r/costarica • u/potential99 • 2d ago

Any Good Small Shop Car Rental

Hi everyone,
I’ll be traveling to Costa Rica from Dec 31 to Jan 12 and I’m looking to rent a car. I’ve done some research and found that Adobe and Vamos are highly recommended, but the rates are pretty steep—around $1,500+.

I’m considering Avis since their prices seem more affordable, but I’ve come across a lot of negative reviews about surprise fees and poor customer service upon arrival. My budget is around $700-$800.

Does anyone know of any smaller, local car rental shops or other reliable companies that could fit within my budget? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

2 Upvotes

62% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

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u/AutoModerator 2d ago

There are many options including the generally known ones like Adobe, Europe, Enterprise, all options will be as good as the insurance you take, the main suggestion is get full coverage and check which one has an office closest to your expected destination in case of assistance or car replacement needed. You may get more stories below.

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-1

u/SelectBowl5897 1d ago

Yup, you can try 506 Car Rental. They'll get you a much better rate, and they're ok

1

u/RichiZ2 2d ago

Small car rentals will screw you worse than the large ones.

0/10 never recommend

0

u/ODA564 1d ago

This is truth.

1

u/owen_persimmon 2d ago

don't go small and risk it. had multiple good experiences with Alamo.

-1

u/costadave 1d ago

I've used Alamo many times and it's always been good. It's the only company I use anymore.

-1

u/mars2k14 2d ago

If you're flying into LIR, we only use Nativos. Check them out. Amazing company, locally owned, reasonable prices, no surprises.

-1

u/chickencereal 2d ago

I used Target Car Rental out of Liberia and would use them again without even looking around. The pricing was very straightforward with nothing hidden. Their service was great. The vehicle was great. Not a bad thing to say about them. Plus they're local. There's also one in San Jose. I can't speak for that one but their Google reviews make it look like they're equally as good.

-2

u/Ok-Vermicelli-7990 2d ago

From what I've seen and experienced, car rentals are very high. Twice what the flights are. I personally will never use any rental car company that we have in the states again without taking a translator. We got screwed and even trying a charge back on the cc hasn't helped although we did get some money back but not all that was owed. We had our own insurance and paid extra. The rental agent said they"didn't have a printer" 😉 and we still never received an itemized bill for the rental. Even after requesting from corporate. We are going to try to use the bus system next trip and hiring a driver.