Budget at POP

[psriches]

Very true Blue Devil but this means nothing when you get rear ended in POP and you suddenly are surrounded by 9 motoconches demanding that you cover the damage of the car that HIT YOU. Then you relax when the Policia arrive but quickly tense back up when they take you to jail for failure of payment. Then you relax again when you reach Rocky and Tampa on the phone. Then tense back up when they tell you they will be there with the money on Monday and it is only Thursday. Then you relax again when the Policia offer you a cell by yourself. Only to tense back up on Saturday when the jail is overcrowded and Homicide Jose from Charimicos is placed in your private cell. Hope you don't mind platano in the butt! Jail in DR is not a fun place! Maybe a little extra insurance is not such a bad thing. Trust me, i don't always follow my own advice but maybe i should. Maybe WE should!

[Rocky]

Very true Blue Devil but this means nothing when you get rear ended in POP and you suddenly are surrounded by 9 motoconches demanding that you cover the damage of the car that HIT YOU.

I hesitate to continue on from here with the following advice, as it sounds so wrong, but the truth of the matter is...
If you're in an accident in the DR, at fault or not, and it looks like you can clearly get away and make a run for it (not to be attempted in downtown Puerto Plata), then you should.
If it's a rented car, take it right back to the rental joint, tell them what happened, explain to them that you had a previous bad experience with all the motoconchos gathering around you, wanting to beat you up and take all your money.
They WILL understand, and so will the police, if they ever happened to catch you.
I know this sounds totally illegal, but it can save you oodles of money, a load of trouble, and can save you from Homicide Jose and his giant platano.

[tampabukkake]

I hesitate to continue on from here ... Jose and his giant platano.

I totally agree with Rocky... the Policia will understand and so will the Renatal Agency.... BTW .... moto conchos won t give a rats ass about your Visa or AMEX insurance and neither will a local policia who never has seen one before!

I will never tell a person what they should do.... I will only offer advice in a situation that seems to work for me

I don t want a matchbox with 13 in wheels and 5 lbs of air in the DR !!!

I rent a Jeepeta from Adventure ... service has been great and worthwhile to me.

[milone]

I hesitate to continue on from here with the following advice, as it sounds so wrong, but the truth of the matter is...
If you're in an accident in the DR, at fault or not, and it looks like you can clearly get away and make a run for it (not to be attempted in downtown Puerto Plata), then you should.
If it's a rented car, take it right back to the rental joint, tell them what happened, explain to them that you had a previous bad experience with all the motoconchos gathering around you, wanting to beat you up and take all your money.
They WILL understand, and so will the police, if they ever happened to catch you.
I know this sounds totally illegal, but it can save you oodles of money, a load of trouble, and can save you from Homicide Jose and his giant platano.

What about bribery? (I assume the only issue is how much is going to be effective, not whether it will).

[Rocky]

What about bribery? (I assume the only issue is how much is going to be effective, not whether it will).

Well, yes, I guess, if that's the word of choice.
When I'm facing 10 motoconchos, feeling my life is threatened if I don't fork over lots of money, I think of it as extorsion, but, quite frankly, if it were just a matter of working out a fair price, I would not be giving the advice I gave above.
It's about personal safety and not visiting the inside of a Dominican jail.
What really pumps me up, is when they are unquestionably at fault, and not only do they want YOU to pay, but the police support them.
So, back to square one, if you can, get the hell out of there. do so.
If you cannot, try to settle up quick, otherwise, the price keeps going up.
Don't tell them who you are or where to find you.
The next day, after talking to their friends & relatives, they may feel you owe them more.

[Don Tomas]

Call me an asshole but going on Rocky's advice I might not even go to the rental place or police. But I do know a few shops in Santiago; glass repair, transmission shop, body & paint shop, and even a couple tow trucks, so the car would look perfect the next day.

Hmm what did TampaBukkake say I was the king of again?

[Rocky]

Call me an asshole but going on Rocky's advice I might not even go to the rental place or police. But I do know a few shops in Santiago; glass repair, transmission shop, body & paint shop, and even a couple tow trucks, so the car would look perfect the next day.

