# 4-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited rental on Kauai



## dive-in (Aug 30, 2013)

I understand that inventory may change before our trip next June, but are there any car rental companies on Kauai that rent the 4-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited?  We'll have four people plus luggage so the two door version isn't an option.  My guess is that they are a premium but I haven't been able to figure out who might have them nor how much they would be. 

Thanks,
Darrell


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## DeniseM (Aug 30, 2013)

We get the best price on a Jeep from - http://discounthawaiicarrental.com/


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## Luanne (Aug 30, 2013)

This notice is currently on the discount Hawaii car rental website:

Please Note:  There has been a recall on all 2 and 4 door Jeep Wranglers. You may get a substitute vehicle during Aug. or Sept. until the car companies get parts and get them all fixed.  Sorry for the inconvenience.


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## daventrina (Aug 31, 2013)

dive-in said:


> We'll have four people plus luggage so the two door version isn't an option.



The 4-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited still doesn't have a lot of room...


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## dive-in (Aug 31, 2013)

Thanks all.  I'm assuming the recall will be dealt with by next June.  

The space is a potential issue.  My son is 6' 3', 250, so it is definitely a concern.  The rest of the family is more normal sized.    That and maybe the price are what's probably gonna be the deciding factor against the Jeep.  One of the appeals is the option to take the doors and top off.  Is that an option with the rental vehicles, or, do the restrict that with the rentals?  

Also, as a business traveler, I have several rental car memberships with Hertz, Budget, National, etc.  If I use Discount Hawaii Car Rental, for Brand X, when do I find out who Brand X is?  

Mahalo, 
Darrell


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## DeniseM (Aug 31, 2013)

The doors do not come off - I would not get a soft top.  I'd get a hard top which has a large lift-off sun roof.  The soft tops are a hassle to put on and off when sudden rain showers come up and that happens every day.  Also, you have zero security with a soft top and we find that after a long day outdoors, we don't want any more sun.


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## Passepartout (Aug 31, 2013)

I suppose it's just me, but I've never been so particular as to REQUIRE a certain car/model/trim level in a rental. I reserve a size that works and take what they have available. And I darn sure don't obsess over it in public forum 10 months before I need the rental. But that's just me.


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## Fisch (Aug 31, 2013)

Passepartout said:


> I suppose it's just me, but I've never been so particular as to REQUIRE a certain car/model/trim level in a rental. I reserve a size that works and take what they have available. And I darn sure don't obsess over it in public forum 10 months before I need the rental. But that's just me.



Good to know


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## LisaH (Aug 31, 2013)

DeniseM said:


> We get the best price on a Jeep from - http://discounthawaiicarrental.com/



Good website! I have made a reservation for our Oct trip...Thanks!


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## daventrina (Aug 31, 2013)

Passepartout said:


> I suppose it's just me, but I've never been so particular as to REQUIRE a certain car/model/trim level in a rental.


Sometimes it matters ... and sometimes it doesn't.

A 2-wheel drive whatever they happen to give us just sometimes won't cut the mustard Especially on the BI (see below).
On Kauai only twice did we get limited where we could go because we only had an AWD Vue.

On Kauai, you may find an AWD Escape will best suit your needs. The top doesn't come down (and we did miss that but it wasn't worth the extra $1400 and would have been a very snug fit for 4 with dive gear), but there will be a lot more room for people and stuff. That is what we used on Maui last year and were able to carry 5 people and dive gear for 7. A JEEP Compass may be a little on the snug side. We had our choice, but passed on that for the Escape.




P7240137y by dntanderson, on Flickr




P7250014y by dntanderson, on Flickr




hi06721 155 by dntanderson, on Flickr




P7290059y by dntanderson, on Flickr


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## daventrina (Aug 31, 2013)

DeniseM said:


> Also, you have zero security with a soft top


True, but one shouldn't necessarily expect that a hard top or trunk will necessarily provide much more security either unless you are extra careful. 

Don't park and then put stuff in the trunk and then expect it to be there when you return. Bad people are very skilled at popping the trunk/door open. If one decides to risk putting valuables in the trunk, hide them like under the spare, at a location far away from where you will park.

We were worried about leaving our BC/Reg in the JEEP for short periods. We did lock them to the rollbar with a cable bike lock and they were ok. Many times we were surprised to find our backpack still in the JEEP untouched, but we did leave them open so that you could see that there was nothing of value and used ones that were not fancy or worth the trouble to take on their own account.

_The bottom line is don't leave anything valuable in the car and expect it to be there when you get back. You will likely find the item gone and the window broken. We usually just leave the car unlocked._



DeniseM said:


> ... we find that after a long day outdoors, we don't want any more sun.


