Maui Car Questions

[Former Cruiser]

No charge for car at MOC if you're a Marriott owner, correct?

Budget Car Rental is over $300 cheaper than the others when booking a convertible. Any feedback from those that have used Budget in Maui would be appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[tynian16]

I was there in May and not charged.

 

[BocaBoy]

No charge for car at MOC if you're a Marriott owner, correct?

Correct. Also no parking charge for II exchangers or renters from owners.

 

[melissy123]

The II confirmation still has a notation showing a charge for self-parking. I got nervous and called the resort again to check that no charge for exchangers.

 

[crf450x]

Have rented from Budget on all of the islands many times and it is our preferred rental agency. Make sure to join their fastbreak loyalty program which makes the rental experience quick and efficient.

 

[Big Matt]

Used Budget on Maui and got an SUV that was real convenient on some of the windy roads. Easy to deal with. Second the Fastbreak idea.

 

[s1b000]

Watch out, i'm on Maui this week and rented from Budget. Wasted an extra half hour at the airport picking up my car because the first car did not have a working touchscreen. I later discovered that the car i ended up with didn't have a trunk that locked. I won't be renting from them again.


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[BocaBoy]

I later discovered that the car i ended up with didn't have a trunk that locked. I won't be renting from them again.

I hope they don't discover the broken trunk lock, or they will likely try to charge you for breaking it. Bogus rental damage assessments (at most rental car companies from what I can tell) are out of control.

 

[s1b000]

Ugh thanks for the heads up


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[silentg]

So, what is best car rental in Maui? Not staying at a Marriot?

 

[Denise L]

So, what is best car rental in Maui? Not staying at a Marriot?

We use Costotravel car rentals and most often pick Alamo. We have had good experiences with them for the past 26 years, usually. I think we used Budget last year...probably okay but less cars to choose from. It didn't help that our flight was 14 1/2 hours late arriving .

I think AVIS is normally fine, too. I have an Enterprise and Alamo reservation for next February, and when it gets closer, I keep checking prices and pick the best one and then cancel whatever I don't need.

 

[BocaBoy]

We use Costotravel car rentals and most often pick Alamo. We have had good experiences with them for the past 26 years, usually. I think we used Budget last year...probably okay but less cars to choose from. It didn't help that our flight was 14 1/2 hours late arriving .

I think AVIS is normally fine, too. I have an Enterprise and Alamo reservation for next February, and when it gets closer, I keep checking prices and pick the best one and then cancel whatever I don't need.

I would take the best deal from among Budget, Avis, Hertz, National and Alamo. I would never use Enterprise because of their reputation (much worse than the others) for bogus damage claims. This comment is not Maui-specific.

 

[Big Matt]

Just remember that:
Hertz owns Dollar and Thrifty
Enterprise owns National and Alamo
Avis owns Budget

I've always been loyal to Avis and Budget. I've had great experiences and customer service. Hertz and their brands run their cars into the ground. I've had very sleazy experiences with both National and Enterprise.

 

[gmarine]

I generally use Enterprise and Avis but have used all of them at some time or another. I've never had a problem with any of them. I use who has the best price and/or who has an on airport location. Enterprise was last years JD Power top rental car company for customer satisfaction.

 

[n777lt]

A hint for no matter what company you deal with at OGG- let one person go get the car WITHOUT taking any luggage, and then drive around to load up everyone else and luggage at the Arrivals area. Why? Because the shuttle buses get jammed with people lugging 28-inchers, car seats and golf bags, and at some point, a person or two without luggage can squeeze on when those with luggage have to wait for the next bus. You get your car faster, and by the time you drive around, the rest of your party has retrieved the checked bags.

 

[snowgoose]

777 offers a good suggestion. We also use that method when returning a car - drop passengers and baggage off at departures (they then use skycaps to get baggage checked and boarding passes) while I return the car.

We always use Costco, is consistently the best rates and additional driver is free.

Stopped using Thrifty as their service sucks. Their service number is mainland and they will not give you a local (Hawiian) number to call. All the other agencies have local numbers. Thrifty gave us bad info, no help and hung-up when they didn't like our questions.

Have never used Hertz as they are always the highest price.

 

[Luanne]

We use that method as well. Dh goes to get the car while I round up the luggage. This only backfired on us one time (on Maui) when dh couldn't get on a shuttle to the rental car company. I had the luggage and was out to the curb before he'd even left the airport to get the car. We both ended up going, and hauling the luggage with us.

Just checked Costco today and rates for the Big Island in April just dropped again.

 

[NTP66]

I've wound up with Budget a number of times, as they always seem to come in the lowest, and have never had an issue. If it helps, I've also used Discount Hawaii Car Rental (http://www.discounthawaiicarrental.com/) each and every time, and highly recommend them. They've always got me better pricing even when I use rate/coupon codes that I've found online. You can always cancel the contract before your trip if you do wind up getting a better deal on your own, too.

 

[Harry]

After 20 years of HI car rental experience we usually find Budget is the best deal. However some of the vehicles have been rent a wrecks but we really do not care. It is fun for us to have locals believe we are from HI

Harry

 

[Johnsp]

Stayed at MOC last week and rented a Budget car through Costco. We arrived at 2:30 in the afternoon when several other flights also arrived. Budget was overwhelmed with so many arrivals at once. I spent over an hour between waiting in line and then waiting for a car just returned to be washed and cleaned. Because they were short of cars in my category, I got a 2 car upgrade for free so I can't complain too much. The car was almost new too. My wife was waiting at the airport with the luggage but she was a good sport about it. Fastbreak would have saved about 20 minutes if I had it. The Fastbreak people go through a different door that puts them at the front of the line. Depending on your arrival time, you may have a wait for your car.

 

[cali-gal]

I've used Autoslash.com for Maui car rentals, and they've beat Costco thus far. They keep checking for price decreases, and it's fun to get emails indicating a price deduction has occurred-- it's like winning the lottery, lol.

I concur with having just one person pick up the car, and we've done it that way for years. I can take a restroom break, grab a coconut mocha Frappuccino at the Starbucks, and read a magazine. Much less of a hassle and way more enjoyable.

 

[winger]

I've used Autoslash.com for Maui car rentals, and they've beat Costco thus far. They keep checking for price decreases, ....

I've been using Autoslash for a few years and noticed that they do NOT always find lower costs for you. If you are diligent in checking around on a regular basis, there is a good chance you will something lower.

 

[Luanne]

I've used Autoslash.com for Maui car rentals, and they've beat Costco thus far. They keep checking for price decreases, and it's fun to get emails indicating a price deduction has occurred-- it's like winning the lottery, lol.

I concur with having just one person pick up the car, and we've done it that way for years. I can take a restroom break, grab a coconut mocha Frappuccino at the Starbucks, and read a magazine. Much less of a hassle and way more enjoyable.

I have an Autoslash search going for the Big Island. So far Costco is still lower, and dropping.

Also, you need to be careful with Autoslash as there could be an additional driver charge. So, factor that in when you get your quotes.

 

[Ken555]

Stayed at MOC last week and rented a Budget car through Costco. We arrived at 2:30 in the afternoon when several other flights also arrived. Budget was overwhelmed with so many arrivals at once. I spent over an hour between waiting in line and then waiting for a car just returned to be washed and cleaned.

This is why Budget is my last choice on Maui.


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[NTP66]

Not for nothing, but it takes all of 5 minutes to sign up for Budget's FastBreak, and you get to skip that long line. In and out in minutes.