It is possible to visit most of STJ without the need for a jeep. Off road visits to Lameshur Bay are out of the question but that leaves 80% of the island for your car. The need for 4 wheel drive is really a 'comfort zone' when dealing with wet and steep roads. Several people have written they did fine with a standard car while others (myself included) had a preference for jeep. If your hotel or condo/villa is not on a hilside, it probably is no concern at all.
One issue is what hassle might you have if you experience car trouble on STJ and the rental company does not support you from STT. I remember someone mentioned Budget as the best for STT rental for use on STJ.
Finally, as parking is not readily available in Cruz Bay, one advantage to renting local is you can often use their lot for parking.

Thanks for the reply. I'm not sure where we are staying but it may be in a house called the Tree House, way up top. It has some pretty steep roads.

So, Budget would not help us out if we had problems on St. John?

I don't remember going to Lameshur Bay. Is it a must see?

Does anyone have any suggestions on the best place to rent if we rent on St. John?

Thanks again

Dale
I am not sure if Budget will help or not. One past posting mentioned Budget worked great for them but you should call and make sure what, if anything, you are up against.
The Lameshur Bays are nice and off the beaten track so very quite. We found them worth the trip but others may consider the other beaches just as nice and closer. Can't say they are a 'must see'.
We used C & C with no problems and they let us use their lot to park in while in Cruz Bay. I have read mixed reviews about Conrad Sutton.
Your villa management company may provide information.

I have no experience renting on St John. It is true Budget allows St Thomas rentals to be used on St John but that's the only positive thing I can say about them. The Jeep they assigned us was a total hunk of junk. We returned it after one day and rented another one from First Truck & Car Rental. (Phone 340-776-3730. Address 15 Lindberg Bay.) They are located less than 5 minutes from the airport and were extremely helpful. We will definitely be using them again on our next trip. Their vehicles can also be taken to St John. Chris brings up a good point about the limited parking available in Cruz Bay. You have to be lucky to find a spot. Lining up for the car ferry is a bit of circus too - St Thomas and St John. It's difficult to compare, we stayed on St Thomas and took a day trip to St John.

I have used Penn Jeep rentals for the past 5 trips and always used a 4wd vehicle usually a suzuki sidekick I think the weekly rate is 380.00 this coming winter, even if not going off road, the hilly roads after a shower are difficult to negotiate and as Chris mentioned the best reason to rent locally on St John is that is that you will always have parking in Cruz Bay, which is always at a premium, Penns lot is by the Barge dock and open 24 hrs

Most if not all of the national car rental agencies on STT (Budget, Hertz, etc.) will not permit their vehicles to be taken off island. It is in the contract you sign as well as stickers placed within each car. You may not be told this is you book thrlough the 800 number, so it's best to call the local office on STT to confirm what is and isn''t permitted.

Some of the locally run agencies will permit you to take their vehicles on the auto ferry from STT to STJ. The catch is that once you are off island, they will not bring you extra keys if you should lose your set or lock them in the car, won't provide road service, etc. Once you leave the dock, you are on your own. As many of these companies are not based in the airport (they will pick you up and drive you back there), you usually get better rates because they do not charge the airport taxes that the national chains do.

Although we never ended up using them, Discount Car Rental of the VI had great customer service and rap;id response times to inquiries, plus they quoted a highly competitive rate. You might want to give them a look: http://www.discountcar.vi/

Enjoy the trip -- STJ is a fabulous place to get away.

HC

Thanks for the input. I know that Budget allows vehicals to be taken to St. John. I'm not sure about the support part though. I'm going to give them a call. I just like the idea of not having to take the van to the ferry and dragging our bags around. I haven't taken the car ferry before so I don't know if its a hassel or not.

Thanks

Having rented overpriced cars on SJ for years, rented from Budget at STT airport and used the ferry - the only way to go.

Got into a car faster than into the so-called cabs. Did not have to wait to fill up the van and stop at everyone's hotel.

I think Avis also allows you to take their cars on the ferry, but would check with them first.

I'm leaning toward using Budget also. Not sure if any of the other companies on STT allow you to take the cars to STJ. Did Budget offer support on STJ if you needed it? For instance if you broke down would they come to STJ and help. Unfortunately they don't seem to be much cheaper if you rent a jeep. The house we are staying at (Tree House) is way up top with a pretty steep drive way so we really want a 4-wheel.

I found the internet prices substantially cheaper than calling them directly. Did you try to book on the internet?

My buddies and I are camping on St. John in February. We chose to rent at the STT airport to save some money. The rental car (jeep, actually) becomes our airport transportation for both arrival and departure. To rent the jeep on St. John, the four of us would have to take a taxi from the airport to Red Hook, then haul our luggage onto the ferry across to Cruz Bay. To get home, we'd have to do it all in reverse. Its cheaper (and I hope more convenient) to just get the jeep at the airport.

Keep in mind, though, that I've never done this before so I'm in no position to be giving any advice!

Are you renting through Budget? If so, did they say they would support you if you broke down on St. John? I'm going to call them and ask but just wondering if you knew.

I have in a request for price with Budget but am waiting to hear back.

I am coming to St. Thomas/St. John next week and looked at a bunch of different car rental options. The company that I finally settled on was Dependable Car Rental in St. Thomas. I found them via a recommendation from a friend who owns a small hotel on S.T. They were EXTREMELY friendly and helpful. Their prices were comprable to the other places I looked into, including Hertz. As far as support on S.J., they will not come over if you lose your key, run out of gas or get a flat. However, they WILL come over if there is some sort of mechanical failure that was not a result of negligence by the driver. At least that's how it was explained to me. Also, they will pick you up at the airport or wherever you are and when you are ready to leave, you can leave the car at the airport. Check them out at dependablecar.com

Kevin, UGH! I'm getting overwhelmed by all the info....it's great though really. My question to you since you have so much experience.... is it really as simple as ytou make it sound? I don't anticipate alot of luggage but some people seemed to complain about the hassle. thanks dlz

Post Edited (10-11-04 17:27)