Rent-A-Car

[EDMOND ROWAN]

JuneWe are interisted in getting a Rent-A-Car when we get back in June.  Where is the best location, service to do so?  What are the weekly and monthly costs?

[BOBBY PHILLIPS]

Not that I’d  want to drive down here, but I did see the usual car rental places at the Quito airport when I arrived. Best of luck if you rent one.

[EDMOND ROWAN]

Bobby,
Thank you for the response. We do not wish to drive in any city, we will have to do at least a bit, but as little as possible. We desire to do a good recon.

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

You’ll be flying into either Quito or Guayaquil, and both airports have international brand name rental companies with which you are familiar. Check their websites for information on rates.

[COUNTRY EXPERT- SUZAN HASKINS]

There is also a non-US brand company called Simon www.simoncarrental.com/  

I have never rented from them so don’t know anything about them, but they have large billboards at the airport.

 

[EDMOND ROWAN]

Ed to Ed and Suzan,
Thank you both for the information.

[JOHN TIMOTHY FULLERTON]

Dr. J. Timothy Fullerton:  I was in Ecuador November and December, 2011.   I rented a small car through Priceline via the Internet while I was in Ecuador. The rentals were for two separate one week time periods. The cost was a hundred a week and if you went a day or two over that you paid the daily rate for the extra time. I picked up both vehicles at the Quito Airport and when I arrived the rental agents had my reservation ready both times. The second time I paid for insurance through Priceline  ($20.00 for the week) when I booked the vehicle ( I paid for the vehicle with my AMEX   card which also covered me for car rental insurance, as did the insurance policy on my vehicle at home.  So didn’t t think that I needed the rental companies insurance also   This led to some confusion as they wanted me to take their insurance too, and since I do not speak Spanish it  took some time to resolve (20 minutes).I finally won and they let me go without taking their insurance  Other than that I experienced no  other negative  issues,  Locked my keys in the car once and they came and unlocked it promptly – I was still in Quito at the time, although they say it is a country wide service –  a service they advised me of when I picked up the car. The small car was suitable for two people and their luggage The car had fantastic acceleration in third gear, which you needed in the  mountains to pass. My advise for anyone driving in Ecuador is to adapt an aggressive Ecuadorian driving style immediately: . For she/he who hesitates is lost. Each week I drove 1,000 kilometers in the countryside (read mountains) and cities, Guayaquil, Quito, Cuenca, Loja and Otavalo. Hardest part of driving your own car is navigating when you have no ability to read road signs.  Which leads to a question does anyone know if there are any aftermarket  GPS systems available to load into a Garmin or any of the other GPS system standard in North America. Thanks.

[COUNTRY EXPERT- SUZAN HASKINS]

I like being lost so I have never ever used GPS — but my son has one in the US and it is amazing. I understand some type of GPS system is available in Ecuador but not sure what — you can buy the equipment at El Condado Mall in Quito and it is far more expensive than in the U.S.

[EDMOND ROWAN]

Suzan & John,
Thank you both.
My lady and I have had great finds in Turky, Germany, etc. while technically lost. This is half of the pleasuer of life. One might even say that we look for the opportunity to find ourselves lost, as long as I can get us back to the point where it started.

[DAVID RENTO]

While many things are cheaper in Ecuador than in the US, that is not the case for a rental car.  Per the other comments, go to your usual websites like orbits, expedia, etc or directly to the large rental car sites themselves.  Expect to pay a bit more than usual for a car.  Also, since you are a foreigner, the rental company will require you to take the daily insurance on the car for an additional $15-$20 per day or they will put a hold on your credit card for roughly $5,000, just in case there is an accident.  The flip side is that gas is cheaper there.

Totally agree on the driving w/o a GPS.  It forced us to get to know Ecuador a bit more than if we were blindly taken from place to place.  Lots of fun and little stress but totally worth it.  Have fun.

[JAMES GOLDEN]

Is it safe (as to crime not accidents) to drive in all of Ecuador? I am comparing Ecuador to certain parts of Mexico where rare roadblocks and firefights can make driving quite … interesting. Does your opinion include driving near international borders within Ecuador?

[COUNTRY EXPERT- SUZAN HASKINS]

Yes, it is safe. I’ve been across the border to Colombia with no problems. I’ve also driven all over Mexico and NEVR seen a roadblock or a firefight — I feel like I’ve missed something…. 🙂

If you mean “checkpoint” instead of roadblock, of course there are those on occasion (in Mexico at state borders) and some places in Ecuador. Usually they are checking to be sure your car is legally registered and, sometimes, that the people in it have proper  documentation.

 

[GARY MARTIN]

how important is it really to always carry ones passport also if you are stopped while driving without any apparent violation, how bribable are the police

and i don’t mean this in a nasty way. Sometimes it is good to know

[EI EXPERT – EDD STATON]

In three years I’ve never driven here, Gary, so I can’t help you with this one. Hopefully someone else will chime in.

[COUNTRY EXPERT- SUZAN HASKINS]

We’ve chose not to have a car in Ecuador, but we have rented them on occasion and never been stopped. Ecuador is like all of Latin America, though. As a foreigner, you can usually talk your way out of any traffic stop. Or… if you committed a crime and they have you dead to rights, you might offer to pay a “fine” on the spot. No more than $10 or $20 will get you back on the road. I have to say, though, that we’ve been stopped only a few times (maybe 3) in the last five years or so. That’s in Mexico. It’s always been our fault — not having a seat belt on or making an illegal turn. And we’ve always talked our way out of it. If you act like you speak no Spanish, they get frustrated and wave you on. Sometimes they tell you they need to take your license — which is how they get you to pay your fine. You have to go to the cop shop the next day and pay to get it back. I always say “fine, take it.” That’s also usually when they wave me on my way.

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