Or at the peek of the day when we tended to have it up and then down in the late afternoon/evening when the sun didn't beat on you so much. One can get a LOT of sun even if it is overcast.


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## dive-in (Sep 3, 2013)

Passepartout said:


> I suppose it's just me, but I've never been so particular as to REQUIRE a certain car/model/trim level in a rental. I reserve a size that works and take what they have available. And I darn sure don't obsess over it in public forum 10 months before I need the rental. But that's just me.



I don't normally REQUIRE a particular car/model/trim level of a rental either, but since it's probably the last big trip to Hawaii as a family as this is a high school graduation trip I'll do my best to plan something special given the parameters of MY family's needs.  I don't call it obsessing, I calling it trying to plan a special trip.  That's just me.  Next time, try the old adage of walking a mile in the other man's shoes before making inane comments.


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## dive-in (Sep 3, 2013)

DeniseM said:


> The doors do not come off - I would not get a soft top.  I'd get a hard top which has a large lift-off sun roof.  The soft tops are a hassle to put on and off when sudden rain showers come up and that happens every day.  Also, you have zero security with a soft top and we find that after a long day outdoors, we don't want any more sun.



All things I've considered except the daily rain showers.    We'll probably just go with a standard SUV.  A little more security, more room, and cooler.


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## DaveNV (Sep 3, 2013)

LisaH said:


> Good website! I have made a reservation for our Oct trip...Thanks!




Lisa, I've found the best way to get a great deal on a rental car is to pit Discount Hawaii Car Rental against Costco. One or the other will have a pretty good rate, probably better than even Priceline or Hotwire can come up with, and you don't have to prepay the rental. The trick is to keep checking, because rental rates can change daily.

One example:  I'm going to Santa Fe next month, and I'd had a car reservation through Costco for a long time.  I kept comparing rates, and each time I found a better rate, I reserved that one, and cancelled the previous reservation.  One day there was a sale on Intermediate SUVs for the dates I'll be traveling, and I ended up with one for my trip, at a rate less than one third of current rates.  And it's much cheaper than even a small economy car would rent for.  If I hadn't kept checking, I would have missed the sale.  

Dave


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## Chrispee (Sep 3, 2013)

Passepartout said:


> I suppose it's just me, but I've never been so particular as to REQUIRE a certain car/model/trim level in a rental. I reserve a size that works and take what they have available. And I darn sure don't obsess over it in public forum 10 months before I need the rental. But that's just me.



Normally I don't care either, but Kauai is one of those places where there is a huge difference in mobility between a Wrangler and a Rav4.  There are plenty of off-roading trails that would not be easily accessable in a regular SUV.  Heck, even the drive to Polihale beach can be a challenge (depending on the weather) if you're not in a good off-road SUV.


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## daventrina (Sep 3, 2013)

Chrispee said:


> ... but Kauai is one of those places where there is a huge difference in mobility between a Wrangler and a Rav4. ...


Second probably only to the BI.



dive-in said:


> ... I'll do my best to plan something special given the parameters of MY family's needs.  I don't call it obsessing, I calling it trying to plan a special trip. ...


If ya don't mind the extra $$$ and maybe an extra trip from the airport to move stuff ...
The is "cool" (temperature) and there is KOOL (as in awesome) It's Hawaii not Las Vegas and we didn't bake when we had a Wrangler ...

Go for KOOL 

(Drop the kids at a nearby beach ... Pick-up luggage ... take to resort ... pick-up kids)

If you don't have to carry around dive gear for 4 all the time there should be room for traveling around.



dive-in said:


> ...  Next time, try the old adage of walking a mile in the other man's shoes before making inane comments.


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## BJRSanDiego (Sep 3, 2013)

*What have I been missing?*

I'm wondering what fun I have been missing getting cars that weren't made to be driven off-road?  

I've driven all around the island of Kauai and I don't recall that I felt like I needed an off-road vehicle.  I recall that most roads were nicely paved.  There were only a couple of times when we drove on a dirt road for a couple hundred feet to a beach.  Even though those short sections were dirt, they were as hard as asphalt and not terribly rutted.

So, is it really much of a restriction to have a regular vehicle or conversely, what have I missed that I could only see and experience with an off-road vehicle?  

BTW, the worst vehicle that I had on Kauai was a new red Mustang convertible (with a racing stripe no less!)  I was forced to lower the top in order to get my wife's oversized suitcase in the backseat.  There was no way it would go into the trunk and wouldn't fit through the door opening either.

Perhaps it is "just me", but I think that if I had 4 people (some large ones) with lots of luggage that I'd just rent a Plymouth voyager type of minivan.


