On renting a car, my wife and I rented a car from Easyway for 12-days last November. Our rental experience went smoothly. Easyway sent us detailed email instructions on where they would meet us in the airport and who from their office will be there waiting for us. It was easy. After going through customs and existing the baggage claim area, we immediately went to the spot outside the terminal and there was the Easyway person holding a sign with our name. We were taken to their off-site office which is very close to the airport.
We have researched other rental car companies before deciding on Easyway. One thing that attracted us to Easyway is the fact that they clearly say in their website that they will honor your credit card company's Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) coverage. Second thing that attracted us to Easyway was the published insurance rates (Additional Liability insurance (ALI) and optional CDW). And, third reason, their pricing is quite competitive compared to the others.
Like you, I have read nightmare stories about Mexican car rental firms. When we picked up our car, we went through it (physical inspection) with a fine-toothed comb and taking photos of every bit of physical damage we saw on it. Don't forget to make sure the spare tire is OK and all tires are properly inflated. They did ask me to sign an empty CC voucher for the duration of our rental. When we returned the car, the voucher was given to us for disposal. The only thing that surprised us was the type of vehicle we got. We ordered a VW Jetta Automatic but we got a Nissan Tiida Auto instead. Both cars were the same category which is OK but I wanted more legroom with US/Canada Jettas offer. However, the smaller engine in the Nissan Tiida gave us better mileage. So, that went well.
We took the car on a 2,500 km (1,550 mile) trip from Cancun - Tulum - Chetumal - Xpujil - Chicanna (Campeche) - Mahahual - Xcalak - Akumal - Cancun. We went on a weeklong ruins tour down in the Costa Maya (Rio Bec) area and then spent a week in Mahahual/Xcalak. I was fortunate enough to dive the Banco Chinchorro with XTC dive of Xcalak.
Driving in Mexico is a breeze. I noticed that a lot of local drivers have road courtesy especially is they know that you want to over-take them. Concerning the Topes or speed-bumps, these are physically designed to make you slow down. I mean, literally! If you do not creep through them, you are bound to wreck your vehicle's suspension. I kid you not. Be forewarned! You will most likely encounter them when you: enter or leave a town/city; Or, enter and leave a school zone or some sort of military or police installation/building/check-point. Anyway, they are properly marked. When you see signs that tell you to reduce your speed or you're entering the limits of a town/city, expect Topes up ahead. The Topes signs are either two or three black bumps (i call them boobs or butts because they look like one) or a graphic sign that show a car half-way up a speed bump.
On police or military checkpoints: No need to fear them. A lot of folks who are not used to check-points freak out at the sight of them. They're just there to look for drugs, illegal immigrants, etc. If you are driving a rented car, they'll know you are most likely tourists and can spot you from a mile away and most likely waived through like most vehicles.
TIP: Just drive as defensively as possible especially if you are new to driving in Mexico. When driving anywhere foreign, I just make it a habit to drive very defensively. Read all road signs and obey them Don't follow the speeders. Just let them pass you on the highway. You don't want to fool around with the police especially if your skills in speaking and listening to the Spanish language is elementary or none.
Sorry for the long post. Just sharing my experience and contributing some more info.
