One of the advantages of renting on St. John is that several places will let you park in their lot when you are in town. March is usually our busiest month and parking can often times be a hassle. I usually recommend St. John Car Rental. As for 4WD...I would say get it. Depending on where you are staying, you may NEED it. You can ask the villa company about road conditions to where you are staying and get their input as well. Having 4WD just gives you a little more confidence if you have to tackle a wet steep hill.
There are also advantages to renting on STT...but I would say that the time of year you will be here that they probably don't outweigh the ability to park in town.

Stjohnjulle,
Thank you very much. Appreciate your insights.....

We rented from dependable in STT and then took the ferry over to STJ. People will tell you both ways are best, depending upon what they do or what their perspective is...of course.

The advantages of renting in STT are- you don't have to fool with a cab in STT and lugging your stuff in and out and in and out....and when you get to STJ you are on your way...not renting a car...

The advantages of renting on STJ are - you might get free parking and you have local support if you have a problem with the vehicle.

We reated a jeep, it was handy to have 4WD on STJ but not a necessity.

We agree with stjohnjulie. It's great to have a place to park when in town. We've gone to ST John at least once a year since 1988.
Three times we reserved a car in STT and three times when we arrived there were no cars available.

Also we've used just about every car rental place on STJ and never had a problem with any of them.

You might be wise to wait until closer to your departure date as they are are all discounting heavily to get business.

Unless you are staying high up 2WD is fine.

And if you can drive a standard they are always readily available and usually in the best condition as they are rented much less.

You will have to outweigh what is more convenient for you.

Arriving in STT and getting your vehicle there without the pain of getting a taxi with all you luggage is great. Especially if you have children it is so convenient to load it all once with car seats and all. Then returning is a breeze too.

However it is nice to have the convenience of parking in St.John rental lots. However if you do not plan to spend alot of time in Cruz Bay then it really is no big deal.

The other plus of Renting on STJ is that you are supporting the locals 🙂

Now on the 4wd thing. If you like to get off the "beaten path" then you will need it. Especially if you are going to visit Maho or Concordia sites, and especially especially if it rains while visiting those sites! It usually isn't much more for 4wd. I agree with STJ julie on that one.

We got stuck our first year there without 4wd going off the beaten path during massive brief downpour. Not fun!

I'm not sure of any car rental agencies discounting...especially during high season. I would suggest renting your car soon to be sure you get what you want. Many of the car agencies have been petitioning the Gov to get more cars.

Cuppy - Thank you so much for your keen insight. Very helpful.

Emtjen & VillaFish,
Thanks too for your help. It's out 1st time to St.John... usually go to Kona on Hawaii, but the long flight is beginning to get to us.