Driving

[on the brink]

Very true... . The cops on the road will never know you can happily drive BUT ..If involved in an accident or insurance claim situation, it may be construed that you were Not legal on the road as a Permanent Resident.. .

Thanks for the correction - I was speaking about routine stops.

 

[Rich One]

Thanks for the correction - I was speaking about routine stops.

Great.. if you were rear ended by a massive truck at the toll booth, the lawyer/on retainer for the other part (construction company) may refuse you claim on the grounds that you were driving without a Valid (in Argentina) drivers license?

 

[on the brink]

Great.. if you were rear ended by a massive truck at the toll booth, the lawyer/on retainer for the other part (construction company) may refuse you claim on the grounds that you were driving without a Valid (in Argentina) drivers license?

It is valid if you are here on a tourist visa. Speak from personal experience.

 

[L&P_Crear]

We don't own a car here, but rent 4 or so times a year with a USA passport and Washington State driver's license, and have been stopped at check points. No police person has ever questioned the USA driver's license ( since 2007 ).
Nancy

Hey Tom - any advise re insurance when you rent a car in Argentina? We are from Redmond WA, will be travelling regularly to Argentina, do you have any experience renting cars in Buenos Aires and Bariloche? We can't seem to find any reasonable price for automatic cars... Thanks

 

[Rich One]

I have had good experiences with Hertz and Localiza .I would go with a major like Avis, Budget, Europa. Below just a few "thoughts"

There are local, fly by night, outfits, that own a few vehicles, that charge 30 % less, at your own risk. Can they Help in case of mechanical failure/accident/theft on the road.? You must tow the vehicle to a mechanic or secure location..? Can't just abandon the vehicle on a dirt "country road"..!. .

One can decline to buy insurance if your Credit Card has international vehicle insurance coverage?. It will not cover possible minor damages to the vehicle, for that you need additional full coverage! The full insurance with no deductible is $$$ . The Car Rental office blocks a considerable amount from your CC as a deposit!

When I left left the Hertz office they took pics from every side of the car and checked the radio/cd, mirrors, windows , spare and tools!
(I once rented a car with the driver's automatic window stuck. To pay the tolls had to step out of the car...!)

Some agencies have weekend offers with free mileage

 

[TomAtAlki]

Hey Tom - any advise re insurance when you rent a car in Argentina? We are from Redmond WA, will be travelling regularly to Argentina, do you have any experience renting cars in Buenos Aires and Bariloche? We can't seem to find any reasonable price for automatic cars... Thanks

L&P_Crear. I can tell you my opinion and experience but can't guarantee any accuracy :=)

!st, I agree with Rich. I always rent from one of the majors not that it probably matters that much. I usually wind up with Avis or Europcar. I always rent using my Am Ex card and waive CDW so between my US insurance and Am Ex I think I'm covered. It is expensive, from $40 to $50US per day to rent an economy or mini car in Argentina, usually through Kayak.com who sends me to Rentalcars.com or HolidayAutos.com. There are very few automatic cars available in Argentina and you will probably pay a lot for that. I almost always get unlimited milage. They do block a large amount of money on your credit card when you rent. I've always received it back when I return the car in good condition. I've never had an accident with a rental car so an't speak to that.

One exception was when I rented a car in Puerto Madryn to tour the Peninsula Valdiz, knowing that all the roads are dirt and some are difficult, I paid for full coverage and when I returned the car with dings in the windshield and scratches on the side of the car I just gave it back to them and really was fully covered.

I am here with Temp Res and use my WA drivers licence and passport when I rent. I think that's fine but according to some other posts, who knows?

Hope this helps.

T/

 

[Rich One]

More thoughts.. I once rented from Hertz in BA, four weekends on a row. Each time a sizable dollar amount was blocked. So after several calls, at the fourth week, had several thousand dollars blocked on my Mastercard.." The local Hertz office claimed that only Headquarters can release the amount on Hold....! , they take their time to release the Hold on the CC.

 

[TomAtAlki]

More thoughts.. I once rented from Hertz in BA, four weekends on a row. Each time a sizable dollar amount was blocked. So after several calls, at the fourth week, had several thousand dollars blocked on my Mastercard.." The local Hertz office claimed that only Headquarters can release the amount on Hold....! , they take their time to release the Hold on the CC.

My experience is they release the "hold" upon return of the car. Maybe Hertz isn't the best. I haven't rented from them in years.

T/

 

[L&P_Crear]

Thank you Rich and Tom for the helpful advise! Very much appreciated. Do you have any advise about what brand of car to rent for a tall driver? For a 6 5" tall guy the cars I saw online look really tiny!

 

[sts7049]

Thank you Rich and Tom for the helpful advise! Very much appreciated. Do you have any advise about what brand of car to rent for a tall driver? For a 6 5" tall guy the cars I saw online look really tiny!

you probably want to rent the largest class available then i rented a prisma once and it was fine for me size wise, i'm 6' 1".