Bad idea for having a rental car while we are in Key West?

I would not call it a "bad idea." However, depending on where you are staying, you may not need one. If you are in the old-town area, you can walk to most places as quickly as you can drive. If you are on the north (quiet) side of the island, you will need transportation to get downtown. However, if you are downtown and want to go to the one decent grocery store (Publix) on the island, you will also need transportation. Having a car is neither a great inconvenience nor a great convenience once you are there. Parking is relatively cheap and parking spaces, while not plentiful, are not really scarce either. Except for the downtown area, there is not much to see either on the island or for quite a distance up the chain of keys.

I would agree with most everything the above poster said, except maybe the last bit. The best beach in the Keys (Bahia Honda State Park) is driving distance and that whole stretch of the overseas highway in the lower Keys is a very pretty drive. That said, how long are you going to be in Key West? If you are staying right in Old Town and only there for two days/nights, a car is not needed. But if you are there for half a week chances are you will want to see more than just Old Town- and that is when a car comes in handy.

If you are staying in Old Town, a car is more of a liability. Parking is scarce and expensive in Old Town and everything is within walking distance.

Even if you are staying in New Town, you can take the shuttle for $5 per day or some other equally cheap price.

Disagree about not much to see. Aside from Bahia Honda, Mangrove Mama's is one of my favorite places to eat lunch in the keys.

don, I'm still rooting for you and that convertible