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## DeniseM (Sep 3, 2013)

There's lots of opportunity for off-road driving on Kauai.  It's great and messy fun, but if you get stuck, you will pay big bucks to get yourself pulled out.  At the Koke'e Museum, in Waimea Canyon, you can buy a map book showing all the 4WD roads on Kauai.


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## Fisch (Sep 3, 2013)

BJRSanDiego said:


> I'm wondering what fun I have been missing getting cars that weren't made to be driven off-road?



Alot......


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## Luanne (Sep 3, 2013)

BJRSanDiego said:


> I'm wondering what fun I have been missing getting cars that weren't made to be driven off-road?



You and me both.   Dh and I are on the Big Island right now very happily driving around a Chevy Cruze, with a sunroof.   We had a larger car on Maui since both of our dds were with us.  It got us everywhere we wanted to go....the beach, sightseeing, out to eat.  Also not really willing to pay the extra for a specialty vehicle.


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## daventrina (Sep 4, 2013)

DeniseM said:


> ... but if you get stuck, you will pay big bucks to get yourself pulled out. ...


e.g. maybe not the best place to learn.

At home we have a winch, anchor, hi-lift jack ...
In Hawaii ... we're EXTRA careful...



BJRSanDiego said:


> I'm wondering what fun I have been missing getting cars that weren't made to be driven off-road?
> 
> I've driven all around the island of Kauai and I don't recall that I felt like I needed an off-road vehicle.


Driving all around the island isn't the same as driving all over the island...



Luanne said:


> You and me both. ... Dh and I are on the Big Island right now very happily driving around a Chevy Cruze, with a sunroof.


"It's a JEEP thing ..."
All of the neat places here:

Pu u Alii



q7240168y by dntanderson, on Flickr
(this one you might get to in a car if one is VERY careful and experienced)

Waipio Valley



P7250355y by dntanderson, on Flickr




hi08-718a 026 by dntanderson, on Flickr
(of the three times we have been here ... we shared it with one other couple for a while ... otherwise have always had it to our self)

Road to the sea



P7240189 by dntanderson, on Flickr
(Had to share this nice beach with one couple all the way at the other end)

At the end of what is described as a nasty 4-wheel drive road in Hawaii Revealed



hi06721 194 by dntanderson, on Flickr
(not for the untrained)

Pine Trees



hi06720 068 by dntanderson, on Flickr




hi08-718a 027 by dntanderson, on Flickr

The road is marked with the white coral on the black lava...



hi08-718a 022 by dntanderson, on Flickr
(some experience probably a good idea)

Some folks book tours ... sometimes ... we book a JEEP...

There are other places ... but these .. we usually have to our self or share with few others.


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## daventrina (Sep 6, 2013)

This spot turned out to be more risk that we wanted to try in our Saturn Vue. 
Not that we couldn't get across ... but that with the rain the water may rise and we wouldn't be able to get back....




hi090307_6780 by dntanderson, on Flickr




hi090307_1785 by dntanderson, on Flickr


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Sep 6, 2013)

daventrina said:


> e.g. maybe not the best place to learn.
> 
> At home we have a winch, anchor, hi-lift jack ...
> In Hawaii ... we're EXTRA careful...



A trick I learned from a geophysical drilling contractor who got stuck in the San Francisco Bay mudflats on one of my projects. All you really need is a string rope and something strong that you can pull against, as you would use if you had a winch.

You tie off one end of the rope to your anchor.  You attach the other end of the rope to an axle or driveshaft with a good friction knot.  Then you engage the drive and wrap the rope around the axle, pulling the vehicle forward exactly as would occur with a winch.  When the rope on the axle gets so thick that it can't clear the chassis, you stop, manually unwrap the rope, retie, and repeat as necessary.

How to winch without a winch.


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## daventrina (Sep 7, 2013)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> A trick I learned ...How to winch without a winch.


Interesting trick. The Pilot doesn't have a winch ... hope we don't need it but nice to know...


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## billymach4 (Sep 8, 2013)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> A trick I learned from a geophysical drilling contractor who got stuck in the San Francisco Bay mudflats on one of my projects. All you really need is a string rope and something strong that you can pull against, as you would use if you had a winch.
> 
> You tie off one end of the rope to your anchor.  You attach the other end of the rope to an axle or driveshaft with a good friction knot.  Then you engage the drive and wrap the rope around the axle, pulling the vehicle forward exactly as would occur with a winch.  When the rope on the axle gets so thick that it can't clear the chassis, you stop, manually unwrap the rope, retie, and repeat as necessary.
> 
> How to winch without a winch.



Sounds like a good solution.... But some axles have a rubber boot over the u-joint or cv joint. I guess if you are stuck in the mud the axle and boot are expendable.


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