# OGG Rental Car - Playing with options



## UWSurfer (Jul 16, 2013)

I have a trip in the spring planned with four days on HNL, four days on Waikoloa & a week solo in Maui.

Spent $850 on airline ticket with the various island hoppers bouncing around, and while not a bargin fare, I figure its not too shabby considering it's at the times, seats and non-stop flights we want.

At this time it appears the rest of the family will fly home from Kona and I'll be solo for our week on Maui.   Compact rental car for the week at the airport through Costco is $319 which includes $93 of taxes & fee's.   If I'm willing to take a $2, 12 minute bus ride on public transit to the off-site Enterprise location I can save $40. 

I've been to OGG several times and normally with the family and luggage I'd say it's $40 well spent, but since I'm solo and will be traveling relatively lightly I'm thinking a $40 savings can be put toward another activity, meal, or toward the cost of the airfare.  

I've got another trip to Austin, Texas this fall where I'm saving $200 with the same approach...not that the OGG savings is close to that.

I'm curious, is this something you'd consider?  Has anyone here done this?


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## artringwald (Jul 16, 2013)

Have you tried the rates at Discount Hawaii Car Rental? You may get a better rate without having to take public transit to an offsite rental agency.


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## UWSurfer (Jul 16, 2013)

artringwald said:


> Have you tried the rates at Discount Hawaii Car Rental? You may get a better rate without having to take public transit to an offsite rental agency.



I havn't for this trip, but in past visits Costco's interface has always beat them.


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## Luanne (Jul 16, 2013)

For a Spring trip I think you're way too early to be seeing the best prices.

Personally I'd make a reservation now, then keep checking back with both Costco and discounthawaii. 

We're going to Maui end of August and up until just about a week ago I was still getting the best rate with Avis and a corporate discount.  But when I checked Costco my rate dropped by about $200 for the two week period we'll be using the car.  I plan to continue checking up until we leave to see if the price drops any further.


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## Passepartout (Jul 16, 2013)

We've used these guys successfully in the past: http://aloharentacar.com/#maui-compact-car-rental They pick you up at the airport or leave the car there after hours.

Jim


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## sjsharkie (Jul 16, 2013)

UWSurfer said:


> At this time it appears the rest of the family will fly home from Kona and I'll be solo for our week on Maui.   Compact rental car for the week at the airport through Costco is $319 which includes $93 of taxes & fee's.   If I'm willing to take a $2, 12 minute bus ride on public transit to the off-site Enterprise location I can save $40.
> 
> I've been to OGG several times and normally with the family and luggage I'd say it's $40 well spent, but since I'm solo and will be traveling relatively lightly I'm thinking a $40 savings can be put toward another activity, meal, or toward the cost of the airfare.
> 
> ...



I'd book now and keep checking rates with Costco and HI Discount Car Rental.  They have a good chance of decreasing as inventory becomes more predictable for the rental car company.  I suspect you'll end up saving more money that way.

If $40 savings is worth it to you, then go for it.  I find my time to be more valuable -- even going solo, that is going to cost you in time and public transit timetables are not generally reliable in Hawaii.  I value my time in Hawaii at more than $40/hr.  ($200 may be worth it for me if the transit is reliable.)

-ryan


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## Luanne (Jul 16, 2013)

I just checked Costco again.  Rates have gone back up at the end of August, so I'm glad I grabbed my reservation through them when I did.  I'm sure this isn't the last change that will happen between now and then though.


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## Kauai Kid (Jul 16, 2013)

Thanks for springing me out of inaction.  All Prices includes taxes and all fees. 

Discount Hawaii Intermediate booked today $560.83 

Discount Hawaii Compact booked 2-3 month ago $657.83

Costco Intermediate $835.80

$97 savings from what I had.



Mahalo,

Sterling


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## Luanne (Jul 16, 2013)

Kauai Kid said:


> Thanks for springing me out of inaction.  All Prices includes taxes and all fees.
> 
> Discount Hawaii Intermediate booked today $560.83
> 
> ...



Just about a month ago is when I changed my two week rental on Maui.  Original price was $525 with Avis.  Price through Costco with Alamo was $325.  I booked that.  Checking today prices with Costco are at the $525 mark!  Didn't bother to check discounthawaii.


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## slip (Jul 16, 2013)

I continue to check daily for my Maui trip on 11-28-13. I have two weeks right now at $528 all in through discount Hawaii. Costco has been over $600 but iWill continue to check them both all the way to pickup day.


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## daventrina (Jul 17, 2013)

*Kihei Rent A Car*

Check out Kihei Rent A Car
http://www.kiheirentacar.com/


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## UWSurfer (Jul 17, 2013)

What I found interesting was the difference in taxes & fee's. 

From the airport site it's $93.  From the off-airport site less than 2 miles away it's $31.  

The base rental is more expensive at the off-airport site by $22, making the savings $40.


