In Reply to: Help: hiring a driver vs. renting a car posted by jerdeg on Wednesday, 10. August 2005 at 02:12 Bali Time:
No question. Hire a driver. No need to book in advance or worry about it. Whenever you walk out in Kuta, Ubud, or other centres there are loads of drivers shouting "Transport?" at you. Generally they're all great (that's the Balinese for you!). I'd be wary of hiring a "name" driver as in my experience they often use their reputation to charge more and try and rip you off.
Typical hiring price for an 8 hour day should be 250,000R, or 300,000R max. This is probably cheaper than you can rent a car.
There should be no problem hiring a driver for half a day or specific journeys as needed.
Renting a self-drive car might be fine for purely rural roads, and I know what you mean about the independence it gets you. But if you go anywhere near urban centres the traffic is mean. So hire a driver, relax, and enjoy the view!