best make of car for St Croix

The rental car companies like Corolla, Fiesta, Yaris, Wrangler, Escape, Focus, Fusion...

It's pretty flat here so any cars work. Best get a small SUV or something with good suspension as potholes do take their toll. You need MUCH less on STX than on STT ( the latter is very steep and you would need clearance and 4wd is handy there). We have lots of accords, civics and such on STX. In STT those would be last resort.

I love a Honda CR-V but bought a jeep commander off friends who moved and I love that too. Great suspension, have put three round of suspension on our 97 cr-v which my fiancé now drives. I don't like wranglers because I'm short and I can't see over the hood lol... and they're a rough ride IMO.

We have a napa auto parts but most people order on rock auto. We haven't found a good / trustworthy mechanic yet in a year and half. Tried a few and felt like we were being taken to the cleaners. Probably were.

You'll pay more to ship a car not made in the US. Unfortunately, I shipped an MKX, although it's a Ford/Lincoln product, it was made in Canada. But, the convenience of being able to take it to an authorized Ford mechanic at our local Ford Metro Motors makes getting repairs done simply. Something to consider, repairs, as our roads are beyond horrible after all the rains we've had this year!

When I have to do the inevitable suspension work on my SUV's, I always replace stock parts with off road spec parts.

i brought my ford escort when i first moved here. never really had a problem. i now have a sentra. again-no problem

Nissan X Terra, made in US and a damn sturdy car

Consider where you'll be living/working. Lots of dirt roads here and an AWD/4WD are great options to have.

what ever you get, something with suspension... You can put aftermarket suspension on a lot of vehicles, get something meant for baja racing 😉

Roads are fine in my black truck, I cringe when I ride in other vehicles, my yellow truck feels like it was built in 1910 in comparison, or maybe has wood posts for suspension.

Subaru's have a lot of good suspension options, get a WRX or STI (one of the older 4 door models) and toss some rally suspension on it, I know a guy here who used to tune turbo race cars in the states, he can handle WRX's easily.

Or a Subraru Legacy with the turbo engine and add suspension.

I've had a Wrangler for 10 years. Great, durable vehicle, takes the potholes and other obstacles very well, and parts and mechanics are readily available. I like knowing that if I'm on Mahogany Road during a deluge that I'm in good shape, and that I can take it on parts of Scenic Drive if I want to and it gobbles up the road. I bought my first one from a rental company, but recently sold it and shipped a used one from the states. Expensive to ship, but we had very distinct ideas for what we wanted, and choice is not synonymous with vehicle sales on island.

Bernie

I have an old subaru legacy wagon and I love the way it handles here. We have a lot of steep switchbacks on St. John and I've never had any trouble getting up them even when its really wet out. I've also had a suzuki esteem (small car), jeep cherokee, and a tracker. The subie is by far the best out of anything I've had.

I've had a Wrangler for 10 years. Great, durable vehicle, takes the potholes and other obstacles very well, and parts and mechanics are readily available. I like knowing that if I'm on Mahogany Road during a deluge that I'm in good shape, and that I can take it on parts of Scenic Drive if I want to and it gobbles up the road. I bought my first one from a rental company, but recently sold it and shipped a used one from the states. Expensive to ship, but we had very distinct ideas for what we wanted, and choice is not synonymous with vehicle sales on island.

Bernie

Omg not too long ago there was a guy on mahogany that literally both back wheels popped off and the axel/jeep rear end was on the ground. I asked if he was ok but he was on the phone and my fiancé was broken down up the road lol. I'll never forget that wrangler and how hard that must have been to happen. Not bashing wranglers, I like them a lot but too rough a ride for me.

There's no such thing as a not-rough ride on STX, regardless of what vehicle you're driving.

Bernie

The road I live on in STX is 1 mile of relatively steep (for this island), dirt and huge ruts...there is no way a non-4WD would last on a daily drive up and down it! That being said, there are many people who have regular cars (on all 3 islands) and seem to be fine with that. I, personally would NEVER live on any of them without a 4 WD vehicle, with ground clearance. Just my opinion...

Never ever buy a rental car. It has had about ten thousand previous owners that did not give a crap how they treated it. Especially an island rental. I was in automotive for twenty eight years and believe me when I tell you even the best auto technician cannot predict what may potentially go wrong with it. Even if it has low mileage just multiply those miles by ten. There can be hidden damage from a crash that can not be seen. Forget about that Car Fax too.

