By douglas h pieper (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #9) on Thursday, February 16, 2006 - 7:51 am: |
Do I have to have a truck? My soon to be wife doesn't drive standard and I would like for her to be able to drive in case of an emergency. All of the trucks only come in standard. Can I get away with just a car?
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By Marcus L. Barnes (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #520) on Thursday, February 16, 2006 - 7:56 am: |
If you plan on no shore diving or no trips to the park then you might be able to get away with a car. Otherwise, I strongly recommend a truck. Personally, I'd never rent a car on Bonaire.
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By seb (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #2591) on Thursday, February 16, 2006 - 9:53 am: |
Do you both dive Douglas?
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By douglas h pieper (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #10) on Thursday, February 16, 2006 - 12:48 pm: |
yes we are both diving
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By Dr. Director (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #129) on Thursday, February 16, 2006 - 2:33 pm: |
What better place to learn how to drive standard in addition to the great diving. The roads away from the center of town are fairly deserted and flat. As long as you get a truck with power steering (e.g., not a "Group 1 from AB", but rather a "Group 2"; other places are likely the same) it would be easy to teach your bride-to-be how to drive standard. In the long run she will then always be able to do so if needed. Just be certain that she really wants to learn and wants "you" to teach her.
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By Rona of Black Durgon Inn & Scuba Center (BonaireTalker - Post #36) on Thursday, February 16, 2006 - 3:59 pm: |
Hi Douglas,
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By Kevin Wayne Williams (The Great Escape) (BonaireTalker - Post #70) on Thursday, February 16, 2006 - 4:43 pm: |
I have to agree with Dr. Director. There is no better standard transmission than a rental car's standard transmission to teach her on. No hills, few full stops, very little traffic.
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By Susan Taft (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #596) on Friday, February 17, 2006 - 8:25 am: |
Oh my ... I can't think of a worse way to start a marriage and honeymoon than trying to teach someone to drive a standard!! I remember trying to teach my husband to drive one and we had been married for 20 years -- not a pretty sight!! LOL!! But on a more serious note while I agree that many of the roads in Bonaire are straight and flat learning to drive a standard in a strange place may not be the best idea as it takes a whole different level of concentration and might be better done on familiar roads. Is another vehicle option one of the "toasters"? We have never rented one so I do not know if they are standard or automatic but have seen many divers using them.
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By Russ Coash (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #123) on Saturday, February 18, 2006 - 1:22 am: |
gosh there has gota be a rental company on island has to have a truck with auto trans
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By The Ginocchio's @ Golden Reef Inn (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #977) on Saturday, February 18, 2006 - 10:41 am: |
They do have trucks on island that have automatic, but they are much more expensive. It depends on what you want to pay and what you want to use them for. Check out www.infobonaire.com and look under vehicle rentals and check out the rental websites. Most list the types of truck with the amenities available, including prices.
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By seb (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #2599) on Saturday, February 18, 2006 - 12:24 pm: |
I'm totally with Susan, aghast at the optimism of suggesting Douglas teach his wife stick on their honeymoon.
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By Dr. Director (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #130) on Saturday, February 18, 2006 - 11:09 pm: |
Susan makes a valid point, but to requote my final sentence: "Just be certain that she really wants to learn and wants "you" to teach her." I was allowing for the possibility (probability?) that Douglas's bride-to-be (1) did not want to learn how to drive standard and/or (2) that even if she did want to learn how to drive standard, that she did not want to be taught by her finance.
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By JIM KENNEDY (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #232) on Wednesday, February 22, 2006 - 9:39 pm: |
And than the other side of the coin is "Maybe Douglas's fiance' DOESN'T WANT TO LEARN TO DRIVE A STICK SHIFT... Remember you're responsible for the condition of the vehicle when its returned to the rental company... Pay the extra $$ and rent an truck with auto - isn't that what's going on vacation is all about going in style?.
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By Grasshopper (BonaireTalk Deity - Post #17029) on Wednesday, February 22, 2006 - 9:46 pm: |
Dr. Director...cute story...
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By Nanette Oselett (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #5) on Friday, March 3, 2006 - 8:25 pm: |
Hi, We (1 diver/1 snorkeler)just returned from 2 wonderful weeks(2/4 to 2/18/06)visiting Bonaire. We rented a truck. Next time we will definitely rent a car and spend more time on boat dives. We found you don't really need a truck except for the Park or if you have 3 or more divers. It rained several times during our trip thus we never got to see the Park. We are from California and learned Am Ex would not sell us the Special Truck insurance. The "local" insurance is has a $500+ deductible. The transmission on the truck we rented was ready to fall out so it would not be fun to learn on. Our cost was $600+ for the 2 weeks + another $500+ for a small dent we put into an already very rusty fender that previously had 2 holes. Well over $1000 for the rental. We loved Bonaire but will definitely never rent a truck again.
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By Marcus L. Barnes (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #529) on Friday, March 3, 2006 - 10:26 pm: |
After 6 trips to Bonaire, I have to respectfully disagree with Nanette here. If you shore dive, you would regret a decision to rent a car instead of a truck IMHO. If you take the full insurance at AB Carrental (for example), the deductible for damage to the vehicle is $169.00 which is considerably below $500.00. An insurance guy on another Bonaire Talk Thread stated that US insurance policies do not cover vehicles outside the US so the only real 2 options is to either buy the rental agency insurance which is $19.00 a day at AB or get the AMEX Blue Card with the special truck coverage option for a one time charge of $19.95 per rental. Given these are the only 2 choices how does renting a car instead of truck improve your position either financially or with your ability to navigate the terrain on Bonaire while shore diving? Given this, I stand by my earlier post that I would personally never rent a car on Bonaire. I only go through this exercise because I am assuming this is your first trip to Bonaire Douglas and I'd hate to see you disappointed with the transportation issue.
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By shawn thiele (BonaireTalker - Post #92) on Sunday, March 5, 2006 - 3:59 pm: |
Let's say you're not planning on going to the park. I plan on doing mostly shore snorkeling... Do I really need a truck because I'm going to be solo and only going to be carrying around my snorkel and photo gear. I got the automatic car for my trip because I figured you just park on the road and walk down. I didn't think there would be terrain issues?
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By Becky Hauser (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #257) on Sunday, March 5, 2006 - 7:40 pm: |
Shawn... I think you will be fine, but do watch the terrain at some of the dive sites parking areas, they can be rough and bumpy.
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By Kevin Wayne Williams (The Great Escape) (BonaireTalker - Post #94) on Sunday, March 5, 2006 - 7:50 pm: |
A story told to me as true, but I don't vouch for it. One of my guests claimed that on a previous visit he came within millimeters of hitting a donkey, coming to a screeching halt right in front of it. The donkey stared at him, dumbfounded, and bolted ... right onto the hood of a rental Toyota Yaris, over the roof, and over the back.
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