# Renting a Jeep in Maui



## pcgirl54 (Jan 24, 2008)

4 more months to go.First Hawaii trip for empty nesters. DH wants the thrill of driving a Jeep and windblown hair. We want to go to Hana.

I have read prior posts and know some of you booked Hawaii sites rather than the brand rental companies. I checked and it is about $80 cheaper but we are leary of the unknown.  It's $406 w /taxes for a week for a softtop Wrangler through Hertz with AAA rental code no PC code. Higher at other sites and with other codes. Figured I better book it as it's a holiday weekend and keep looking.

Is Costco that much cheaper to offset the member fee. I have no other need to shop at Costco.

Full size cars are $280. Rented a Mustang on Marco and was very uncomfortable I could just about see as the seats are low. It seemed much more fun at 20 than 50.

Besides theft and rain and not leaving anything in the car for theft reasons are there any minuses to using a Jeep Wrangler?

Thank You


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## DeniseM (Jan 24, 2008)

I assume you are talking about a Jeep soft top?  One big disadvantage to a Jeep is that you have to physically snap the top on and off - it takes a few minutes.  It gets old real fast.  And the way the weather changes in Hawaii, you will probably have to do it a lot.  Rain comes up out of no where, and some places it's real hot and you need the shade, and then when you go out to dinner, you will want it back up so your hair doesn't blow off your head.  You don't really need a Jeep on Maui as far as rough roads or that type of thing.  You can probably find some, but they would be way off the beaten path.

We have rented Jeeps, Mustangs, and Sebrings.  Pushing a button in a convertible is a whole lot easier.  A Sebring Convertible that many companies offer is a lot bigger and more comfortable than a Mustang, if you are looking for alternatives.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Jan 24, 2008)

Have you checked Hotwire?  Tried any Priceline bidding?


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## Palguy (Jan 24, 2008)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> Have you checked Hotwire?  Tried any Priceline bidding?



Even after you have reserved your ride you might want to go to Priceline the day before you leave and put a bid in for about 15%-30%less than the listed price. It has worked for me the last 2 times I have done it. The companies know how much excess inventory they will have at that point and will gladly rent to you at a much lower price. Must be last minute though, but you can cancel your previous reservation at any time. 

I made a proposal the day before leaving on Priceline for an intermediate size car for 8 days at $16 a day and it was accepted by Alamo. Total charges including taxes $185.48. That's $29.15 or 14% less than the total of a previous reservation made with Alamo back in August. I wish I had gone $14 a day now.:whoopie: 

Tom Steele
Charleston, WV


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## hibbeln (Jan 25, 2008)

We rented a jeep on Maui in July of 2005.  For the life of me, I can't remember what the rental agency was, but it was very inexpensive.  It was family run and they picked us up at the airport and drove us to their place which was closer to Wailea.  Nice folks.  Wouldn't hesitate to use them again.

Here were our thoughts on jeeps.
Remember we were there in JULY.....height of summer.  We had a soft top that wrapped around the back as a back window, but I think it had no sides.

1.  It could get very chilly at night driving, even with the soft top up.  This was very noticeable when we drove back and forth along the coast between like Lahaina and Wailea.  Now we had 2 smallish kids sitting in the back,and the heat from the heater didn't reach them.  I searched Lahaina for sweatshirts for them (no such thing in July) and ended up buying beach towels for them to use as blankets.  So they drove around Maui wrapped in beach towels at night.  Now that wouldn't be a problem if it was just the two of you.
2.  Brrrrrrrrr.  It was also DANG COLD up on Haleakala with a jeep.  Again, if you have one with sides and keep the heater going, the front seat folks will be OK.
3.  It rained all the way to Hana and then for about 10 miles past Hana.  It was kind of a fluke of a storm, but my kids got SOAKED in the back.
4.  Realize you can't lock anything up in a jeep, so no leaving your purse or shopping bags or anything else that might look attractive in there.  This wasn't a problem for us.
5.  Nice thing was our jeep was already so banged up it didn't matter for tight packing if someone winged us with a door!
6.  In tight parking spots, we could park in the littlest space and hop over the sides without opening a door!