Pilatesgal ... agreed.
The hilly, dirt roads are tough on nice dry days, and when the heavy rains come they can turn into raging rivers.

I've gotten spoiled driving the Tacoma pickup trucks on STX. Have not had any issues with 2WD, not going to the outback. Plenty of ground clearance for dealing with pot holes and speed bumps, even the ones I forget to slow down for (can't see most of them ahead of time.) Many of the smaller cars would bottom out on some of the speed bumps even when going extremely slow.

Never ever buy a rental car. It has had about ten thousand previous owners that did not give a crap how they treated it. Especially an island rental. I was in automotive for twenty eight years and believe me when I tell you even the best auto technician cannot predict what may potentially go wrong with it. Even if it has low mileage just multiply those miles by ten. There can be hidden damage from a crash that can not be seen. Forget about that Car Fax too.

True dat.

I mentioned the rental car models earlier because they are fleet vehicles and it's not likely the rental car companies are self-service on STX which means someone else is skilled with servicing them to respond to OPs original concern. They are also probably reasonably reliable and cost effective to maintain on STX. At least for the first few years until the warranty expires and they get rid of them.

There's no such thing as a not-rough ride on STX, regardless of what vehicle you're driving.

Bernie

I beg to differ 😉

Like Jeff Foxworthy says....buying a car from a car rental company is like going to a brothel to find a wife.

Never ever buy a rental car. It has had about ten thousand previous owners that did not give a crap how they treated it. Especially an island rental. I was in automotive for twenty eight years and believe me when I tell you even the best auto technician cannot predict what may potentially go wrong with it. Even if it has low mileage just multiply those miles by ten. There can be hidden damage from a crash that can not be seen. Forget about that Car Fax too.

True dat.

I mentioned the rental car models earlier because they are fleet vehicles and it's not likely the rental car companies are self-service on STX which means someone else is skilled with servicing them to respond to OPs original concern. They are also probably reasonably reliable and cost effective to maintain on STX. At least for the first few years until the warranty expires and they get rid of them.

I didn't mean to sound like I was bashing you. Just my two cents. I know a few who purchased rentals from Avis and Budget. I drove both and when I looked at the odometer I expected to see 100k and the cars had about 10. Rattles and squeeks and an overall feeling of falling apart. That is really rough mileage on any vehicle on such a small island like STT. Just think how many trips around STT it took to accumulate those few miles in our traffic and road conditions.

There's no such thing as a not-rough ride on STX, regardless of what vehicle you're driving.

Bernie

I disagree. IDK what my comander has or if it's aftermarket or what but that things like riding a cloud! I for sure can't ride in my fiances CRv anymore without getting car sick. My jeep is so squishy and soft. It's amazing... even on mahogany!!

FWIW, whatever you buy will likely rust pretty quickly. Last time my wife & I were on STT, we rented a 2014 Jeep Wrangler. It already had rust. You'll also notice that lots of island rigs have a multitude of dents, dings & scratches. So something with real bumpers may be a good idea.

Good luck!

There's no such thing as a not-rough ride on STX, regardless of what vehicle you're driving.

Bernie

I disagree. IDK what my comander has or if it's aftermarket or what but that things like riding a cloud! I for sure can't ride in my fiances CRv anymore without getting car sick. My jeep is so squishy and soft. It's amazing... even on mahogany!!

Same here, my black truck (Raptor) makes the roads seem like a joke.. I cringe every time i get into something else.

But they were both built for off road, so it makes sense.

There are a LOT of Toyotas on the island and now there is a good Toyota dealer/service dept. I almost never see a Toyota of any age broken down alongside the road.

There are a lot of Jeeps on the island now, and there is decent dealer service support for Jeeps. I see Jeeps broken down beside the road fairly often but they are common.

There are a lot of Fords on the island, and there is an adequate dealership and service department. I'm not a huge Ford fan, but I don't see many broken down alongside the road.

Hondas and Subarus are popular but there is no dealership or service department for either. You (or I) don't see many broken down beside the road. I had a Subaru here once and I won't do that again but I know many others who swear by them.

Most of the broken down cars I encounter are Pontiac, other Chevy/GM, Kia, Hyundai.