If you're not properly insured, that's the best way to go, because you KNOW you will get the work done, from 25% to 50% the price the rental agency will want to charge.
If you're 100% covered, then you might as well bring it to the rental joint and ask for a replacement.
Of course, they would need a police report to make the claim, so you tell them it happened in another town, go to that police station, tell them it was a hit & run, end of story.
I know this all sounds like I'm suggesting for y'all to be dishonest, but when it comes to one's personal safety, or even being ripped off by some whacko maniac motoconcho who hit you, then all rules of the game are off.
There is no Geneva convention when a person declares war on you, be it to do you bodily harm, or to rob you.

[Don Tomas]

Adventure has a deductible of RD$10,000 iirc. And like Rocky says your costs would be 25-50% of the charge from the rental place. So if I can get a windshield installed in Santiago for RD$3000, I sure will do it! (2 times)

[BlueDevil]

I appreciate Tampa, DT, Rocky & psriches sharing their advice/experience with car rentals in DR. It causes me to have some second thoughts about renting a car during my first trip to the DR.

I have driven all over Costa Rica in a rented SUV...the Ticos are nutty drivers...and CR roads are deplorable to say the least. Although I had a run in or two with the CR Transitos (like shaking me down for a bribe instead of issuing me a double ticket), I never had to deal with a looming "double jeopardy" (e.g. going to jail) in the event of a minor fender-bender.

psriches wrote:

"Maybe a little extra insurance is not such a bad thing. Trust me, i don't always follow my own advice but maybe i should. Maybe WE should!"

Does "a little extra insurance" purchased from a local car rental agency keep a driver out of jail in the event of an accident? Or is the gringo tourist driver phucked, regardless? True, the odds against having an accident are in my favor, but when I am on vacation, I don't need the hassle of a "Sword of Damocles" over my head. Hanging around the beach, enjoying my rented condo in Costambar with a chica or two and partying at Black Beard's during my week in paradise sounds like a much better plan. If I feel the need to visit Puerto Plata or Sosua, I probably will catch a cab. I believe after my first visit to DR, I will be in a much better position to decide whether a rented vehicle fits into my next DR vacation plans. Thanks, for your input!

[Rocky]

Does "a little extra insurance" purchased from a local car rental agency keep a driver out of jail in the event of an accident?

As a rule, yes.
Once you have called the rental agency, they will be anxious to get over to the cop shop to settle the problem and retrieve their vehicle.
At that point, you can sit back and watch the show, as they discuss it all in Spanish, and most likely be on your way in another vehicle in a short period of time.

[Don Tomas]

I appreciate Tampa, DT, Rocky & psriches sharing their advice/experience with car rentals in DR. It causes me to have some second thoughts about renting a car during my first trip to the DR.

I have driven all over Costa Rica in a rented SUV...the Ticos are nutty drivers...and CR roads are deplorable to say the least. Although I had a run in or two with the CR Transitos (like shaking me down for a bribe instead of issuing me a double ticket)...

...Hanging around the beach, enjoying my rented condo in Costambar with a chica or two and partying at Black Beard's during my week in paradise sounds like a much better plan. If I feel the need to visit Puerto Plata or Sosua, I probably will catch a cab. I believe after my first visit to DR, I will be in a much better position to decide whether a rented vehicle fits into my next DR vacation plans. Thanks, for your input!

I must have missed that this is your first trip to the DR! Hell no should you rent a car, CR is not even close to the DR!

I have never driven in CR, but the DR was just voted one of the worse places to drive by an independant study of accidents, etc!

Read this thread I wrote see if any applies to CR:
http://news.insearchofchicas.org/for...ght=rules+road

The only condolence I can give you is you wouldn't be shaken down by AMET (guys in green with Smokey the Bear hats) they are the traffic police and just write you a ticket and take your license. So if you do drive a car, drive with a laminated color copy of your DL, or carry an expired DL and just give them that and forget about the ticket.

Polica National try to write traffic tickets but they just shake you down for money. The only bonus, if you aren't doing anything wrong they won't push the issue. So either get out your phone and say you are calling the embassy because you don't understand their "tango hombre" Spanish, or give them RD$50-100 ($1-3) and leave.

Now since you are in Costambar you might regret that decision, read here: http://news.insearchofchicas.org/for...ead.php?t=6232

[Rocky]

I must have missed that this is your first trip to the DR! Hell no should you rent a car,
Now since you are in Costambar you might regret that decision, read here: http://news.insearchofchicas.org/for...ead.php?t=6232

It is a bit dangerous to rent on the first trip, before having a chance to see how they drive around here, but in this case, as inconvenient as it is, being in Costambar, so far away from everything, the construction that is going on right now, along the highway and through POP on the main road, make it a nightmare.
If you can find a decent taxi driver who has a cellphone, who you can call when you need transport, you'd avoid those ripoff Costambar taxi drivers, mentioned in Don Tomas' thread above, and avoid all the perils of driving yourself.

