myTobago – your questions, review and comment about Tobago

we've been quoted £291 for a 2 week rental of a nissan or proton. Does this sound about right or too good to be true? we're being wary because evryone say's that you have to be cautious when renting vehicles in Tobago.

Hi Louise

I guess it depends upon who quoted you it. If that was quoted directly by a supplier on Tobago, it's not out of line with prices for a bottom-of-range car. If that was quoted by an agent over here, I would probably run a mile. My best suggestion is to check our our Car Hire article, do a bit of research and decide from there.

Hi steve thanks for the advice. The quote is from an agent. I spoke to them and they are based in England. I was assured that the cars are no more than 2 years old, but I guess they would say that wouldn't they! The woman that I spoke to said she would find out who the actual rental company is and let me know. I have read your car hire page and found it very interesting, hence me posing this question.
Do you still then we should run a mile??
Louise

Hi Louise

The cheapest weekly rate I can find for a Proton Wira is $270 per week from Sherman's. That's around £308 for two weeks. The cheapers Nissan Sentra marginally more at US$290 per week from Sheppy or KCNN, and that's about £330 for two weeks. A UK agent is going to be expecting something out of the deal, so is hardly likely to be offering the car to you for less than the local rental company, so I would seriously doubt that this UK agent can be dealing with any of the established reliable firms that I would consider having a car from.

You get what you pay for in life I'm afraid.

Remember the 'don't take the P' rule.

Hire cars should have an 'R' prefix and private cars, a 'P' prefix in the registration/ licence plate.

Cars for hire at the cheaper (too good to be true) end of the market are often P plated and are not licenced or probably insured as rental vehicles.

See previous posts about 'P' plated cars being impounded by the police.

Cheers
Steve

and less than two years old???????I think virtually all vehicles are second hand from Korea or Japan where they are removed from the roads at 3 years old.Am I correct?
David

When I've tried to raise that question with car hire people on Tobago they bluster and fuss and assure me that their cars are "new". However, I have it on very good authority that a very great number are imported as "nearly new" from Korea/Japan as you suggest, David. This in itself is not a problem, as long as the vehicles are being maintained properly, but that's the operative word. While there are some very, very good car rental sources on the island, sadly there are also an awful lot of operators who figure that the average tourist is probably only going to return every few years for a week or two so don't give any thought to building a repeat client base. In other words, flog them any old dog then just shrug you shoulders when it breaks down. "That's life, man!"

Big thank you to everyone who replied to my question. The information is really helpful and has certainly made us reconsider!
Louise