We enjoyed the jeep.  It was an interesting experience.  But I wouldn't do it again *if I was going to have people riding in the back seatbecause it tended to be too wet or cold if the weather turned inclement.*


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## LisaRex (Jan 25, 2008)

I like being up high (car sickness) so we compromised and got an SUV.  It rained for most of the Hana highway (it's so lush and beautiful because it's a rain forest), so I'm not sure a Jeep would be very practical.

Costco gives good rates, but more importantly it gives you one additional driver for free.  Most companies charge a fee (around $10/day) for an additional driver.  That adds up.  If you'll never switch drivers it's not so important.

National, however, lets your spouse drive free if you join Emerald Aisle (which you can join for free by going to places like MouseSavers.com).


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## travel girl 2 (Jan 25, 2008)

We rented a Jeep Christmas 06 for our family of 4 through National. It was a BLAST! It rained on us once, used Safeway bags under rears to keep clothing dry.

Kids were cold in the back, but hey - they are kids!   so - we used towels etc. to stay warm.

Didn't do the road to Hana - long story...next time!

We had a great time and hubby want to buy one when we got home - NOT! We live in Seattle and a Jeep with a soft top would be enough to kill me here!


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## hibbert6 (Jan 28, 2008)

*Extra Driver*

Enterprise doesn't charge for a spouse driving, at least not in the contiguous 48 states.  You might ask about Hawaii, though.  

Dave


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## rnsnake (Feb 1, 2008)

We rented a Jeep soft top from Thrifty. It was a blast!  Taking the top down or putting it up was no biggee and we loved having the top down for the Hana trip.


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## pcgirl54 (Feb 2, 2008)

Thanks everyone for your input. It does matter. 

This was one of DH's requests for this trip so I think we'll keep the reservation for now. 


  I do not like the thought of not being able to leave things in a car or a trunk and I think that is going to be a big pain in the neck. I would not mind a convertible or mini SUV.


I just need a PC code to go along with the CDP code I have to lower the rate.


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## LisaRex (Feb 2, 2008)

pcgirl54 said:


> I do not like the thought of not being able to leave things in a car or a trunk and I think that is going to be a big pain in the neck. I would not mind a convertible or mini SUV.



FYI, theft is a big problem on Maui. Visitors are highly discouraged from leaving anything in your trunk. Common advice is to simply leave your car unlocked to prevent thieves from damaging your car in order to see what's inside.  

Apparently rental cars are extremely easy to pick out in a crowded parking lot and the thieves target these cars.  When I went on our Pacific Whale Watch foundation snorkeling trip, the ladies in the shop told us that someone had just gotten an expensive camera stolen out of their car the day before.  It happened in broad daylight. 

I'll leave cheap items in the car, such as beach towels or food, but I always bring a backpack on hikes and/or an AquaPak (waterproof fanny pack) at the beach to hold my valuables.


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## daventrina (May 24, 2008)

travel girl said:


> W
> We had a great time and hubby want to buy one when we got home - NOT! We live in Seattle and a Jeep with a soft top would be enough to kill me here!


You could get both -  A hard to for winter and a soft top for summer......


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## pcgirl54 (May 24, 2008)

We are in Maui now flying out tonight. The Jeep is a blast. I am so so glad we rented one. Dollar had great rates including taxes/fees.

We have had no issues and we have been out 10-12 hrs every day. We leave the top down and nothing but a grocer lined bag with drinks and snacks in the jeep. We take the camera and related things in the backpack every time we leave the jeep. It can be a pain but riding around the island has been so much fun it is worth the extra care.

Thanks to all who gave input.

We have had such a wonderful time here. Maui is wonderful. No crazy cities to deal with and no commuter traffic. Beautiful scenery and everywhere is so clean.

And yes,now we want to buy a Jeep. DH has been surfing ebay. We live in the Northeast so I think until we move to HHI in a couple of years we won't be getting one now.  

We rented a Mustang in Florida which I thought would be fun. It was not a convertible and being of short stature it just killed my back and I felt closed in. The new Jeep has contured seats that did not hurt my back at all.


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