I have never driven in TJ, but On my next trip I plan to do so.

1. Can I take a rent-a-car into TJ if I get Mex insurance?
2. Will AAA cover me in Mexico?
3. Would it be better to rent a car in Mexico?

Thanks.

1. Depends on the rental agency, MAKE SURE YOU GET MEXICAN INSURANCE FROM A MEXICAN CARRIER.

2. Maybe property damage but not liability, MAKE SURE YOU GET MEXICAN INSURANCE FROM A MEXICAN CARRIER.

3. Why?

Did I mention MAKE SURE YOU GET MEXICAN INSURANCE FROM A MEXICAN CARRIER!!! A US company can not be recognized as providing financial liability for you by the Mexican government. If your agent tells you differently he is clueless.

Any realistic insurance company will recommend a Mexican company that they sometimes get you a discount with.

If you come often it pays to get a yearly policy. If you live in Tijuana, make sure to get a residential policy as a tourist policy can be voided at teh worst moment.

I've heard bad rumors about Oscar Padilla insurance. I have no facts but why take a chance.

CF, since you live in TJ what insurance company do you have. I guess since I come down at least once a month I should get a yearly policy.

You can rent a car in SD from Avis and pay $21 for insurance for a 24-hour time period. I think it goes down the more days you rent. It is definitely issued by a Mexican Agency called Seguros Commercial America. Deductibles are a little high ($500 collision/$1000 theft), and if stolen only covers up to $10,000.
But is easily recognized by the Mexican police, and will cover your ass for having liability insurance.
Other agencies around the border will issue insurance on rental cars, but the fine print clearly states it is NOT valid on rental cars.
I don't know about the other car rental agencies, but I do remember the Avis ones in OC and LA would not issue Mexican insurance.
Another thing, some cars like the cheaper rentals like a Cavalier/Sunfire are known for bringing illegal shit in their trunks. Go with with something larger to limit the chance of being searched coming back across.

Thanks Pollo

Yes, you can ONLY get Mexican Insurance for a rental car from their carrier. I always use Avis but word on the board here is that Enterprise & Dollar also supply Mexican Insurance for an added fee. Avis' insurance does decrease daily if you rent for multiple days. I tend to just drive in, park at the hotel, and then drive out at the end of my visit so I usually just buy insurance for those 2 days. I haven't developed the cajones yet for actually driving around TJ!

I have used Avis. It is painless, albiet expensive. I only drive over when I have a special reason. $20 a day adds up fast. They will cut you a separate bill for the Mex Insurance, just in case you don't want to turn it into the boss. If you drive in, I would suggest VZ for a hotel, although I heard there was a few thefts a year back or so. I am posting from next door right now.

Oh, on the Avis you may have to rent at SAN, as opposed to SNA or LAX. They have funny rules on stuff like that. I picked up at SAT once and they would not sell me the Mex insurance to go into Nuevo Laredo, yet at Laredo all is ok.

As I posted in an above thread, I rent in the Bay Area BUT have to buy my insurance in Carlsbad (a small airport there that has an Avis kiosk). If you don't plan on driving while in Mexico, just buy the insurance for the day going in and the day going out...though it will be the top dollar for both days as there's a seperation.

Well I did a little research and contacted some of the rent-a-car companies.

1. Avis does allow you to go into TJ, if you purchase thier insurance at $18.00 per day.

2. Enterprise will also allow you to go into TJ, but you must buy their insurance and it is $36.99 per day.

3. Budet will not allow you to drive in, they said that is because they have a rent-a-car place in TJ, so no need.

Still waiting for a reply from Dollar and Alamo.

Thrifty also has (or at least had) a rental service in TJ (at the Pueblo Amigo & the airport). The word was always that it was more expensive to rent IN Mexico and I would guess you still need to buy the insurance. It's interesting because my first driving-to-Mexico rental experience was from Thrifty in the Bay Area and they said they wouldn't allow me to drive into Mexico

Dollar lets you take a car in for 25 a day extra. I have done this before.

About a year ago, I took an Avis car into Mexico and drove all the way to Ensenada. I believe the insurance was $18 a day, as Trumpet noted above. Avis will actually let you drive 450 miles into Baja.

I've only had experience with Avis on this, but it's worth noting that not all Avis locations will allow you to take one of their cars into Mexico. The one at the SD Airport does, and Aardvark has named another above, but I checked and there are a few locations in SoCal that explicitly prohibit bringing one of their cars into Mexico. If you want to use another location, check first.

Another stipulation that was on the contract was that you are limited to crossing the border only at TJ, Mexicali or Yuma, AZ. I'm not sure whether Otay Mesa was allowed.

Bottom line: the rules vary from place to place, and it would serve you well to check ahead.

Dollar did write back and said they do allow and it is 25.00 per day on the insurance.

no shit, that is what I said 3 posts above

Well powerslave, we musicians can't always read very well.

Did you guys know that Dollar lets you take a car in for 25 a day extra ?

Milkman

No shit? Where did you see that? lol

The taxi cab drivers in NYC got it easy. They are amateurs. TJ driving ain`t for the faint of heart. Don`t drive down there like you drive in Cali., or you`ll be damn sorry. The no rules, constant construction, pedestrians basically trying to be struck, pot holes the size of meteor craters, the police of TJ, ect. You got big balls if you`re driving down there!