[BlueDevil]

I will try to follow the logic contained in the past few posts:

DT wrote:

"I must have missed that this is your first trip to the DR! Hell no should you rent a car, CR is not even close to the DR!"

and Rocky wrote:
"It is a bit dangerous to rent on the first trip, before having a chance to see how they drive around here..."

I pretty much arrived at that conclusion in my previous post:
"True, the odds against having an accident are in my favor, but when I am on vacation, I don't need the hassle of a "Sword of Damocles" over my head. Hanging around the beach, enjoying my rented condo in Costambar with a chica or two and partying at Black Beard's during my week in paradise sounds like a much better plan."

However, if I ever choose to rent a vehicle in DR, it should be from a local agency (like Adventure)...

Rocky wrote:

"As a rule, yes.
Once you have called the rental agency, they will be anxious to get over to the cop shop to settle the problem and retrieve their vehicle.
At that point, you can sit back and watch the show, as they discuss it all in Spanish, and most likely be on your way in another vehicle in a short period of time."

however, Advantage has a RD$10,000 per DT:
"Adventure has a deductible of RD$10,000 iirc. And like Rocky says your costs would be 25-50% of the charge from the rental place. So if I can get a windshield installed in Santiago for RD$3000, I sure will do it! (2 times)"
Since I have the AMEX Premium auto rental coverage (which indemnifies me from all damage and theft to my rental vehicle), I should be able to walk away from the accident with no cash out of pocket.

DT later on implies that I will be phucked since I will be in self-imposed exile:

"Now since you are in Costambar you might regret that decision, read here: http://news.insearchofchicas.org/for...ead.php?t=6232" that says:

I normally rent a car but didn't this trip, thinking back (hindsight is 20/20) I should have rented.

Friday:
Taxi $50 for 7 of us to Blackbeards-El D paid
Hitched a ride to Frank's FREE
Taxi from Frank's to La Canita RD$300
Taxi from La Canita to Blackbeards RD$300
Total: RD$600 (US$20) but could have been more with taxi from airport.

Saturday:
Trip to PP FREE
Trip back RD$100 (moto)
Taxi to PP RD$400
Taxi to BB RD$300
Total: RD$800 (US$27)

Sunday:
Taxi to PP RD$500 (pitched in more for people to Sosua)
Caribe Tours to Santiago RD$80
Taxi to casa de novia RD$100
Taxi to Caribe Tours RD$100
Caribe Tours to PP (for 2) RD$160
Taxi to BB, to PP, to La Canita, to Cabana RD$1,000
Total: RD$1940 (US$65)

Monday:
Cabana to BB to Caribe Tours RD$600
Caribe Tours to Santiago for 2 RD$160
Caribe Tours to casa de novia RD$100
Casa to Kelvins RD$100
Kelvins to Rancho Tipico RD$80
Rancho Tipico to Pasions RD$200
Pasions to Cabana RD$200
Total: RD$1440 (US$48)

Tuesday:
Cabana to Casa to Caribe Tours RD$200
Caribe Tours to PP for 1 RD$80
PP to BB RD$300
BB to Sosua to Airport (Escort King was out of cash) RD$1,100
Total: RD$1680 (US$56)

Total in taxis: RD$6460 (US$216)

If I rented a jeep: 4 days * US$48/day = US$192! Minus 6% for paying cash = US$180.50

Yes I need to move around a lot and the Costambar taxis are THIEVES!!

I should have rented a car, I am positive Jayman & El D would have chipped in for gas especially for the the trips to Sosua and from the airport to BB.

Oh well Live & Learn!
__________________

I happened to read this post before I booked a car at STI. However, after reading it...I was motivated to rent a car, so that I would not be among the mobility-impaired. Now, I've pretty much accepted the fact that I will spend most of my week chilling in tranquil Costambar...with frequent jaunts to Black Beard's...and judiciously-chosen taxi rides into Puerto Plata and Sosua. I believe I can live with that. Who knows... I may meet some other like-minded gentlemen at BBs who are willing to split the cost of a cab fare with me.

Thanks for the feedback, fellas...I learned a lot about DR car rentals and taxis in this thread!