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## sjsharkie (Jul 17, 2013)

UWSurfer said:


> What I found interesting was the difference in taxes & fee's.
> 
> From the airport site it's $93.  From the off-airport site less than 2 miles away it's $31.
> 
> The base rental is more expensive at the off-airport site by $22, making the savings $40.



Very common.

Generally speaking...In order to serve the airport (i.e. drive their shuttle onto airport property, use airport rental car shared facilities, etc.), rental car companies have to sign an agreement that generally tacks on extra fees.  Most common is some shared facility or rental car shuttle fee and airport taxes.

The flip side is most airport locations have high volume and are solely owned by the rental car companies.  This gives them economies of scale and generally lower rental prices.  Some of the non-airport locations are franchisee-owned, and they are smaller operations -- thus they cannot always match the lower prices of the airports.

-ryan


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## Kauai Kid (Jul 17, 2013)

Luanne said:


> Just about a month ago is when I changed my two week rental on Maui.  Original price was $525 with Avis.  Price through Costco with Alamo was $325.  I booked that.  Checking today prices with Costco are at the $525 mark!  Didn't bother to check discounthawaii.



Any particular reason you won't check discount hawaii?

I have got the best prices a few times with Costco but not often.

Sterling


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## Luanne (Jul 17, 2013)

Kauai Kid said:


> Any particular reason you won't check discount hawaii?
> 
> I have got the best prices a few times with Costco but not often.
> 
> Sterling



I do check discounthawaii.  When I made the lower rental ($355.17 for two weeks) I checked discounthawaii at that time as well as checking Costco.  All I meant was, I didn't check discounthawaii at this particular time.  

Okay, just for you I went and checked discouthawaii.  Best rate quoted for our dates (fullsize) is $546.38.

I will keep checking both Costco and discounthawaii up until our travel dates.  However, in the past I've found I've gotten the best rates through Costco.


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## Kauai Kid (Jul 18, 2013)

Luanne said:


> I do check discounthawaii.  When I made the lower rental ($355.17 for two weeks) I checked discounthawaii at that time as well as checking Costco.  All I meant was, I didn't check discounthawaii at this particular time.
> 
> Okay, just for you I went and checked discouthawaii.  Best rate quoted for our dates (fullsize) is $546.38.
> 
> I will keep checking both Costco and discounthawaii up until our travel dates.  However, in the past I've found I've gotten the best rates through Costco.




Mahalo for checking.

Do you have some sort of Super Platinum COSTCO card to get those low rates?  My experiences have been that usually , say 75% of the time, discount Hawaii beats them all including COSTCO.

Costco is building a new store close to where we live so I may be using them more frequently.

Sterling


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## Luanne (Jul 18, 2013)

Sterling, I just go to the Costco travel site.  I'm a regular member, nothing special.  But each time I've compared Costco with discounthawaii, Costco beats their price in the end.


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## riverdees05 (Jul 18, 2013)

Is is worth joining Costco for the savings on rental cars?  We are going to Maui next April and working with my daughter to pin down the exact dates.  The Grandsons are also going and it is their Spring Break but have talked about taking them out of school 2 or 3 days early since it is such a long flight from the Midwest/Midsouth.  Sound like I need to pin the dates down and start looking for a minivan and for flights!


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## Luanne (Jul 18, 2013)

riverdees05 said:


> Is is worth joining Costco for the savings on rental cars?  We are going to Maui next April and working with my daughter to pin down the exact dates.  The Grandsons are also going and it is their Spring Break but have talked about taking them out of school 2 or 3 days early since it is such a long flight from the Midwest/Midsouth.  Sound like I need to pin the dates down and start looking for a minivan and for flights!



I don't know if it's worth joining Costco just for the discounts on rental cars.  We have a membership because we shop there regularly.  So for us the additional discounts are just a bonus.

You can search the Costco travel site for rental prices just to see what you might save, but you can't book without your Costco membership number.


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## Chrispee (Jul 18, 2013)

I always find it surprising that there aren't more Priceline bidders on TUG.  With some perseverance I usually end up getting the best deal on Priceline, followed by Costco as a close second, and Discount Hawaii occasionally.


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## Luanne (Jul 18, 2013)

Chrispee said:


> I always find it surprising that there aren't more Priceline bidders on TUG.  With some perseverance I usually end up getting the best deal on Priceline, followed by Costco as a close second, and Discount Hawaii occasionally.



Priceline used to give me the best prices.  BUT, since you can't cancel or change them once you've paid, I always wait until the last minute to do the bidding. And what I've been finding the last few years is that I can't get a price through Priceline that beats what I've gotten through Costco.  The other negative for me with Priceline is that you usually don't get the second driver free.


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## UWSurfer (Jul 18, 2013)

daventrina said:


> Check out Kihei Rent A Car
> http://www.kiheirentacar.com/



Interesting.  Sort of a Rent-a-wreck sort of place.  

I can save $90 beyond my off-airport location & $130 from the best airport price IF I don't mind driving a 2004 Nissan Sentra.    Total price $193 for the week (& they have their own shuttle to pickup and drop off to/from the airport.   Probably the only issue is I'm not staying in Kihei so the drive would be a bit further.

