Hi All -

My boyfriend and I are traveling to Costa Rica in July, and we are researching car rental places now, but would love to hear some feedback and/or suggestions.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good reliable + reasonable car rental company? Our first choice was to get an open air jeep - but those seem hard to get!

Here are two of the companies we are looking at now: Wildrider + Tricolor. Does anyone have any thoughts on these - or is there something better out there?

Thanks so much for your help!
Stacey y Brett

Have used Tricolor the past three years with no complaints or issues- they do have some high mileage vehicles that are well worn so be sure to document every scratch,ding,or dent with the agent before you take the vehicle.I have read some reports that others have had issues with them lately but every experience I have had has been positive.When I last used them last month we had to leave early due to an emergency and had to leave the car at the airport in the middle of the night- I was expecting some kind of surcharge and was unable to do the turn in inspection with the agent- when we got our card statement only the original charges were on it- whew!

Our experiences with Solid and Europcar have been good. Remember to get your cc proof of collision, so you only have to pay the additional liability insurance.
Get your bids broken down, so you know what you're paying.
(Last time we had a Jimney 4WD for 16 days for ~$500 all in.)And ditto, inspect thoroughly before and after, and take photos, especially if there are preexisting dents or dings.

The agency's here are the scum of the earth.Make sure you clarify the price. They'll tell you "Only $350 for the week".
Your immediate response should be "and I.N.S. charges". After the long silence, the reply will be a whispered "ummmm ummm that's another $350 a week".

I've had good experience with Solid. They gave me the rental price and the separate insurance charges, all up front about it. Got a free drop off in a different city then I picked it up in as well.

I once had to wait in the middle of nowhere for a small plane to land. I waited for more than an hour w/a man who was flying back to San Jose - he worked for a car rental company. I asked what he thought was the best car for the bad roads throughout Costa Rica, the car that they have the least problems with and he replied "Rav 4, definitely".

We just got back from two weeks in Costa Rica, driving 9 of those days. We used Vamos4x4 or also called VamosRentaCar (see them on Facebook).
They were so great, all the way from an hour long internet conversation (I asked and reasked a ton of questions) through to an email confirmation to picking us up at the airport. I did alot of research and their prices are more than fair with absolutely no hidden costs for insurance or anything else. They provided a free GPS and an emergency cell phone. Yes, we had to purchase the government mandated insurance but I used my American Express card and enrolled in the AMEX premium auto insurance. This insurance kicks in anytime you rent a car with the addtional $100,000 liability coverage. I am in CA so it cost $17.95 ONE TIME, not daily. It is the type of insurance required to rent the car. Give Vamos a try, we worked with Max.

Great experience with Dollar Rent a Car.
Try to contact Diego. [email protected]
I was charge as I was quoted.