St. John Car Rental Question

[Steve S]

Tried to get a Wrangler at St. John Car rental but all they had left was the 2 Door Vitara (there's only 2 of us this time.) Has anyone rented a Vitara from SJCR lately? What kind of shape are they in?

[Jost Kidding]

It has been a few months since we rented from SJCR and we had a Wrangler, but... when we came into town and parked in their lot we did see a variety of their vehicles parked there including the Vitaras and all were in excellent condition.

[JT]

We've used STJ Car Rental several times with good results, though we did get a Vitara from them in May 2005 that had one pretty bad tire. All in all a pleasure to do business with. We've also used Penns, Cool Breeze and Conrad Sutton with no complaints as to the cars, though the 2 dr Vitara we got from CB this past November had over 39000 miles on it, and Frau Sutton at Conrad's can be sweet as pie, or as sour as a green persimmon on any given day, though their cars are generally very well maintained.To some folks the Vitara is underpowered, but it was never a factor to me. For 2 people it's all you need and there are advantages to the small size, both when parking and avoiding the concrete trucks on Centerline Rd.

[California Girl]

JT - I have a 2 dr. Vitara reserved at Courtesy, but now that we've added a 3rd person to our trip, do you think it will be big enough for all 3 of us? It's not like we're bringing a ton of luggage to have to stow. Thanks!

[lpowmacback]

California Girl - I think all three of you and your luggage will fit into the 2-door Vitara fine - but getting in and out of the car may be a bit of a hassle - I, personally, wouldn't want to have to deal with only 2 doors and 3 or more people.

I think it is just a matter of convenience, not necessity


ENJOY!!

[Jost Kidding]

I agree that it is more a matter of convenience. My opinion is that it would be worth a few extra dollars to get a 4 door, especially if I'm the one riding in the back seat! In the off season Conrad Sutton has the 4 door Vitara for $390 and St John Car Rental has the 4 door Grand Vitara for $420. Bougainvillea Leasing has a Jeep Liberty for $420. Courtesy's prices really jump going to any of their 4 door vehicles.

[California Girl]

Thanks for the info. Now I have to mull this over a bit! Maybe I should visit a local Suzuki dealer and check these cars out before my trip. I suppose it's not too late to change.

[California Girl]

I just called Courtesy and upgraded to a Jeep Liberty. Yep... about $120 more a week, but since my nephew has kindly offered to take us to the airport & pick us up, I was able to cancel the $135 airport shuttle, so it's a trade-off & I'm still within my budget. Budget? Ha!! Right!

Plus the nice fellow at Courtesy also told me the Vitara was a 4 cyl. and the Liberty is a 6. I think we'll probably be realll glad to have that extra power!