Having recently rented from budget on st. Thomas I would no longer recommend renting from them. I had never had a problem with there cars before my last trip, where I had 4 different cars in 3 days. The cars were in horrible shape and the customer service a joke. I can't find it in my heart to ever rent from them again. I probably wasted a days time just returning broken cars and waiting for them to get me new ones.

Thank you for your advice. I was concerned about that. Any other suggestions from the airport rentals? What about Avis and Dependable-the family owned one? Appreciate your input!! 🙂

I always do a comparison of all the car rental agencies--Budget, Hertz, Avis, Dependable, Discount, Thrify--and it seems that Avis always comes in the cheapest. It's not that I prefer Avis, but their rates are just always cheaper for my time, and I've always had a good experience, with good cars.

I go to the American Airlines website and get their partner code for discounts for Avis, Hertz and Budget and do my rental shopping from there. In addition I check for and usually find bonus coupon miles (usually double miles) to attach to the rental. This should work with any airline.

I've used Avis at least the last 4 visits and have been very pleased with them. Estelle at the counter is a true sweetheart. I always tell her she's the first person I get to "visit" on my annual trips. I've had one incident of a flat tire that that was repaired within an hour of reporting it.

In the past I've used Budget and gotten so-so cars and Discount, which was fine. I steer clear of Hertz because of their restriction about bringing the car to St. John.

We rented from Dependable in November and the 4 door Wrangler was new and clean. They have good service and nice people. They pick you up from the airport in the vehicle you are renting, so you do not need to unload your luggage until you get to your vehicle.

Cheers, RickG

Thanks for the Tips Gerrie

Hey Rick, Do they let you go to St John? Thanks buddy 🙂

Hertz will not allow you to take their vehicles over to STJ and the majority of rental car agencies who do allow their cars over there do not offer service on STJ in the event of any breakdown or malfunction. This is very rarely an issue but best to check specifics with the individual agency. Cheers!

Budget is simply "hit-or-miss" on car quality. I've rented 6 times and have twice had BRAND NEW autos, twice had "good condition" Taurus or Jeep with mid-20,000 miles, and twice had really beat-up junky looking cars (one taurus and one economy). Luckily - I've never had any problem with them mechanically so I can't comment on their response time/quality.

I've never rented anywhere else - just take my chances and do a thorough inspection of the car before leaving the airport. If you are uncomfortable with what they offer you, do take the time to resolve before leaving (I do realize that you cannot predict mechanical issues based upon physical inspection). I'll rent from them again next year.

Good Luck! Have Fun!

Thank you all for your comments. I will give you a trip report when I return late next week. Maybe I can give others some insight. 🙂

We just returned from STT and STJ and STX . AVIS without a doubt! THe line at the airport was short. Budget was very long! We took the car on the car ferry to STJ without any problem. We have rented from Dependable several times and 2/4 times we had bad cars that had to be repaired! If you do use them, get a NEW car. THe roads in STT are so bad that cars deteriote very rapidly.

We were not happy with the quality of the car rental from Budget, and in fact we felt it wasn't very safe. A must....before you drive away in your rental, thoroughly inspect your vehicle. The exterior of ours was so damaged and none of the damage was recorded on the pick up slip that you have to sign.

We've never been disappointed with Dependable and they do let you take their vehicles to St John. I have always found it easier to take a Jeep or SUV on the ferry when I go to St John - It is mostly because of the ramp angle but they are better on St John. I don't mean to say that you can't get around in a small sedan but it is a little easier with a Jeep.

www.rentamotion.com

The guys name is Cesar. Its a small outfit but he's all service. (340)7745840

When I lived in STT as a travel nurse I used Discount Car Rentals.  You can talk to Alex there.....he'll pick you up at the airport if you need that.  His office is across the street from the entrance/exit to the airport.  He took great care of me while I was there! 

I was called last week by Budget telling me that the van I rented online 4 months ago would be unavailable. Instead they offered to give me two cars. When I inquired about the size of those cars, I was told they would be like a Ford Focus. When I informed the gentleman that we were two adults and four teen-aged girls, he had no solution for me except to suggest that I take the two cars he offered. After reading the posts on this site I called Dependable Car Rental and spoke with a very nice lady named Inke. I had gotten a quote from them months ago but since they were off site, I went with Budget (neither Hertz nor Avis had anything large enough at that point to accommodate our sized party). Inke got me the van I needed and quoted me the exact same price I received in the email from them months ago. It made me feel very good about going with them. I have ALWAYS rented from Hertz the many trips we have made to STT but now I hope this is the beginning of a new rental car relationship on the island. I will post back here my experience when we get back but I am expecting it to go well!

Rick, you're lucky that they even called you. Even though Dependable is not at the airport, they'll pick you up and it's right at the end of the runway, so it's not far away at all.

Glad you got the van.

I agree with Steve353. Rentamotion.com is a small outfit with great service. They rent scooters, jeeps and dinghies. It's also right downtown - only a $7 taxi ride from the airport. Take it from a person that lives here, I've yet to find a better place on the island.