ideal car

Most common car driven on St. Thomas is the taxi van LOL!!!

Sorry, ST T, had to get that one in...

Anyway, there are all sorts of vehicles on St. T. I would say 4X4 is not necessary, unless you are going to live somewhere where there are no paved roads.

Remember, St T is more developed than not. You'll see everything from Hummers to mopeds. If you choose a stick-shift, remember there are a lot of hills, so that can be hard on a clutch.

I heard Toyota trucks are the way to go down there. Anyone else care to comment on this?

I haven't moved down there yet (soon will), but I've spent a lot of time there over the years and have made a point to observe the types of vehicles. Personally, I wouldn't get a truck. I watch them take sharp uphill turns on damp roads and the rear wheels lose traction each time.

You might also want to consider the quality of the dealerships and ability of mechanics to work on the vehicle. IMHO, Toyota seems to have the best dealership on the island (and supposedly better service than most). I've seen numeruous RAV4's on the island. I've sought advice from many locals and RAV4 seems to be the popular answer. That's probably what I'll buy. I do however have a crush on the Honda Element. It is lacking in horsepower, though, and probably has trouble making the hills with any power or speed, especially if loaded. I spoke to a local friend who test drove the RAV4 and the Element and said the Element was indeed underpowered and the Toyota had no problems. This was last year's RAV4. I understand that Toyota has made some significant changes to the current model. It's larger/longer, for one thing. I don't know how that affects the weight and power.

I visited a few dealers on my last trip this January. I was impressed with the Toyota folks and the salesman seemed willing to deal. I was looking at new cars. Yes, the prices are higher than on the mainland but weren't as bad as I'd feared. I didn't check out the used cars, although I will later this month.

For those who are current residents of STT, do you agree with my opinion of Toyota?

AWD is nice, but perhaps even more important is ground clearance. There aren't many smooth roads and some roads, particularly in certain residential areas, are very rutted and potholed. An ordinary sedan will bottom out frequently. For this reason, I'm going to get a car with higher ground clearance and not a truck, so that means an SUV.

Doubtless in the minority but I'll take a good, inexpensive, dependable, beat-up, mechanically sound island car any time. SUVs are very common but there are also a lot of newer ones already on the market because of the price of gas. Frankly, I never have and never would (even if I could afford it) buy a new car here as that first ding would probably reduce me to tears and we all know how fast that happens (the dings not the tears.)

My "island car" 90 Acura which I'd had for over five years was recently stolen. (Honda owners beware - the drag racers LOVE Honda engines and parts, so chain yours down well!) Serendipitously, I managed to find it way up in the boonies before it was completely stripped and my mechanic now has it and will sell what's left of it.

I was able to find a nice little 92 Toyota for $1200, had it checked out by my trusty mechanic (it's a MUST to find a good mechanic and have him check out anything used unless you're a mechanical genius) and for a small investment in plugs and wires she's just fine. Toyotas do have a good reputation here and they're easy to work on.

Cheers.

Suzuki Samurai 4X4 seems to be one of the most popular with new transplants. They are practically bullet proof, cheap to repair and you can pick one up for $1,000 (RUFF LOOKIN'-BUT RUNS). Spend a little more and you get quite a nice one. My wife bought one for $3,000 when she first moved here and she drove it for three years and only put gas and oil changes into it, then sold it for $2,000 when she decided she wanted a new vehicle.

Also, my landlord has a 1987 Honda Civic CRX Si with only 43,000 miles on it, with the bigger engine and the sport package for sale for $4,000. Great shape for a 1987. She's about 60, if that tells you anything, and she's had it since it was new. Runs great and she keeps it well maintained. If anyone is interested, gimme a ring and I'll set you up with her. 643-4922