So! After 46 years of at least annual trips (and quite often multiple trips as well....) one thing I've discovered about renting a car in SXM. The absolute last thing I want is a brand spanking new, shiny, sparkling and dent-free pristine rental car to have to be concerned about over the course of our vacation. For sure, I don't want a junker - and our agency would never give us one like that - but we've driven the island roads, some to places I still can't believe we've driven to, and I don't want to be the one to put the first dent or ding in a new car. And I surely don't want to have to explain to Lesley how it might have happened.......

To each his own, for sure, but I'll happily take the occasional dent and ding of the lovingly used model and know that I'm worry-free as far as damaging a brand new one. We are always very careful about how we drive, and generally where we drive, too, but sometimes the roads are just plain BAD and 'stuff' happens. Last November the heavy rains and road flooding was a classic example......

Many years ago, we were in Marigot on the corner near La Vie en Rose and observed a huge dump truck, after making several attempts to safely enter a street - driving over - yes, literally over - the front end of a poorly parked rental car that was parked in a no parking area right under the sign that designated it as such, and blocking the turn into the road. We were actually tempted to stick around and see how the renter reacted but decided against it, as did the driver of the dump truck. This was one time when I said, "Not my problem, not my issue!" but I'm willing to bet it wasn't pretty when the renter got back.