Arthur
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Posts: 232
Registered: 10-2-2003
Location: San Anselmo, CA
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Rental cars at SJ del Cabo airport
It kills me not to take my Prerunner down to Baja this spring, but we're thinking of flying to SJ del Cabo, renting a truck (or a car if necessary)
and heading up into the hills for a week. But I'm not getting much interesting from my Web searches.
What's a good rental company? what are some bad ones? Have you heard about any that rent pickups? Renting an SUV is pretty expensive, and the
Wranglers don't have much secure storage -- or even a top, maybe.
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Bajabus
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Posts: 892
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: Elias Calles B.C.S. or NC USA
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Mood: My friends..it's good.
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they are all pretty much the same. The thing to do if you have the stomach for it and can't find the deal you like on line is to just show up down
there. they are all crowded together, make a big show of saying to each that you are going to go with whoever gives you the best deal. Go back and
forth, don't be ashamed to bargain and be cutthroat, remember it's Mexico and it is considered stupid to not bargain.
Also beware that on many of the alleged 4WD vehicles the front drive shaft is removed, this is especially true on the jeeps. You will note that on
the fine print it says you are not allowed to use the car on dirt roads. If for some reason you do happen to break down or get stuck off road DO NOT
CALL THE COMPANY. they will shaft you royally. Push or pull the car to the nearest pavement then call them.
good luck.
"Preventive war was an invention of Hitler. Frankly I would not even listen to anyone seriously that came and talked of such a thing."
Dwight David Eisenhower
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tunaeater
Senior Nomad
Posts: 616
Registered: 9-3-2003
Location: Chula Vista, CA
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bajabus is right the car rental companies are all right there as you are exiting the airport. They will compete for your business so don't be shy
about your offerings. Stay away from the timeshare sharks as they will want you to deal with them. Unless you like to go to the promotions which could
be helpful for the price of your car. I like to do them but my wife just hates it. Can't get away without a knock down drag out. Anyway have fun and
enjoy your stay....Paul
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Arthur
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Posts: 232
Registered: 10-2-2003
Location: San Anselmo, CA
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Hey, good advice! We dealt with some of those car-rental guys on another trip -- I felt funny about taking up one guy's time and then going on to
another, but they were all good-humored and it seems like we got the best deal possible. Who knows, though?
We may just forget the pickup idea, since we might not be able to get across the Naranjas Road anyway, and trucks are hard to find. Advantage
Rent-a-car has much lower rates than most, so I think we'll get a reservation and if that doesn't pan out for some reason, negotiate with the line of
hombres.
Thanks for the tip about the 4WD vehicles -- and the dirt roads. We will definitely have our tires on pavement if we have to make a call. Man, I wish
we were leaving tomorrow.
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Subastador
Junior Nomad
Posts: 53
Registered: 10-11-2003
Location: Live Oak, CA
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Why not patronize the advertizer on this site? Dollar Rent a Car. I did on our recent trip for a week to Mulege. Made a reservation on line (After
checking out competitive rates, which they met or beat). When we got down there, went by shuttle to their office right out on the highway. The paper
work was all ready, priced as quoted, no hassles, we were on our way in a few minutes in a near new compact. We drove all over on side roads, beaches
etc. as well as the highway. Got back & turned it in, again with no problem. Very nice folks at their SJD office. I recommend em.
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Arthur
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Posts: 232
Registered: 10-2-2003
Location: San Anselmo, CA
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The first thing I did was to click on Dollar -- after all, why not help out this site when I can? Unfortunately, aside from the fact that their site
wasn't particularly easy to use and didn't display pictures and info about cars as they said they would, their prices were the highest I ran into
anywhere.
This was for a standard-size car, I gotta say -- I noticed that for the cheapest cars, agencies' prices were closer together. I left the printout at
home, but in surveying half a dozen agencies there was no comparison for the car I wanted.
Actually, in that range Advantage is so much cheaper that I started to think that there must be something wrong, and thought about going with the
next-cheapest, which is National. They also have trucks, although we may be abandoning that idea. No decision yet.
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marla
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Posts: 287
Registered: 10-29-2003
Location: Long Beach
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I used to work for a car rental company in the states. Beware of extra charges. For example, in the states, some companies like Enterprise and
Advantage have low come-on rates but then they harass you until you take their high collision-damage-waiver which doubles the price of the car. In
Mexico I would always recommend having full coverage for obvious reasons, but the same principle applies. Make sure you understand ALL the charges and
see how much the full coverage is going to be as that can vary tremendously. Also carefully note if there is free mileage is it unlimited? Or only so
many per day? Read the contract carefully before you sign it and make sure it is what you expect. Also, if you book online take a copy of the booking
with you. I once showed up at a Hertz counter in England and they refused to give me the rate I had booked until I whipped out my reservation
printout. Violating any terms of the contract like taking it off paved roads or drinking and driving will void all the coverage and they will stick
you with the entire price of the car.
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