we recommend working with Solid Rent a Car simply because after several initial meetings with the southern zone manager, Diego Vindas and explaining our need for excellence, we have not had a problem with them nor a disappointed guest in over three years. You can look at the cars that they have available at their website at www.solidcarrental.com but DO NOT book through the website. Instead, write directly to Diego at dvindas@solidcarrental.com
Although he is generally not directly involved in the car rentals, he personally takes care of the guests at SFTS. The price that he quotes you is the price that you will pay.
Without belaboring the point, the add-ons are a big scam in the car rental business and the "collision damage waver" is a hugely profitable add on for the company. Make sure that the credit card that you use to rent the car takes care of second-dollar coverage and then you are set for taking only the government mandated first dollar coverage. Diego will quote you a price including that and taxes.
His price may appear a bit higher than that quoted by some other companies but the sour taste that you get when you attempt to pick up your car will far out weigh you initial satisfaction of what is "apparently" a good rate over the internet.
That said, look over the other companies to see what they offer and if you decide to rent from them, please do. We are not in the rental car business and at times, our guests have had good experiences with other companies. We recommend Solid because I KNOW that Diego will not deceive you.

Hi!

Thanks for the reply. I have emailed Diego and am awaiting his response.

Dollar car rental is offering SLI and LDW and TPP (total protection plan) for USD 460 which means I am completely free from any liability....with a few free options like GPS....

Lets compare when I get word back from Diego.

Great. Just be sure that the quote over the internet is the same that you will receive once you are in the rental car office.

I would recommend Dollar.
Try to contact Mr.Sanchez, hoteles@dollarcostarica.com, he will give you a good rate including taxes and insurance (my recomendation: Go with the Full Cover insurance)

I used Adobe last trip and found them very accommodating. They delivered the car to our hotel in Alajuela, they gave us an upgrade on our 4 WD, they allowed us to return the car 4 hours late at no extra charge. The service was great as was the car.

Car rental car be a thorny issue. You should check and double check whether obligatory insurance is included in your quotation. This is $10-$15 daily approximately, depending on the vehicle model. Some companies are less than forthcoming about these charges which makes their prices seem more competitive. No credit car company can cover this insurance. Companies that get good reviews are: Adobe, Alamo, National, Service and Vamos. Economy and Europcar get very frequent poor reviews. There are other companies and often international names which provide rental, but they are not always directly part of the company, instead are run as a franchise and so the service you may have received in one country isn't always reflected. These companies tend to be more pricey too.

I will be interested in hearing what you end up with akshay as I am in the preliminary stages of considering a rental car. I have a friend who told me to expect to pay $1000 for a rental car with the full coverage ...that seems like a lot of money for a one week rental. She claims she just gets the full coverage as it is better than getting the hard sale that you will get when picking up your vehicle. I am hoping she is wrong with the price. Please let me know how you make out. I know that when I purchased travel insurance they told me to not bother including the car rental in my insurance plan because CR will not honor their insurance coverage (bought in the US).

If you are a competent consumer, you will be informed and have your documents ready. Paying more than triple what you should because "it is better than getting the hard sale" is simply foolish. Your major credit card will usually cover one of the mandatory insurances (CDW is usually covered; make sure your quote takes this into account; having a letter from your cc company takes 30 seconds to ask for and print out; have a verification phone number on the letter).
Our last rental (2012) was a small 4x4 from Solid in Liberia. We paid less than $500 for 16 days and had no troubles whatsoever. The additional insurance (the LDW, included in that $500) cost ~8/day.
Be educated.

The only thing to be aware of if you are going to use your credit card to take CDW is that the car rental company will usually ask for a much larger deposit than if you take their insurance policies, as they are dealing with an unknown insurer. As long as you have the credit card limit to make the deposit and still have vacation spending this is not a problem, but it is good to know in advance.

saraincahuita...do you know what the usual deposit can run if you are counting on your cc for CDW coverage?

I think each company is different. I'm renting with Solid in June - their deposit amount if I don't use my CC is $950, the amount of I do use my CC is $3000.

Thanks, Tully. Can you give me an idea of what you are paying for a vehicle ( manual or auto) and for how long with Solid. Thanks.

Our card was never charged a deposit; they ran the card, but no money was withheld.

p.s. Our car was also manual (small car, more efficient, etc., according to my husband; but I think he just liked to drive manual). Was certainly better for getting up slopes in the Osa.

sylvia3...I just called Capitol One to get a letter verifying insurance. They don't do that...said I can print out the coverage from the website. The coverage is for masterrental insurance which states that you must decline the collision/damage waiver offered by the rental company in order to have the cc cover...I am assuming this is the same as CDW...but cc reluctant to send me a letter as you said you were able to get in above posting.

That would be fine; make sure there's a phone number (24 hour toll free, bank customer service) for the rental co. in case they have questions. We had the same print-out (plus a note from Chase, which was never looked at; we might be a tad obsessive).
As long as you have your ducks in a row, it shouldn't be a big deal.
I think it becomes a big deal mainly because people think they got a price (seemed like a bargain) on a rental website, and don't pay attention to the coverage needed, so are "blindsided" when they arrive for their car. Then they get snowed and end up paying far more than they need to, and feel that they have somehow been cheated or pressured.
Be prepared with printouts of your quotes (that have the correct prices; you can phone them, too, and make sure that there are NO misunderstandings. That's worth a couple of bucks.).
Have your paperwork.
Check the car thoroughly and record any (even minor) flaws (pics are helpful) with the agent.
Drive off and enjoy!

Thanks everyone...just emailed Diego at Solid to get a quote. Will look at Vamos for a comparison.

Suzy it's around $300 for a week from Solid.

Sorry meant to say that is what I was quoted, picking up in Dominical.

Thanks, Tully. What type of vehicle for $300. We may want to scrap the private driver from the airport to our hotel on the first day and just get a car at the airport. Was thinking it would be great to have a private driver initially but all the extra fees added for picking up at your hotel for excursions etc is really adding up...the private driver is $160 one way from SJO to Lost Iguana..then $30 each way extra added to excursions for pick up at the Lost Iguana...may be better off with a car the whole 9 days...lots to think about and only one week to figure it out...uggghhh!!!