Car rentals in Coz?

[mcmpw]

the beauty of a rental is you can go when and as often as you want.

don't miss the east side of the island.

just be sure and get a map when you pick up your rental and ask for the nearest gas station.

 

[Texas Diver]

Hey that looks like a wonderful deal. Travel by taxis seems to be 15 or 20 dollars each way to and from the Melia. So one round trip will more than cover the cost of a Chevy Pop. Plus we will have the car for the rest of the day and night. I am concerned about crazy drivers but I will just have to keep my head up and be careful.
Thanks,
Fran

I don't know if this link is outdated but the taxi schedule says a ride from the Melia to downtown is only $5.


Cozumel Transportation

 

[diveborg]

http://www.cozumelinsider.com/Avis-1?From=Carrent

this vehicle comes with liability insurance from Avis. up to $2500. Depending on what credit card you have, full coverage insurance may be provided, as it is with my american express. call your card company for details

The Avis rental may indeed come with the liability insurance, but it does not come with the Collision Damage Waiver. In the US your credit card and/or your personal car insurance takes care of this, but in Mexico, you will be expected to pay cash out of pocket for any damage, and I mean any damage, done to the car, your fault of not. This also includes items "missing" from the car, such as tire jack or spare. You did check to see if it was there before you accepted the car didn't you? You might be able to get reimbursed from your credit card or insurance once you get home, or you might not. In any case, you won't leave the island 'til you pay.

You probably won't need the CDW insurance, but it sure would suck to not have it and really need it.

For me, taxi might be the better choice. No parking hassle when you get to the pickup dock in the morning. I rented a Jeep for 4 days there in December and enjoyed the freedom I felt with having a car, but parking in town can be very difficult. Some areas where you shouldn't park are not well marked. You could come back to the car and find a license plate missing. You'll have to pay the police to get it back.

Good luck on your decision and have a wonderful time in Coz.

 

[Texas Diver]

Hello everyone,

...I don't want to spend more then 400.00USD for a weeks worth of travel... Thanks
Fran

For $400 USD I will come down there and rickshaw your butt around the island. I am only kidding of course. It is Sunday night and I still have to hang up several pictures in the living room and I don't feel like doing it, so I have become complicit in beating this thread to death.

 

[Amish Milkman]

What about trips to East side, or to Mayan ruins, or other interesting things around island (likewhat? ideas welcome)?
cab vs. rent?

 

[AmyJ]

http://www.cozumelinsider.com/Avis-1?From=Carrent

this vehicle comes with liability insurance from Avis. up to $2500. Depending on what credit card you have, full coverage insurance may be provided, as it is with my american express. call your card company for details

You probably want to double check this... We always rent in PDC, but have been told that even if you have this kind of coverage (we do) that the Mexican Government requires you to buy their insurance. We have been told this both here AND there, consistently, so if someone's lying, LET US KNOW!! And it's a killer. I haven't driven at Coz, but driving in PDC is just fine... nothing horrible like some other places.

Don't know about Coz, but PDC cab fares are outrageous!! (compared to Acapulco or Neuvo Vallarta)

Last week we decided not to get a car, just use the other options. Once we got there, we found we could get a rental car delivered to the hotel, for about the same price as if we'd ordered it here and picked it up at the airport. So, we decided to do that for diving days! (but then of course ended up keeping it the whole time!!) Transporting gear and dealing with the schedules of buses and cabs is a drag! (In Nuevo Vallarta, the cab stopped at the boat dock, we jumped out, turned around to get all of our dive gear and the taxi was GONE!! luckily we had a sweet DM with connections that made some calls and got him back with our gear!)

Off my soapbox! have fun!

 

[jawfish]

If you want to have the freedom of a car, get the car. Just be prepared for the fast, tight streets and heavy downtown traffic (mostly cans). I always park the rental a bit away from the business and do a little walking, this way I get the car but don't always fight the main strip.

 

[ggunn]

What about trips to East side, or to Mayan ruins, or other interesting things around island (likewhat? ideas welcome)?
cab vs. rent?

We stay close to town and cab it most of the trip, but we rent a vehicle for the day to do the "wild side". To get the best deal, get the phone book and call around. After you get a price on the type vehicle you want, be sure to ask, "Is that your best price?" Last May when I used this strategy, just about every place I called came down something like 20% when I asked that question.

Another tip: when you pick up the vehicle, do a thorough walkaround with the rental rep and get any existing damage noted on the paperwork. Most of the rent cars we have gotten have had some damage, and you don't want to get stuck.

 

[AmyJ]

Another tip: when you pick up the vehicle, do a thorough walkaround with the rental rep and get any existing damage noted on the paperwork. Most of the rent cars we have gotten have had some damage, and you don't want to get stuck.

We even go so far as to take pics with our digital of any dings (last car had alot), when we return the car I can just delete them, but we do have a visual record if needed.