The traffic is relentless and congested - you could literally lose days off your visit once you add up time lost stuck in traffic jams. At least in a car you're unlikely to be skittled. The good news is that even if the traffic moves slowly and the pickpockets move quickly, the Jakarta bus network is one of the best in Asia. If you keep your wits about you, and have some idea of the direction of your destination, Jakarta's taxis are also an efficient form of transport. Although some drivers have given customers impromptu scenic tours, most will take the most direct route.
Short trips are best and haggling is essential.
It is especially good when discussing post-independence Jakarta. Historical Sights of Jakarta by Adolf Heuken SJ is part history, part guidebook to Jakarta's colonial period. Its history of Batavia and survey of Dutch architecture are informative and interesting. Twilight in Djakarta by Mochtar Lubis is the most famous novel on the city. Banned in Indonesia, it's a scathing attack on corruption and the plight of the poor in 1950s Jakarta.