ADVANTAGE RENT A CAR
San Jose Del Cabo / Airport Service
011-52-624-146-07-00
advantagecabo@grupoantyr.com.mx

Driving in Baja, Mexico is not for the faint of heart. A highway is a a narrow two lane road with few shoulders, no lights, many animals and lots of crazed drivers. The rules of the road; everyone is in a huge hurry and biggest vehicle has the right of way. The many roadside memorials are a tribute to the challenges of the road. I do not reccomend driving at night but once you get used to the general attitude, you just need to be on your toes. We planned to travel from Cabo up to multiple destinations on the East Cape and wanted the freedom of having our own car. All the hotels we visited offer transportation to and from the airport, usually via large, air-conditioned passenger van. Prices to the East Cape hotels in these vans are $80 / $140 one way / round trip for a single person and the price gets better as the number in your party increases. For example a party of 8 or more pays $22 / $30 per person one way / round trip. I am told that your driver is more than happy to make a beer stop before embarking on the hour drive up the cape so that you can enjoy some coldies along the way.



I found a great base rate for a jeep Wrangler on Expedia. With rental cars in Mexico you are not charged, you can only make the reservation. Additionally, it can be difficult to identify exactly what type of car you are actually renting. Category definitions are far more liberal than in the US. For example, one person believed that by renting a small convertible he would be getting the Mercedes he saw on line, actually he was getting a VW bug with the top cut off. Buyer beware! Look for the good base rate and realize that you will pay at least 40% to 100% more once you finalize the deal. This is because you must purchase insurance to drive in Mexico. No US auto insurance that I know of covers you in Mexico (sometimes there is a clause for coverage within 60 miles of the border but don’t count on it) and it is not a place you want to deal with accidents, damage, anything and no matter how good a driver you consider yourself, do not go without! At Advantage Rent A Car they congratulated me on finding a great base rate of $169/week, unlimited miles for our very stripped down jeep. By the time we purchased the full insurance package and paid the taxes $25/day became more like $52 but we enjoyed every moment of having that car.



They have some very nice cars to rent, vans, Suburbans, Jettas, etc. as well as some some, random models - not good. We knew that we would be driving plenty of unpaved roads however and wanted the 4 wheel drive option of the jeep. The people at Advantage were exceptionally nice, they picked us up promptly at the airport and our car was ready. At the end of our trip they had made a mathematical error in their favor which they caught before I said anything and corrected it on the spot. Might not seem like a big deal but it goes a long way with me, I would recommend this agency to anyone. The jeep was very basic (soft roof but open sides, no air, no carpet and manual drive) and best for 2 people if you have luggage. For the many washboard, unpaved roads we drove, it was perfect.

Score: 8/10

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