BajaNomad

Update-Need to avoid the rental car bendover

castaway$ - 2-21-2012 at 05:59 PM

We didn't ge to do our normal 6 week drive down the peninsula do to the wonderful economy last year so we are trying to plan a short 10 day fly down to Todos Santos and stay at our friends beach house. We still don't have a lot of funds but we are jonesing Sooo bad for Baja we can't stand it. We made this same type trip 4-5 years ago and we flew into La Paz and rented a car, we got the cheapest little stripped down Nissan 4 banger but with the insurance we still paid about $700 for a week. We bought the full blown insurance because we were told that sometimes people get the shaft if they don't have it, they will charge you to death for every ding and scratch whether you did it or not.
Anybody got any ideas how to lower that cost, we really like having a car since our friends house is about 8 kilometers outside Todos and we need to get from the airport in either La Paz or San Jose. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

[Edited on 2-29-2012 by castaway$]

Loretana - 2-21-2012 at 06:11 PM

castaway$,

I see a lot of wanted ads for "loaner cars" on Baja Western Onion.
What I mean, is folks looking for a rental, a local car.
I'm guessing that some ex-pats down there have cars and have rented them out in the past.......

You might check that out.

Diver - 2-21-2012 at 06:19 PM

Try this https://www.nationalcar.com/index.do?action=/hotDealsTemplat...


Their economy car is about $75 per week plus any insurance.
With collision the total is closer to $200 per week.

They have a 30% off deal now - need to copy and paste....
.

[Edited on 2-22-2012 by Diver]

castaway$ - 2-21-2012 at 07:45 PM

Thanks for the info, it seems the actual rental price is way cheaper now. Still wondering about the insurance, if diver is right and it's about $200 a week I think we can afford that and still have plenty of money for tacos and cervezas.

mulegemichael - 2-21-2012 at 08:24 PM

yeah, and flying into san jose is a lot easier than la paz in my mind.

Lee - 2-21-2012 at 08:32 PM

Scratches and dents? Get your iphone or camera out. Walk around with the manager taking pictures of all scratches and dents. Best insurance you can have when you turn it in.

$700 a week doesn't sound right.

woody with a view - 2-21-2012 at 09:04 PM

make sure THAT guy is actually in the pictures pointing out EVERY dent and scratch.

castaway$ - 2-22-2012 at 08:27 AM

Actually you are right Lee, my wife read the post and told me I was wrong. She said it was for 10 days and about $500, her memory is better than mine. The insurance we bought was a full coverage policy so even if there was anything found the insurance would cover it, I thnk thats why it was so expensive.

boe4fun - 2-22-2012 at 10:44 AM

Also you might check with your credit card company to see if they offer additional insurance. We use our AMEX Gold card when we have to rent a car because they offer full coverage (above the normal insurance you get from the rental agency) at no additional charge.

Wally - 2-22-2012 at 12:41 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by boe4fun
Also you might check with your credit card company to see if they offer additional insurance. We use our AMEX Gold card when we have to rent a car because they offer full coverage (above the normal insurance you get from the rental agency) at no additional charge.


I asked AMEX about Mexican car rentals a couple of years ago and they told me that their add-on liability car rental insurance does NOT apply cars rented in Mexico.

That may have changed since but you may want to check to be sure.

24baja - 2-22-2012 at 12:50 PM

Hey Castaway$ when are you going? We know what you mean about "jonesing" for Baja, we are in the same boat. We are actually driving down in 7 days and can not wait.....looking forward to cervesa, tacos and the beautiful Sea of Cortez. It is gonna be a fast trip but it will get us through to our May trip. Hope you have a safe and wonderful trip and look forward to a couple of photos! Relax and Enjoy, Connie & Brett

Bajahowodd - 2-22-2012 at 04:51 PM

My two cents.

Rental cars will be considerably cheaper at SJD than they will be in LAP, just because of competition.

Basic minimum required liability insurance is, by law, provided in the rate.

Physical damage coverage for your rental is where the companies make tons of profit.

As for the credit card coverage.... If your card actually will cover you, you also need to understand that it will be an after the fact thing. You will have to pay out of pocket and submit a claim to the insurance company your credit card is using. They will not step up in the beginning.

So, I suggest you contact whatever card companies you have and discuss whether they will cover you outside the US. Most will. But also realize that if you have an accident, you will have to pay out of pocket for repairs. Understand that if you buy the physical damage coverage, you walk away, not to worry about the cost of repairs. If you choose to rely on your credit card coverage, there will be no control over the cost of repairs claimed.

That said, I've never purchased the Physical damage coverage when renting in Mexico. I had one incident, posted maybe a couple of times on this forum, where someone from the rental agency followed me and pried the hood medallion off. Just goes to show how lucrative this stuff is.

The incident of which I speak includes the fact that I was traveling with family and we rented two of the exact same vehicles. My brother, who opted to pay for the physical damage coverage, allowed my to pry off his medallion and put it on mine.

Upon return there were many scratched heads. But, bottom line was that my car, without coverage, didn't have any damage. My bros car, missing the medallion, was covered.

If you are a gambler, don't buy the Physical damage coverage. If you are a worrier, by all means, do.

Martyman - 2-23-2012 at 10:06 AM

Get a fax from the car rentals corporate office about your reservation. They jumped through hoops when they saw mine.

lizard lips - 2-23-2012 at 10:29 AM

I have used National and made the deal on line prior to arriving at the airport in San Jose and they did not honor it. I ended up renting from a place downtown Cabo for a lot less and at NO time in my many trips to Cabo have I ever seen $200 per week. If this is true I would jump on it for sure and if you decide to rent from National I wold call the Natl headquarters and ask them to send something from their office to confirm that this is the price. If you decide to rent a car I would take photos of all angles of the car and interior. Make sure the gas cap is still there and when you buy gas make sure they put it back on. GOOD LUCK
Quote:
Originally posted by Diver
Try this https://www.nationalcar.com/index.do?action=/hotDealsTemplat...


Their economy car is about $75 per week plus any insurance.
With collision the total is closer to $200 per week.

They have a 30% off deal now - need to copy and paste....
.

[Edited on 2-22-2012 by Diver]

Update-Avoiding the rental car bendover

castaway$ - 2-28-2012 at 08:44 PM

Well we have our flights confirmed, accomadations and the last is the rental car. Heading to Todos Santos in May and after talking to all of the major rental car players I found that the car rental rate is cheap enough but the insurance is the bend over part ( as I suspected). 11 day rental for a cheapy 4 banger, standard transmission is $120 U.S., the insurance, $428 U.S., that is $38.95 per day for the whole enchilada loss damage package. Now we could opt for just the collision + liability and that is $29 per day and a $5,000deposit on my credit card in case there is an accident and the car gets dinked. After talking to all of the players I found the insurance fees to be uniform with all and proportinate to the vehicle rented, so $500+ for the cheap car and insurance it is, but hey we'll be getting our Baja fix for at least a few months. Now to figure out the surf fishing possibilities around Todos in May.:bounce: Fishing advice gladly accepted.

[Edited on 2-29-2012 by castaway$]