As the website notes, you look more like a local and less like a target in one of their cars.   Considering my personal vehicles are older than this, I could drive a 10 y/o car provided it's actually reliable. 

(decisions, decisions.)


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## Luanne (Jul 18, 2013)

UWSurfer said:


> Interesting.  Sort of a Rent-a-wreck sort of place.
> 
> I can save $90 beyond my off-airport location & $130 from the best airport price IF I don't mind driving a 2004 Nissan Sentra.    Total price $193 for the week (& they have their own shuttle to pickup and drop off to/from the airport.   Probably the only issue is I'm not staying in Kihei so the drive would be a bit further.
> 
> ...



My brother in law decided to go the "cheap" route on one of our joint trips to Maui.  I don't remember who exactly he rented through.  On the plus side the car was large enough to hold all 6 of us when we'd go out.  On the minus side he'd have to go out, start it up, and let it warm up a bit.  Oh yes, and there was also the time he went to adjust the rear view mirror and it fell off in his hand.


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## UWSurfer (Jul 18, 2013)

They get 4-1/2 stars on Yelp with 18 reports.   Several mentioned mechanical problems & old car oddities but great follow-up service.  Most had no issues.  

One guy gave them a one star after having them repo his car after a disagreement.

I put in a reservation request and will continue to check my other options (Costco, Priceline, Discount Hawiian Car Rental) as we get closer to the date.


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## sjsharkie (Jul 18, 2013)

I think you'll find something better in that price range closer to your trip. Keep checking Costco and discount hi - but at least you have a backup plan for now. 

Ryan

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 4 Beta


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## daventrina (Jul 19, 2013)

Surprisingly ... we found the best rate on a mid-size SUV through Hawaiian one day when checking for a price drop on tickets. They had a button for add car ... Turned out to be the best price we were able to find by quite a margin.

Doesn't hurt to check all options...


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## taffy19 (Jul 19, 2013)

riverdees05 said:


> Is is worth joining Costco for the savings on rental cars? We are going to Maui next April and working with my daughter to pin down the exact dates. The Grandsons are also going and it is their Spring Break but have talked about taking them out of school 2 or 3 days early since it is such a long flight from the Midwest/Midsouth. Sound like I need to pin the dates down and start looking for a minivan and for flights!


We checked both last year and ended up with Discount Hawaii as Costco was more expensive for the four weeks we needed the car.

We usually use Alamo direct but they were more expensive last year and we ended up with a Budget rental car.  They tried very hard to make us upgrade to a bigger car but we prefer a smaller car but big enough to put the luggage in the trunk.  

When we were driving on one of the roads, where you are not supposed to drive, the branches were still touching the side of our little car so we stopped going further as we didn't want to scratch the car.


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## AbelowDS (Jul 20, 2013)

4 bucks, a half hour of your time, all while schlepping luggage to save $36.  To each his own, but if someone walked up to me and said "I'll pay you to take two bus rides and use up a half hour of your time, probably more while you wait forth the buses. I'll give you $36 - oh I need you to lug this suitcase along with you"  I'd politely decline.

That time (especially in paradise) HAS TO BE worth more than that $36


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## Jwerking (Jul 20, 2013)

We are recently retired and going to Hawaii for 2.5 months from Dec thru February - yippee!.  Will be on HNL for 10 days, Xmas and NY weeks in Kauai, and Jan/Feb on the Big Island.  Based on Tugger advice, started checking car rental rates in February at Discount Hawaii, Costco, USAA, and Hawaiian Airlines.  I would rebook if the rate was lower and I believe at the end, we ended up with Discount Hawaii.  

I am still checking periodically, but rates have gone up esp for the 2 holiday weeks on Kauai.  We have a full size reserved for $520 and current rates are $1200 - 

Ten days in HNL are currently $335 and 2 months at KOA at $1713.

Not cheap, but hey, we will be in Hawaii for most of the winter.  We can economize by cooking our meals!  Would have stayed another month - but $$ are not limitless.


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## Luanne (Jul 20, 2013)

I think I've mentioned that our current reservation on Maui is with Alamo through Costco.  My younger dd said "But I thought you didn't like Alamo?".  I told her to save $200 I liked them just fine.


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## Luanne (Jul 27, 2013)

Kauai Kid said:


> Any particular reason you won't check discount hawaii?
> 
> I have got the best prices a few times with Costco but not often.
> 
> Sterling



Just a follow up.  I checked discounthawaii yesterday.  Instead of using the "confirm now" option I tried the option where they select the best price for you.  They were still coming up with a price of around $550.  I email back and told them I wanted to cancel the reservation they made (with Enterprise) as I currently had a much lower rate elsewhere.  I got a very nice email back from them asking what my rate was and telling me they likely could find me a better rate.  I sent an email back telling them my rate was $355.  Got another nice email back telling me to have a nice visit to Maui.


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