This Is The Costa Rica Car Rental Agency We Rent Cars Through

Hi Scott!

I’m glad to hear that things went well and that you enjoyed working with Mapache Rent A Car. Thanks so much for reporting your feedback! 🙂

Pura vida!

Hi Don!

No problem! We’re happy to help. Enjoy the party! 🙂

Pura vida!

Hello Mike!

Absolutely! Let me clarify things. I’ll add some additional text to our How Not To Fall For Car Rental Scams In Costa Rica article too because if you’re questioning our point, someone else may be too.

To confirm, we don’t consider all use of “or similar” terminology to be a scam. Where things get sketchy is with the loose use of vehicle rental categories and the vehicle models that fall under them.

When a car rental agency says that $100 is the price of a vehicle in the “mid-size” category, then they’ll charge $100 for any type of vehicle that belongs to that category. Since car rental agencies decide for themselves which car models fall under each category, if they aren’t transparent about how they categorize car models, then they can bump vehicles between categories when and where they see fit. As a renter, you’ll have to pay $100 for the car—regardless of the model you get—because it belongs to the “mid-size” category.

In comparison, one of the things we like about Mapache Rent A Car is that they’re upfront about the type of vehicle being quoted and reserved. The use of “or similar” on their website refers to the option to receive a complimentary upgrade if/when available and preferred. It doesn’t provide them with an out to swap car models between categories. When a reservation is placed with Mapache Rent A Car, the confirmation document states the specific model of vehicle reserved. Actually, it states the vehicle’s make, model, wheel-drive type, transmission type, and license plate.

With respect to your specific vacation concern, it’s a valid one because such a possible change would be disastrous for your trip. In my opinion, it’s unlikely to happen; a feature as important as the number of seats/seatbelts required would be non-negotiable. More specifically, I don’t believe this would happen with Mapache because their 5-passenger vehicle is processed differently than their 7-passenger vehicle. I’d like to think the same is true for all Costa Rica car rental agencies. 🙂

Pura vida!

Hey Leila!

Our best recommendation is Mapache Rent A Car. We first rented from them in 2008 and they’ve been wonderful ever since, not only to us but to our clients/readers as well. I can’t speak to any negative review that you read because I don’t know what happened in that case, or the specific circumstances that led to the review and whether or not it is a fair judgment, but I can tell you that there are a lot of great things that Mapache does and that their operation steers clear of the car rental scams we document in our blog post How Not To Fall For Costa Rica Car Rental Scams.

Pura vida! 🙂

Hi Jill!

Awesome! It’s great to hear that you had a great time and that all went well with Mapache Rent A Car. Thanks for sharing your experience with us! 🙂

Pura vida!

Hi Alexis!

One other commenter above mentioned the same, but other than that, the experience we’ve had with them and that our clients have had with them has been positive. I can’t speak to any negative reviews that you read because I don’t know what happened in those cases, or the specific circumstances that led to the reviews and whether or not they’re a fair judgment, but I can tell you that there are a lot of great things that Mapache does and that their operation steers clear of the car rental scams we document in our blog post How Not To Fall For Costa Rica Car Rental Scams.

Pura vida! 🙂

Hi Jan!

Thank you so much for your interest in our DIY Costa Rica project! 🙂

I haven’t had that happen with Mapache before, but it’s possible their inbox did temporarily fill up. I know they get inundated with requests for car rentals quite often, especially from our blog readers who want to use our free car rental discount, so maybe it was bad timing? If you try emailing them again and the same thing happens, just let me know and I’ll send you alternative emails for the customer service and reservations departments.

Pura vida!