behuman

Just got this email and not pleased at all. They were great !

"Dear Valued Customer,
We are saddened to announce that Sixt has stopped its car rental operation in Chile.

As a result, we are not able to serve your reservation as initially confirmed. Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this cancellation is causing.

We ask that you create a reservation with an alternative rental company for the same or similar car group (inclusive of coverages and/or add-ons) as reserved through Sixt. If you incur additional costs, please provide us a copy of the rental agreement and final itemized invoice and we will provide a credit for the difference between your Sixt reservation and the alternative rental.

In the event that you pre-paid your Sixt reservation, a refund has been processed to the form of payment on file. Depending on your banking institution the credit will appear on your account within 7 to 10 business days

We thank you for your understanding and look forward to servicing your rental needs in the near future at any of our Sixt locations worldwide."

behuman

I was not able to find out what happened, but it is quite bad that Sixt lost its franchisee in Chile. The leasing company who rented on behalf of Sixt just started their own short rental operations, just had contact with the former lovely staff and I can assure all, their cars are really nice !

https://gamarent.cl/ in Spanish only

And as a bonus, it got cheaper and they deliver cars in Santiago metro area or you can pick up at the airport.

Given the extremely poor choice of cars (no German brands) of the competitors I wish them well.

resolute

Just saw this as I was trying to book a car with SIXT in SCL - have used them repeatedly over the years there and always been pretty good. Anyone have experience with Gamarent? (the replacement)? Are they only in Chile? - Thanks!

behuman

Gamarent was the franchisee of Sixt, so it is the same company and the same people. I do not know what has been messed up, but agree with you that they were always excellent, talking BMW X5 and X6.

SQ F

Econorent does appear to now have Audi Q8's.

shayaanl

They appear to have returned to Chile. Just not the same selection of cars. No X5/X6 available anymore.

behuman

Looks like the Gama Rent franchise is here again given the choice of cars.

Gama Rent ditched BMW's and now also the VW Tiguan - probably also because I basically "destroyed" one of them on the Carretera Austral in February. I always believed VW Tiguan being strong cars, they are not . Weird tyre dimension, problematic wheel security locks and no proper spare wheel. I spare you my adventure in Caleta Tortel. This said, I am always traveling with a battery driven tyre pump nowadays .

shayaanl

Is there any specific car you'd recommend for the Carretera Austral? Econorent has Q8's. Do you think they would be suitable?

shayaanl

Actually it looks like they don't have Q8's anymore. I guess the X3 it is.

behuman

Forget about the X3 if going south of Coyhaique, my next trip will be with a non sexy Nissan Xtrail 4X4 from Gamarent. Good clearance, robust and standard wheel size.
For any tips regarding Carretera Austral you may PM me. Top places to stay are Espacio y Tiempo, Raices, Mallin Colorado Ecolodge. Lodge Borde Baker, Entre Hielos Lodge and Paso Mayer. The roads can be horrific and the Costa de Quelat is a nightmare construction site.
And yes, Patagonia will make you addicted. A good alternative to the overzealous kiwis .