulum. We used National and they picked us up at the hotel. We returned the car to the airport, which they said would be an extra fee, but none was charged. Rent an automatic and they may have to give you an upgrade. We paid for the insurance for piece of mind. And, I would not go to Tulum without a car (although the scooter idea might work fine.)

[Gale in KY]

In the event of an accident, both parties go to the policia station until the accident is investigated and the person found to be at fault covers the damages. If you have insurance via your credit card, you may have to pay the expenses out of pocket and be reimbursed when you return home.

If you are planning to use the coverage provided by your credit card company, be sure to contact them prior to leaving and notify them as to where you are traveling and when, and that you plan to use their coverage.

[petecat]

...did you get for the $192, petecat?
4 door Toyota with autimatic and A/C in good shape body wise and mechanically, it hd about 23, 000 kilometers on it, was perfect for the two of us, trunk held 3 large pieces of luggage.

[petecat]

Pardon my typing I am still wearing a cast on my right hand comes off next Monday YES!

[shaed]

There is also an Executive car rental office that they advertise as being in Tulum. I'm not sure if it is in Tulum or near it. Ana y Jose offers car rentals too. Also, regarding insurance, you will have pay and get reimbursed later if you are using your credit card coverage.

[NorthernExposure]

I think we did 9 days for $145 at Thifty, I booked it though the Thrifty Mexico site - they list all the cheap models that you don't get on the US site, even when you choose MX as you're destination. I just booked the cheapest car and had no problems. They have a shuttle, but you could walk from the terminal - it's two blocks to walk, 4 by bus.

The tank wasn't full when we picked it up, but I just brought it back at the same level and all was good. We used our personal insurance (which covers foreign travel) and a credit card that automatically covered us as well.

We had a little four-door with a squirrel cage up front, but once we got to Tulum we only drove a few miles day, and it was cheap. The car had an alarm and a CD player - so we stopped at a roadside CD "store" in Akumal, bought some freshly burned pirated tunes, and we were set.

On the way to Tulum we stopped at Pemco outside of Cancun to fill up and ended up getting scammed on the old "you only gave me 10 pesos" thing (when I actually handed him 100) - so remember to be sharp at all times, (dammit - I know better!)

[Ginger]

We rented from Buster Car Rental, after recommendation from Gale. No troubles, really. They picked us up at the airport, shuttled us over to the rental office. Can't remember the exact price, but was better than any other quote that I got from Thrifty, Budget, Avis or anyone else and the price included all insurance and everything.

They were going to charge me a drop fee to pick up the car in Playa or Tulum since we didn't need it the whole time, but I negotiated out of it fairly easily.

[Gale in KY]

Glad to know Buster worked out well for you Ginger..seems like there is a bad experience with all rental companies at some time or other, but Buster was a good experience for me, and I wouldn't hesitate to use them again.

[dcap]

Does Buster have an office in PDC? we are here now and want to rent a car tommorow Wed. thru Sun. I have checked several companies in town but am still shopping for best rate. Dave

[Gale in KY]

Not sure if they have an actual office in PDC, but their website includes renting in PDC as part of their services..best to contact them for more information. I know they will bring the vehicle to you, wherever you may be.

http://www.busterrentacar.com/

[jx2]

We used Hertz this last trip and had no problems at all. 50 usd a day with all insurance for a Dodge neon it was 4 doors and A/C. They have an office on 5th and 12th or 14th? i think (on the North-East corner of the intersection).

[dcap]

Found a national on 5th 38.00 per day 4 days. insurance, tax included.

Dave

[Kenster]

I've been going to Tulum for many years. The first time I went, I was on foot. I hitched into town often with locals going by, or with other travellers who had cars. And I used taxis often. But ever since that first time, I've rented a cheap economy car. Standard transmission with A/C. About $130 a week. It costs more than round trip bus fare from Cancun and daily round trip Taxis from the beach into the town of Tulum, but having the freedom of your own wheels is worth the premium to me when I need to run to the store for ice and beer, or into town for dinner.
I enjoy picking up hitchers along the way, too. I've met a lot of nice people from all over the world doing that.

[dcap]

FYI there is a Buster Office on 10th btw 10th & 12th west side of the street. Dave

[Luna Caribe]

I have rented from Hertz in Tulum. They are at the little shopping center (San Fracisco I think it is called) at the intersection of the highway (307) and the Boca Paila road out to the beach. Thee rates are good. They didn;t have the cheap model I'd reserved but gave me a much better car for the same price, about $20 US.

I also have some accident experience, so I know a bit about how the insurance part works. I won't go into details about the accident but there was a lot of damage (mostly to the other vehicle- totalled) in a Hertz rental south of Tulum. I had reseaeched the insurance situation and found out that the rental companies are requird to carry third party insurance on their cars. It used to be $80K USD. As of two years ago it was reduced to $35K.

Basically I did not buy any insurance. I had used my credit card for the car and relied on the Hertz thrid party insurance. As a former poster mentioned both me and the other party ( Mexican) were taken by the federales to the police station. As soon as they saw the documents that showed the Hertz basic coverage of $80K, they told me I wouldn't have an problems. They let me call Hertz and my Visa card people, and then spoke to the people there who vouched for my coverage. We did not have to pay anything to anybody on the spot.

We had to spend a couple of hours there while the federales sorted out who was at fault. We did not end up with a ticket either. The federales could not have been nicer. They bought us sodas, told us not to worry, and we spent a very pleasant afternoon on their breezy porch talking about places they had visited in the US, good places to work there etc, and highway construction, a hot topic in the Yucatan (one of our group builds roads). I can honestly say that I have never, ever had a nicer police experience.

The US credit card folks were a slightly differnt story. They did cover the rental car eventually but it was a lot of work. There was a hold for about $500 put on my credit card which I expected. It turned out that Visa wanted a lot more paperwork than I was told by them before I left home. They wanted every little bit of paper from Hertz and then some. Don't let any of this stuff get away from you. The police will need copies of things and often they don't have copiers...

Visa's requirements change. Also there can be some confusion as to the Spanish and English names of the documents they want from you. So you need to call your credit card benefits people BEFORE you go and get them to fax you the list of documents you will need to be reimbursed if you are in an accident. Basically I had to make a lot of calls to Hertz in Cancun over the next couple of months for documentation so I was thankful that I was working with a US affiliated company and not some little outfit in Mexico with no English speakers or fax machines. Hertz was great. The Visa people dragged their feet, but eventually paid up.

The $35K third party coverage that now comes with a rental car in MX seems a bit low to me. If I'm going to be driving around just on Tulum beach road the $35K is probably adequate, but if I'm going to be on the highway (307) or driving inland, I now shell out the extra $10/day, which gives you quite a bit of additional third party coverage.

This is probably more than you ever wanted to know about insurance and accidents in Mexico, but I'm going to add one last thing anyway. If you have an accident be pleasant to the federales, engage them in conversation, and treat kindly as thouht they have come to rescue you, and you may find that in fact they do just that.