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Which Vehicle Most Fun on Maui:Convertible or Midsize SUV

Carol C

Carol C

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OK another question...this time about which vehicle to rent on Maui. Haven't been on the Hana hwy in decades so clueless about how narrow it is, whether a midsize SUV would handle well on sharp curves, etc. Rental company says their midsize SUV is Chevy Equinox or equivalent...I don't own SUVs so I'm wondering how this would handle.

Then there's the option of a convertible for about the same price. