San Juan - Post Report Question and Answers
What kind of car do you recommend bringing to post, given the terrain, availability of parts, burglary/carjacking risks, etc.? What kind of car do you advise not to bring?
We had an SUV, which we enjoyed. The roads can be bad in places but generally road infrastructure is good. It's mostly like the U.S. in terms of availability of cars and parts. Good highway system but the mountain roads are barely more than one-lane wide. Driving in Puerto Rico is like playing pinball where you are bouncing from one side to the other to avoid all the people merging into you without warning and stopping in the middle of the highway to buy an avocado from some guy leaning on the guardrail. Treat it like a game and don't let it make you crazy. - Jan 2014
The roads have really big potholes and sinkholes. And the driving is like nothing I've seen before. I just pretend that every other driver on the road is drunk and texting -- and take it from there. Most every other place I've lived or visited has weird traffic, but if you pay attention and watch long enough, it is possible to figure out the unwritten local rules of the road. Here I can't seem to find a consistent pattern. It is just a bunch of randomness, and getting into an accident isn't a matter of 'if' as much as a matter of 'when' and to what degree. You will see every kind of car imaginable in every condition imaginable. From Ferraris and Teslas to rusted out beaters with the front grill off and a three-inch-thick chain and padlock keeping the hood down. (all in my neighborhood!!) - Jun 2013
