Renting a car in P.R.

[mysbreeze]

I was wondering how safe is it to rent a car in P.R. I heard stories about bad people robbing tourist more so when they are renting a car and are not from the island.
Please answer. I'm going July 8. Any advice?
Thanks,
Maria

[warmerwater]

mysbreeze,

Renting as well as owning a car anywhere can be dangerous. Use common sense with both. Leave nothing in sight that potential thieves may see. Easy marks are what they're looking for. DON"T be one. At night be sure to park in lighted areas with other cars and like I said.....don't leave anything in sight. Also, don't wait to park before hiding things under seats or in trunks. As for potential jackers.....when coming to a stop sign or red light, DO NOT pull right up behind a vehicle in front of you. Leave enough room to pull out from behind that vehicle if needed. Run a red light or stop sign if neccesary too. Let a cop see you or cause a wreck.....Jackers/Thieves don't want that kind of attention and police seem to have a funny effect on them;~). If you're getting in or out of your car, just throw the keys into the car or on the ground for them. Hopefully they'll just be after the car and go for them. Is anything 100% foolproof? I don't think sooooo. Can we do or not do things that lessen our chances of being a target? YES.......
Anyway, also try Tripadvisor.com and go to the forum message boards for Puerto Rico. There are some local PR people there that do their best to help out with PR questions and concerns like this. I believe I also saw a post you ran in here that asked about rental agencies and/or hotels. There are many mixed reviews as well as info on hotels/paradores and car rental agencies. Hope this and the other site helps. Be Smart...Be Safe...Have Fun.

Rick

P.S. I live in the Seattle area and would do and do these things with my own car or a rental.

[shazi]

i think rent a car on self driving is best to avoid any kind of situation , can someone tell me about this kind of service there , as i am planing to be there in near future .

thanks