PS: Does anyone have the name of a reliable driver in Costambar who won't try to rip me off

[milone]

I happened to read this post before I booked a car at STI. However, after reading it...I was motivated to rent a car, so that I would not be among the mobility-impaired. Now, I've pretty much accepted the fact that I will spend most of my week chilling in tranquil Costambar...with frequent jaunts to Black Beard's...and judiciously-chosen taxi rides into Puerto Plata and Sosua. I believe I can live with that. Who knows... I may meet some other like-minded gentlemen at BBs who are willing to split the cost of a cab fare with me.

Thanks for the feedback, fellas...I learned a lot about DR car rentals and taxis in this thread!

PS: Does anyone have the name of a reliable driver in Costambar who won't try to rip me off

Yeah, based on what everybody here and on DR1 are saying, I made the same decision - this isn't my first trip to the DR by a long shot, but I figure if I'm just going from BB to Frank's, cabs will be pretty close to the same cost as a rental, and a lot less risky. The ride to Sosua will be a lot more, but I'll probably only be going there two or three times, and hopefully I can find a few more guys at BB to share the ride.

BlueDevil - when are you going to be there? I'm there from the 3d to the 11th. The one day I definitely want to go to Sosua is Tuesday, for the BBQ at Lou's.

[Rocky]

PS: Does anyone have the name of a reliable driver in Costambar who won't try to rip me off

I'm trying to locate one, but haven't managed to yet.
Will let you know if I come up with something.

[Rocky]

Yeah, based on what everybody here and on DR1 are saying, I made the same decision - this isn't my first trip to the DR by a long shot, but I figure if I'm just going from BB to Frank's, cabs will be pretty close to the same cost as a rental, and a lot less risky. The ride to Sosua will be a lot more, but I'll probably only be going there two or three times, and hopefully I can find a few more guys at BB to share the ride.

BlueDevil - when are you going to be there? I'm there from the 3d to the 11th. The one day I definitely want to go to Sosua is Tuesday, for the BBQ at Lou's.

If you can get a motoconcho out to the highway, you can take public transport to Sosua for very little money, if you don't mind subjecting yourself to the ordeal.
Often, you can convince a public car driver to drive just you to a destination, for less than half the taxi rate.

[milone]

If you can get a motoconcho out to the highway, you can take public transport to Sosua for very little money, if you don't mind subjecting yourself to the ordeal.
Often, you can convince a public car driver to drive just you to a destination, for less than half the taxi rate.

Yeah, guagua to Sosua and cab back wouldn't be a bad way to go.

I've never taken a guagua, tho - how often does the one from Costambar to Sosua run? Does it stop right at the Costambar cutoff on the main road? Is there just one route that goes all the way to Sosua, or is there a chance of getting on the wrong one?

Thanx,
MrNat

[Beads]

Hrmm sounds like if you get into an accident it could be better to "accidentally" run over any persons involved especially a motoconch. This way no problems.

[tampabukkake]

Expanding on Marco... who has much more knowledge on the North Coast than most... the Guaga (Publico) charge 30 pesos for each passenger between Sosua and Puerto Plata... you get into a Toyota Corolla with 6 people and the driver, you can buy all six seats for 180 pesos for the ride.

[Rocky]

By definition, a guagua is the public van.
They are a bit cheaper than the public cars, and 100 times more dangerous, as they are fleet vehicles, driven by juvenile delinquent maniacs, whereas the public cars are driven by the owner, or his brother/cousin/uncle, etc.
As they care for the vehicle, the people inside are generally safer than in guaguas.
I think that 25% of the highway head-on collisions in this country, involve guaguas.
As for the inconvenience, from POP itself to Sosua, it's not too bad, but from Costambar, you would have to take a public car, aka "publico", to the center of town, then get on another to Sosua.
If it were me, I would get into the publico at Costambar, and as it was emptying out in the center of town, before turning around to go back from whence it came, I would then propose to the driver to take me, and me alone, straight to Sosua, for 300 pesos, which I'm sure he would accept.
The problem is, that I speak the lingo, and you might not, so it makes it doubly difficult.
He may not understand you, and he will have you pegged as a rich tourist, so it's a hard deal to make.
The upside to the publico is that you might get crammed into the back seat with 4 other passengers, and be squeezed up against a beautiful large breasted chica.
On the other hand, you might be jammed up against a fat old ugly toothless hairy granny.....