BajaNomad

affordable one-way car rental?!?

tonyha - 12-12-2006 at 06:12 PM

Hi,

I'd like to rent a car in Tijuana and drive to Cabo San Lucas over a 9-day period. Anyone know how this can be done without a $1000 drop fee?

Thank you!

oldjack - 12-12-2006 at 06:35 PM

I have researched this many times... the franchise owners won't give you a deal.... if you have no experience driving M-1 then scan this website and READ EVERYTHING about the drive.... it will be an adventure....

DavidT - 12-12-2006 at 07:57 PM

You might try searching the rental companies website for a phone # to get you into corporate offices and try dealing directly with them. I did this with Avis a few years ago regarding a website special. It takes a bit of searching for a number that will get you above the individual locations. It might be worth a try. Good luck.

tonyha - 12-12-2006 at 09:04 PM

ok, sounds like my affordableoptions are pretty limited - too bad it's going to cost me more than double what i'd expected!

i'll try your advice DavidT, thanks for that. thanks for your reply, too, oldjack. i have scanned & read and will continue to do so. seems like a pretty good resource.

comitan - 12-12-2006 at 09:24 PM

check u2u

comitan - 12-13-2006 at 03:38 PM

Something else to consider is to fly into La Paz, rent a car and explore Mulege-to Cabo. The best and safest part of the Baja.

[Edited on 12-13-2006 by comitan]:lol::lol:

[Edited on 12-13-2006 by comitan]

Phil C - 12-13-2006 at 03:45 PM

I agree with Comitan. You can fly TJ to La Paz for about $100 on Avolar. Rent the car and drive back north, or whatever. then fly back to Tijuana. Save time and money, Only you will miss northen Baja....

tonyha - 12-13-2006 at 04:57 PM

I think this plan might just work, and I'll probably end up going through with it! The one-way airfare listed on Avolar's website is $350 for two. A one-way standard economy car is listed at Avis for $345 for a week. I'll guesstimate insurance at around $150 unless someone has a better idea), bringing our total to $845, which is already a good $550 lower than driving the whole route. True, I miss out on the Norte, but perhaps I'll live long enough to do that trip another time, if I love the Sur. (I'm from Toronto, by the way, so getting there is a bigger deal than for some.) Plus, with less need to cover miles, we'll have more flexibility to just explore. This forum's saved me half a grand (and several day's hard driving) in less than 24 hours! Nice work, all. I'll keep you posted on what happens.

(Only catch is that my wife isn't so handy with the stick shift, which means I do all the driving. I suppose that's not the end of the world, since the automatic is $140 more!)