A short note about renting a car in Oaxaca.

I went online before leaving for Oaxaca and did a price search for a one-week car rental for our trip to the Tehuantepec, Huatulco and Mazunte. I got a great price from Hertz through Hotwire. It was $139 for the week, so I booked it and paid for it in advance. We got to the rental agency at the airport and they asked if we needed their insurance package, and cautioning us about the liability issues. The cost for insurance would be an additional $400. I called my insurance agent in the states to find out if my car insurance would cover the rental car. Only if you are driving the rental car in Canada or the U.S. It’s not covered in Mexico, they said. So, we decided to play it safe and get the insurance, opting for the full package that covered all liability. I’m not sure we’ll ever rent another car again in Mexico because of the price, but having the insurance was a blessing. The car, a small Hyundai with the mark, Dodge Attitude, definitely had an attitude. As soon as we left Tehuantepec, just after Salina Cruz, the engine began to surge and there was little compression to give us the power to get around the curving beach route. I decided it was best to stop in Huatulco and find a Hertz agent, since there was an airport there. We found an agency in one of the major mega beach hotels, who was very gracious and exchanged cars for us. We ended up with a mid-size Mitsubishi, which was nicer but also bigger and more expensive to fill the gasoline tank. The fact that we had the full coverage made this transaction so much easier. Even though we had to fill out a complete report about what was wrong with the car and talk to a regional manager, the exchange was with little difficulty other than the inconvenience. The benefit of taking out full coverage!