Renting a Car

Rented car - at $160 for 24 hrs, very expensive, but an excellent way of seeing the countryside. Please do take up hitchers. That way you will also learn of the best way to get from A to B (hardly any roadsigns around). However, some people we spoke to who had used private cars for travelling long distances found that the cars were uncomfortable and/or that the exhaust fumes were killing them. Also, most particulares don’t have seat belts. They are usally pre-1960 American cars or Soviet bloc buggies such as Ladas.

If renting a car, arrange before leaving home. Rental cars are undersupplied and overpriced, so you may have trouble finding a car once you arrive, or have to rent a top-of-the-line one. Again, we had trouble finding a Canadian travel agent who would help us rent a car, so I suggest you start working on this quite early. When we were in Havana, tourists were actually bribing the rent-a-car employees to jump to the head of the queue.

We did not have to bribe anyone, but rented a car for ten days from Havanautos, and got no discount for the term. Rates off-season may be better, but we paid a daily rate of $63 plus $18 for insurance for a Daiwoo Cielo, a Korean knock-off of a real four-door sedan. It functioned well, and the air-conditioning worked, but did not have true power steering, central locking or power windows. (I’m sure it sounds like I’m whining, but for $81 per day.....!) Because we wanted to leave the car at a different location, we paid a drop-off fee of $18. Unlike in Canada, where one is expected to return the car full of petrol, we were charged an extra $43 for a full tank and told to return the car empty. Of course, if the car is returned with the tank partially fuelled, there is no credit! So, do not fill up on the last day of your rental!

In our contract, we agreed to use only the premium gas, which cost 90 cents per litre. Regular gas was available at some Servi-Cupet stations for 75 cents, and I don’t know how they’d catch a cheater. We had no problem using a credit card at the stations, but a passport was also required and it took a few minutes longer than one would expect back home. We generally parked where we saw other tourist vehicles and ignored people who tried to get us to pay for car washing or guarding. One trick these fellows use is to pull your windshield wipers up (without asking permission) and expect payment when you return to your car, claiming they’ve washed the windshield. We just put the blades down and drove off, avoiding eye-contact. We suffered no vandalism. (a)

We rented a 4-door, air conditioned jeep, so it cost $89 U.S. for the day with unlimited mileage. A 2 door jeep, not air conditioned, and open in the back was $77 U.S. for the day, unlimited mileage. Of course they nail you for the gas. They charged us $40 U.S. for the gas, and they hadn’t even filled it up. We think next time we will try to gas the jeep up in a near by town (there were gas stations) but I don’t know if one can do that. That way you would get an honest fill up--what it actually costs. They probably skimmed about $6-10 U.S. that way from the over charge of the gas. It is pain, and you know you are being taken. (d)

Renting cars is expensive and it can be dangerous as well. The best cars to rent are the small ones (Daewo Tico, Subaru Vivio) because in "Cuba Libre" bikers feel free to ride in the middle of the road all the time. The road is theirs. Streets in many cities (e.g. Camaguey) are too narrow for larger cars. (f)

Before signing for the car, one should check the following.
1) Check well if there isn’t any hidden hole in the car’s body. Otherwise, there is a risk that you will have to pay 100-200 USD when you bring the car back.
2) Also check how the gas tubing looks (in Ticos, but not in Vivios, it can be easily disconnected from the outside to steal the gas).
3) Check that the external gas entry cannot be opened from the outside.

4) Check that all fuses in the box inside are standard (e.g. our radio got silent and in about 30 min the cables started burning at 60 mph because the radio’s fuse was a thick wire).
5) Look at the gasoline gauge. It shows "full"? It’s usually wrong. Ask to fill up the tank (you’ll get enough gas inside for about 100 miles more).
6) Before bringing the car back, you can offer your remaining gas in your tank to an underpriviledged Cuban friend (they know how to pump it out).
7) Never purchase gas from private sources (50 ct/L or so).
8) Always park under a public light.
9) Ticos and Vivios are seldom available in Havana. Even if they have them, a tourist is expected to bribe a person to get a small car. The same cars are usually readily available in other cities.
10) It’s good to have a reference friend in Havana whom you can call a few days in advance to rent a small car.

With the high cost of gas, many tourists are tempted to buy black market gas. The problem is that the gas often has a lot of impurities. It runs OK on the first tank full, but then the filters get clogged and the car starts to just barely chug along. The filters on the old cars that Cubans drive are easy to clean so it isn’t a problem, but the rentals are new and you’ve got to be a mechanic. If you’re going to do it, ask where the filters are.

Unfortunately, poverty results in theft from cars. Park at night under a street light. Cubans will volunteer to watch your car and it may be worth it. Standard rate is 25 cents for an hour or so during the day and $1 for overnight. If the spot is not VERY secure, the $1 is worth it. (g)

Thanks to sources:
(a) john@bishop-co.com, 1/98
(b) jon.anders@oocities.com, 1/98
(c) dcalabrigo@hotmail.com, 3/98
(d) subartley@hotmail.com, 3/98
(e) belangerp@cnwl.igs.net, 3/98
(f) colarowl@chlsnr.nestrd.ch, 6/98

(g) bhughes@sprint.ca, 2/00


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