If you've rented a car in Anguilla before, you may remember paying significantly more than you would in St. Maarten — or accepting a vehicle that had clearly seen better days.
Both were symptoms of the same problem: the punishing import duties that British Caribbean islands levy on automobiles made it nearly impossible to maintain a modern, affordable fleet. That problem solved itself, quietly and rather elegantly.
Anguilla and other British Caribbean islands now receive a steady supply of vehicles imported directly from Japan — typically around ten years old, sourced from the Japanese domestic market. And here is what matters: a ten-year-old Japanese domestic market car is not what a ten-year-old car used to mean. Japan's roads are short, its drivers meticulous, its maintenance culture exacting. These vehicles arrive with low mileage, full service histories, and interiors that show almost no wear.
Only a specialist would guess the year.
There is a structural reason these cars arrive in such good condition. Japan's mandatory vehicle inspection system — the shaken — is among the most rigorous in the world, and the costs of putting a car through a second or third inspection often exceed the car's remaining market value. Japanese owners sell perfectly good vehicles rather than face the expense. The export market exists because of Japanese regulatory thoroughness, not despite it.
Thirty years ago, a car that age was approaching the end of its useful life. Today, it is approaching its prime.
One detail worth noting: Junie's sources right-hand drive vehicles specifically. Anguilla drives on the left, as do all British Caribbean islands, and a right-hand drive car places the driver on the correct side to judge road position, oncoming clearance, and the island's occasional tight corners. Not every rental operator on the island makes that choice. The result: rental rates in Anguilla are now comparable to St. Maarten. You are not paying a premium for the island's geography, and you are not compromising on the vehicle. You are simply driving a well-built Japanese car on one of the most relaxed and beautiful islands in the Caribbean.