I’ve been away from this site for a while and today I looked back to see what the previous chat on Panama was like. I saw a note from a club member (6-months ago or so) wanting to know whether he should rent a rental car or get around by taxi when he visits Panama?

To the guy who asked the question 6-months ago…if you rented I hope you got all of the insurance and completed your trip with only a few minor scratches. If you took a taxi everywhere, then you probably (in most cases) made the best choice.

The plain simple truth is this. Within Panama City you cannot drive from point A to point B and return using the same exact route. If it is your first-time to Panama or even if you’ve been there a few times (let’s say relatively new to Panama City), there is no way you can navigate (read a map and drive) without running into someone or being ran into by one of the fiercely (insanely) competitive local drivers. The only exception would be if you have a good GPS voice text navigator (that works in Panama) and you have experience driving in other similar third world countries where all drivers (for the most part) are idiots. Also make note – although I’ve seen Panama rental companies (all the global brand names) say they offer automatic vehicles in Panama, I’ve never been able to rent one myself. I always ask and each time I’ve been told none are available. I’ve always been given a 4 or 5-speed manual. No big deal to me, but I know there are plenty of people with no manual experience. Panama is no place to learn how to drive a manual. Trust me.

As is the case in most third world countries, within Panama - driver etiquette, rules, and safety standards are pretty much out the window. And I don’t know how many cars, trucks, buses and motorcycles there are in Panama, but I do know that they have way more than their current road & street infrastructure can effectively and safely support. That is probably why Panama is working so hard to build new roads, over-passes, bridges and tunnels (yes, I heard the “tunnel” word mentioned recently and I can imagine how well that will work considering the ocean is always a rock throw away).

Within Panama City during all daylight hours (with exception to Sunday and holidays) the roads typically are gridlocked. What I mean by this is, stop and go bumper to bumper traffic with quick acceleration and equally fast deceleration. If you see an opening ahead or next to you, look again because there is always one or two who are faster to fill the gap…and of course there can be only one winner.

My recommendation to newbies is to always use taxis when visiting Panama, especially for the first couple of trips. Then after experiencing what the city is like, if you are daring and not easily intimidated, then maybe consider trying your hand with a rental car. But then, (mark my words) “always max-out the insurance”. Panama law does not allow foreign auto insurance. In Panama insurance is a monopoly and you either choose coverage or you decline it and risk a huge charge against your credit card.

I have had “zero” auto accidents in the USA or any other country other than Panama. In Panama (while renting) I’ve had three “true fender benders”, one incident of vandalism and one flat tire. In all cases I had maxed-out the insurance and was covered, except in one case my full coverage didn’t cover me and I had to pay an extra $200 or so simply because I was in a sand/gravel parking lot at a beach when my car was dented. In that case I didn’t read the fine print that the rental car coverage only applies to surfaced roadways and they unknowingly "got me" when I explained where I was when the accident happened. In total, I’ve rented a rental car in Panama maybe 10-12 times with five insurance claims (including the minor tire damage). I’ve driven in the Philippines (Manila), Germany, England, Canada (whoopee), Mexico and of course the USA. No accidents except in Panama.

I usually take taxis for most of my general mongering and running around the city. On a 2-week trip I may rent a car for perhaps half my trip. The reason why I rent is because my novias live on the outskirts of the city and I usually like to take them for a day of fun at the beach or the mountains. And really, travelling outside of Panama City would be about the only logical argument to choose to rent versus taking a taxi, or maybe if something is going on (like a strike) that causes a shortage of available taxis. Taxis are cheap and normally readily available with most 10-minute trips costing only $2. In a busy taxi day I might spend $12-$15 all day. Also, taxis are not necessarily safe, but they are safer than walking or being a daring newbie with a rental car. Also, always buckle-up…that applies everywhere.

One of my favorite pieces of advice I like to give newbies heading to Panama, chidingly is, “always be sure to choose a taxi that doesn’t have any dents.” The humor of course to anyone who has visited Panama is rarely do you find any vehicles that don’t have at least a few dings or a cracked windshield or broken light. Afterwards I always get feedback with amazement that the newbie couldn’t find any taxis that didn’t have some type of damage. Every damn one of them has something fucked-up. And that’s the way it is.

AJ

AJ speaks the truth again!

After multiple visits over the last 3 years I rented a car to go the Decameron. I figured it would be more economical than the cost of paying a driver for two round trips, which I had done in the past. Besides I got a GREAT rate on Expedia when I booked the Decameron to add on the car. It was a weekly rate so I would have the car for my whole time there. Therefor I subtracted the amount of two airport taxi trips and found this to be a very economical decision.

That value ended at the rental counter when I went to pick up my car. Yes the base price was as quoted but the required insurance costs threw the math out the window. What about my fabulous platinum credit card that provides all the extra coverage? Meaningless. I took the insurance and did receive a nice new car with an automatic. So I was fortunate.

I drove to the hotel and left the car in the garage until it was time to head to the Decameron and returned it there until it was time to go to the airport. There was no way I was driving in the city. Everything AJ says about Panama traffic is true to the max!

Note that a year before I had a novia who had a car. She would let me drive in the city. I live in a large city in the US and have travelled all over as well. These were my worst driving experiences ever. So there was no way I was going to drive in the city. Especially at night as I like to imbibe and didnt want to risk it.

Even the drive from the hotel to reach the highway towards Decameron was excruciating. It took forever and it was early in the day. And dont forget the buses, the wildly painted school buses which drive like armored vehicles that own the road. I narrowly escaped disaster with several on the trip into and out of the ciy.

So follow AJs advice on car rental. It is not for the timid and it is absolutley not recommended if you are only staying in the city.

Typically Sundays would be the best time to rent a car in Panama because the roads are not too congested. But again, why put up with the hassle if you plan to stay within the city?

AJ