Does Buenos Aires have any local car rental companies that are less expensive than the brand name ones (Hertz, etc).

I have tried Hertz, but the rates seem higher because we need the car December 21-24.

It would be great to rent from an Argentinian company, if the cars were clean and reliable... and, of course, cheap.

Hmmmmmmmm??

Rita

Here are a few names to look at.... but, please note. Car rentals in Argentina are expensive across the board, Im not sure local companies (ie. not affiliated to international big names) will have better rates than their larger competitors.

http://www.abc-car.com.ar/

http://www.airentacar.com.ar/

Serra Lima Rent a Car
Alquiler de autos sin chofer
Av. Córdoba 3121
(1187) Buenos Aires
Telefax (54-11) 4961-5276 / 4962-8508

EXCELLENCE RENT A CAR
Av Rolón 100 Loc 14 - CP(1642) - San Isidro
(011) 4723-4200

Rita -

Have you driven in BsAs before? It's not something I'd recommend for the faint of heart. I've driven in Paris, and that was a piece of cake compared to BsAs. Remises are so cheap that I would not recommend anybody rent a car there.

John

Rita -

Have you driven in BsAs before? It's not something I'd recommend for the faint of heart. I've driven in Paris, and that was a piece of cake compared to BsAs. Remises are so cheap that I would not recommend anybody rent a car there.

John

John,
Never been to BsAs, so I guess I am not prepared. I do remember Paris drivers from a generation ago; nothing current. I've seen Italian drivers at their best as well.

I will say that I'd love to drive in BsAs, however, I mostly needed the car to take out to the estancia that is 80 km from the city. As it turns out the estancia offered a car to pick us up at the airport. And then they will return us to the city to a private apartment where we'll spend the rest of our vacation.

I do appreciate your concern. I"m excited to see how bad/good it actually is.
Rita

John,
Never been to BsAs, so I guess I am not prepared...Rita

Check out the Wiki entry, and page down to the "By Car" section ...

"If one is truly adventurous (and has a bit of a death-wish), cars are available to rent in Buenos Aires ... Stoplights, signs, traffic laws...for many porteño drivers, those are just suggestions." :D

http://wikitravel.org/en/Buenos_Aires_(city)

John

I must agree with John here.
If you have never driven in Buenos Aires I strongly recommend not going for it, specially if you come from a developed place..say US, Canada, Europe (even Italy), Australia, etc....
We, "porteños" drive like crazy, and accidents are an everday thing.
Moreover, if you are going to drive 80km to an Estancia...I`d seroiusly consider taking a "nice remise".
definition of "nice remise": a remise that is less than 5 years old, that has funcioning seatbelts and supposed to be well maintained. They are the minority.

Sorry to sound on an odd note here, but, if one is a proficient driver, then its nothing special to drive in Buenos Aires. Those that think EZE traffic is crazy havent been behind the wheel in Manhattan. Buenos Aires is not an easy drive, but, its not above traffic in Manhattan, or Sao Paulo, or other Megapolis.

Sorry to sound on an odd note here, but, if one if a proficient driver, then its nothing special to drive in Buenos Aires. Those that think EZE traffic is crazy havent been behind the wheel in Manhattan. Buenos Aires is not an easy drive, but, its not above traffic in Manhattan, or Sao Paulo, or other Megapolis.
Gaucho,, As I divide quite a bit of my time between manhattan and BsAs. I have to disagree with you on this one... (first time I dont agree with you)
At least in Manhattan we stop at red lights (cameras will get you) drive with headlights on at night, use windshield wipers and dont consider it a drag race at every corner.

I guess it is just what you get used to..

Be back in two weeks maybe I will get a chance to stop in and pick your brain about wine. Not about driving...

Ive lived in Manhattan for almost 3 years, dont tell me that cabbies there never jump lights because its just not true. There are also plenty of cameras in Buenos Aires, but thats not the point. Also, the red light issue in Buenos Aires is in the Province, not in the city. I have to wonder in which parts of Buenos Aires you have been driving. The headlight issue is non existant in the city, it does get (a little) worse in the Province.

Ive had driving licenses in China, Indonesia and even have a good number of hours logged behind the wheel in Cairo... please rest assured I know what chaos behind the wheel is like, and Buenos Aires is just a walk in the park.

Check http://www.tangorentacar.com (site in Spanish) or http://www.rentacar-tango.com.ar/ (site in English) a cheap but serious car rental company. Prices are almost 50% lower than competition.

You might want to try autochoque.co.ar or autoroto.co.ar :cool:

Check http://www.tangorentacar.com (site in Spanish) or http://www.rentacar-tango.com.ar/ (site in English) a cheap but serious car rental company. Prices are almost 50% lower than competition.

Wow... 50% is a huge discount. How do they do this... are their cars older than average? Where is the catch? How was your rental experience with them?

Wow... 50% is a huge discount. How do they do this... are their cars older than average? Where is the catch? How was your rental experience with them?

Gaucho, on the other side of the Cordillera, there's a company called Econorent and they have new decent cars, and they are often substantially cheaper than the majors - maybe without big international marketing, commissions, revenue sharing with a huge parent company, and whatnot, it is possible to make money at a much lower rate.