Car Rental Recommendations

[BinkyLover]

Hi all,

Long time reader, first time poster. We already have most of our trip booked (airfare, a week a Tita Tulum and a week up in Cancun at Dreams), but I still need to rent us a car. Does anybody recommend one agency over the other? Also, I'd kind of like GPS (because I get lost easier than a in mouse a maze made out of cheese), but I haven't seen any that actually advertise it. Any suggestions? Thanks!

[Gale in KY]

Welcome! Glad you joined us! I have no idea about the GPS, but I can promise you that it's really difficult to get lost in Tulum, or even on the drive from Cancun to Tulum and back..it's a straight shot north/south on 307. Past the ruins, turn left, dead end turn right..soon you will be at Tita's. One of the reasons I love the area is that it is so easy to navigate.

I can recommend Easyway, have had great experiences with them everytime I have rented from them.

Buster was also good to me, so I will throw a recommendation to them as well.

[PhyllisB]

Definitely no need for a GPS unless you're really planning on getting off the beaten path. If you're just doing Cancun & Tulum, it's definitely not necessary. Get a map from the mapchick: http://www.cancunmap.com/

I've used Easyway & Continental for cars. They were OK. My favorite was Avicar but I don't think they're in business anymore. :(

[letele]

I used Caribbean when I went down in June...no problems there, they were friendly, had the lowest rates I could find online, and actually had an automatic available for me (CANNOT drive stick! :) )

[John in DC]

Another recommendation for Easyway, as well as Buster. I have used both successfully -- it just depends on who offers the best price.

I agree with everyone else -- there's no need for GPS (if it's even available). If you're headed south the beach is on your left. If you're headed north, it's on your right. That's all I need to know.

[TheWindyCity]

Just some additional information for ya, I saw this post on TripAdvisor about a common rental agency that uses three names:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g150813-i155-k2145338-Beware_Possible_Car_Rental_Scam-Tulum_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

[think]

I'll throw in my recommendation for Carribean too. I had a very good experience with them. However, I have heard bad stories about them, but I think that is true of all the companies. Definitely no need for a GPS. It was my first time in Mexico and I drove all over with no problems.

[beachreader]

I heard the new iPhone has GPS in it, if you really need it. :p

[lazydog]

I still think that American Car Rental is the big broker and that it is the small companies or individuals that are ripping people off. It's a chain. You will have some good owners and some rotten. We rented through Cancun, Caribbean what ever, it was American and we had no problems. I've heard lots of people have lots of problems with all companies or individuals. We got all the insurance and they still told us that if something happened we probably would have to pay for it, but I think it would have kept us out of jail at least! Would I drive down there, any day. Hmm. Should start planning soon. Winter is coming....

[BinkyLover]

Thanks for the suggestions. I noticed that nobody recommended any US chains like Avis, Budget or Hertz (all of which are available in Cancun). After some research, it seems like the more local companies like EasyWay and Cancun Car Rental are cheaper by a couple hundred dollars when considering insurance, but is the insurance really necessary if renting from a US-based chain like Hertz? I suppose it would be better to be on the safe side, although the last time I was in Mexico (Cabo San Lucas), I declined the insurance and made it through my trip with only one bribe and no other incidents... Until I was threatened with prison at the airport.

[PhyllisB]

I think most folks on the board would recommend getting full insurance. There have been a lot of discussions about it, I think some are in the FAQ forum. But the conventional wisdom is that if you get in an accident, you'll have to pay up or the authorities will detain you until you can.

I'm not positive, but I think the US chains are really locally owned franchises--so I don't know that it gives you any real extra layer of safety/trust with the company.

The off-airport companies are usually much cheaper b/c they don't have to pay the airport tax.

[minniemex]

There have been long, in-depth discussions about the insurance thing. I for one want to feel pretty comfy on vacation and knowing I have the insurance helps me feel that way. Without it I doubt I would survive the first trip down the 307 with all the warnings and crabbing I would do to my husband. Not a holiday feeling.

Here are some links to those discussions ~ I really think it has all been said.

http://tulum.info/showthread.php?t=1699

http://tulum.info/showthread.php?t=2041

http://tulum.info/showthread.php?t=2368&highlight=rental+insurance

http://tulum.info/showthread.php?t=2362&highlight=rental+insurance

These are all threads that cover the rental & insurance dilemas.

If you find you need more info there is a great search funtion ~

http://tulum.info/showthread.php?t=1663

Have fun searching!!

[BinkyLover]

Thanks for the links, minniemex. I'll have a read. For some reason, I'm paranoid about renting a car (especially in a foreign country). I think all the contracts I have to sign make me nervous that I missed the line about my first born.

[PhyllisB]

There are some folks who go w/out renting a car -- Doug & Kimba both rely on buses, taxis, collectivos. That's certainly doable. A lot depends on how far afield you want to go, or if you're going to stay close to home base. I like the freedom of having a car and knowing I can go wherever, whenever. And it's easy to get around (drive straight. turn left. turn right at the end of the road.) After driving in Boston, everything else seems pretty easy....

[ilovewyoming]

We opt for the insurance...full. Makes the trip even more relaxing.
Always have used Avis. Never once had a problem, cars were always practically new, and the service was great. Perhaps we need to look into some of the others suggested and compare prices.

[TheWindyCity]

Thanks for the suggestions. I noticed that nobody recommended any US chains like Avis, Budget or Hertz (all of which are available in Cancun). .

I used Easyway on my first trip, and Avis on my last two trips and REALLY liked Avis. They have newer cars, and it all goes smooth with no games. Just be sure to mark all the stuff you see on the car before you leave.

[beachreader]

I've used Continental on my last two trips, and they were very nice guys to me and the price was certainly right.

I think that I might check out the big chains for my next trip and compare costs with the insurances added on. The main advantage of the chains is that they're on-site at the airport (nice for dropping off on the last day) and the cars are generally newer and they have more selection if you want to change cars at the last minute--Continental et al are too small to keep much stock on hand.

They will nickel and dime, though. I had a flat tire and they charged me $14 to fix it after I got back, and wouldn't let me just pay the fee in cash, they had to put it on my credit card and they wouldn't give me the open cc receipt/imprint back before I left because they said they had to make sure there wasn't anything seriously wrong with the tire. I could have had it fixed myself and not even told them about it, so lesson learned. Someone else got hit with a key charge. I think they'll try to get you where they can, but overall I still like having the insurance to cover the big stuff.