Actually there are a lot more accidents in San Diego than TJ and they drive a little better in Tj

TJ driving is very close to driving in Boston.
There is a difference between agressive driving and bad driving.
I have driven in many states and got to say that Cali drivers are far the worst I have ever seen.

The rest Jtull you nailed on the head

take care
milktuff

in the united states we teach defensive driving
in mexico they say someone must take the offense

what i don't understand is why when these people don't get two shits about being on time for anything, do they drive like their life depends on it. i know they are all late for whatever they are going to, but i also know that they don't give a shit about being late as well.

i think they get some type of power from being behing the wheel and a horn. oh well i still love this place.

When my Mexican side of the family has an appointment at 2 p.m. that means they begin to get ready to leave the house at 2 p.m. Unless something comes up, like someone starts talking to them (it's rude to tell them you have to go somewhere). If that goes on too long, they just don't go to the appointment.

Hmmm,

I have a different experience. I have a good friend that lives in TJ and for years we have been making arrangements via telephone and she's always there on time, as am I. Never once late, never once a no show. I make a point of how much I appreciate that and always thank her for being on time. Guess I'm lucky that she's a cut above.

Oh yeah, as far as driving, she does it, stop signs are largely ignored and pulling out in front of somebody is the norm, of course they'll stop or go around, no problem. Quick stop at the store and no parking spots, also no problem, just block somebody in. It's pretty wild.

I would like to get insurance only a few days a year, to drive my car into Mexico. I would like to insure the car itself, at a valuation of $15,000. Can anyone give advice on a particular company?

With regards to year-round insurance, for non-residents of Mexico, is there any advice, in addition to that above? Any comments on Discover Baja, a San Diego company in the Clairmont Mesa area? This company is a great source of info on Baja, with lots of books and 'zines.

I have priced the agencies in or around San Ysidro for years and the agency that calls itself something like "A-1" consistently remains the cheapest and by far. I'm only comparing against other agencies, not the services where you can print out your policy on the internet.

The agency is located in a mini-mall on the west side of I-5 directly to the right of the San Ysidro Blvd. exit when you're heading south - it is right across from the Motel 6 and it has drive through lanes which are very convenient for buying for an individual trip.

I have an annual policy - full coverage, that I paid about $250-270 for last May - that includes about $40 for a mandatory membership to their Baja travel club which I don't utilize - but still the overall cost is cheaper than the other agencies. Rate for collision and comprehensive were based on blue book valuation of roughly $19K last year.

Buying per day is much more costly if you drive down with any regularity, and also a huge pain in the ass unless you know precisely when you will be returning. If your insurance runs out at 8PM the following day and you get caught in a long line at la linea and run over a tosti loco vendor at 8:15, you're out of luck.

Fortunately I've never had to use the insurance in all the years - The one time my car got turned into an accordion in the Leyva parking structure, I WAS UNINSURED!!! However, my U.S. carrier picked it up, and since I was the victim of a hit and run with no other parties present, there were no sticky legal problems that can ensue when you don't have a Mexican policy.

Since I began to drive in in December '04, I shopped at only a few places in San Ysidro for one or two-day coverage. One place was significantly less expensive, so I continually used them until I bought an annual policy from them in March '05. When I valued my vehicle in the $5,000 to $9,999 range a two-day policy cost from $17.20 to $18.60 in Winter '04-'05. The few other times I had to use other companies (like if I arrived in San Ysidro after 9:00 P.M.) which tended to charge about the same amount for one day's coverage and between $26 and $29 for a two-day policy.

When I bought an annual policy for my Van, I decided to declare its value in the range of $0 to $4,999 ($4,900) and got the limited territory annual plan for $158. The limited territory includes Baja California (Norte & Sur) Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahulia, Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, Sinaloa and Durango.

Had I decided to go for the "full territory" plan, my coverage territory would have been the entire Republic of Mexico. At the same $4,900 declared value, the full territory plan would have cost $80 more a year.

If I had valued my car in the next bracket ($5,000 to $9,999) the annual policy would have cost $52 more for the limited territory, $82 more for the full territory.

For each additional $5,000 of car (& contents) value, the annual policy price increases would be as follows:

Limited Territory: $41, 55, 40, 41, 39, and $30 for additional $5,000 increments above $35,000 in listed values.

Full Territory: $ 69, 88, 64, 66, 63 and $50 for additional $5,000 increments.

According to my paperwork, my agent is Pacific-Express and their address is 390E & 561 E. San Ysidro Blvd. I think I visited the 561 address.

I don't remember what name appeared on their outside sign, but I do remember that the large sign had background colors that matched the Mexican Flag (Three broad horozontal stripes/bands of Green, White & Red). The medium-sized stand-alone building was one story above street level with prominent cement stairs leading to a shallow lobby.

The building is built into a slope on the east side of San Ysidro Blvd. Notice how the paperwork has two addresses? Well I never found an numeric address posted on the building itself (and I was looking for it). The next building south of this insurance/cambio building has the posted address of 601 or 604 San Ysidro Blvd.

Thank you, Erip and Scatmandoo, for the in-depth responses. I will try to report back if I have anything to add.