Peggy

The basic rental price at PV airport is about $200.00 & if you add on all the additional coverages it comes to about $416.00! Does anyone really know what additional coverages are necessary to protect you & what is just a rip-off?? My husband just tends to add them all on & I wish I knew if we are just being paranoid. Any help is appreciated.

Josey

Suggest you contact your Auto Insurance agent at home to see if you would be covered under your policy. I know we are in the States, but not certain about another country, especially Mexico.

Monica

Not sure about PV, would think all of Mexico has same policy. This is what we have learned in Cancun-your insurance back home will not cover you in Mexico. The full coverage insurance in Cancun is $13 a day, minus a $1,000 deductible. Some credit cards has coverage, but I understand this would be for people that have a huge credit line and then I believe you mpay a fee for this. Not 100% sure about this. I will tell you this-this is not a rip off. This insurance IS NOT mandatory. You do not have to take it. Just be warned though, if you do not take it and have an accident-you will not be allowed out of the country until all damages have been paid in full. I hope this helps. We just reserved a compact car with no air for like $28 a day, this eas in Playa del Carmen and in October. Good luck!

mexicodan

A basic rental fee in Mexico includes liability insurance coverage. If you want full coverage it gets a bit more pricey ($11-15 a day extra). Your cheapest rental is always going to be a VW bug. <BR> <BR>Check with your credit card company to see if they cover you? <BR> <BR>American insurance companies do not! <BR> <BR>Call the international desks here in the states and get a price quote with explanation on costs involved! <BR> <BR>avis: 800-331-1212 <BR>hertz: 800-654-3131 <BR>national: 800-227-7368 <BR>thrifty: 800-847-4389 <BR>budget: 800-572-0700 <BR> <BR>adios! <BR>[email protected] <BR>www.choice1.com/villamontana.htm <BR> <BR>

Peggy

Wow, thanks for the answers everyone. <BR>The basic car rental is $28.50 a day for a midsize car with air & then it is another $28.50 for all the insurances. I will check with the car rentals directly. Will probably just get it all for the peace of mind! <BR>Hoping you would answer Dan, we had "talked" last year when we drove up to Costa Careyes from Manzanillo & you were a help with road info, etc. This year just from PV to Sayulita & of course surrounding areas. If you have any suggestions for that area (besides PV of course)for sightseeing etc. I'd love to hear them! <BR>Thanks again everyone.

mexicodan

Hola Senora Peggy! <BR> <BR>Sounds like your doing your homework-good! <BR> <BR>Check out my new Tepic to Manzanillo Road Log at: http://www.emilebymile.com/main/mexi...o_highway.html <BR> <BR>It covers Bucerias, Sayulita, San Pancho(San Francisco), Rincon de Guayabitos, La Penita, and Chacala! <BR> <BR>Great maps at: www.maps-of-mexico.com <BR> <BR>adios! <BR> <BR>email me with questions <BR>[email protected] <BR>www.lamanzanillamexico.bizland.com/lamrentals

Shaun Beaton

Be VERY careful about rental car insurance in Mexico. On a recent trip (October 2001) to Playa Del Carmen on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, I attempted to rent a car, and was repeatedly quoted rates that included accident insurance for a nominal fee of $2-3 per day. At issue is the scope of this 'standard' insurance coverage: as rental company representatives consistently described it, this coverage comprised a "10% deductible", and capped my liability at 10% of the total value of the vehicle. When it came time to sign the bilingual (Spanish/English) rental contract, I became suspicious about the extremely ambiguous contract language addressing insurance coverage. Only after pressing hard for further details did I discover that the "10% deductible" - which I had presumed made me responsible for 10% of the repair costs arising from any accident - in fact only applied if the vehicle was completely destroyed (or "written off" in insurance industry jargon). In effect, if involved in an accident that caused, say, $8,000 USD damage to a vehicle worth more than that amount (the Jeep I was attempting to rent was allegedly worth some $14,000 USD), the "10% deductible" would not take effect, and rather than being responsible for $800 USD I would be responsible for the entire $8,000. In other words, barring complete destruction of the vehicle, I would in effect be uninsured. <BR> <BR>I canvassed a number of rental car companies in Playa Del Carmen and learned that among the smaller operators, if one asks directly they will offer "full coverage" insurance (i.e. no deductible, no monetary liability whatsoever). However, the cost is typically an additional $18-20 USD per day, in some cases almost doubling the cost to rent the vehicle. I was similarly interested to discover that at some of the big rental companies (Budget for certain, and I was told Avis, although I did not speak with them directly), "full coverage" insurance is not available at any price. <BR> <BR>I spoke to several rental companies and numerous travelers over a one-week period and found consistently that renters were being offered this "10% deductible" insurance option, and that renters were typically making the reasonable but erroneous assumption that their liability was capped at 10% for ANY accident. I also developed the distinct impression that rental car companies and their representatives actively avoid proposing the optional "full coverage" insurance because the prohibitive cost is likely to discourage people renting their vehicles. <BR>

Peggy

You are absolutely correct, that is why my initial question as to why the basic rate jumped from $200.00 a week to 416.00 will all coverages. It was being quoted with full coverage & that is why we did not rent the 4WD like my husband wanted since it would be near $800.00!!!<BR>Dollar though claimed there is no other coverage they offer than the "10% deductable" insurance. I wonder how many people get screwed on this every year. Our trip was fine & we did rent the car (we could have used the 4WD though!)& we were OK but we did see many accidents in Puerto Vallarta.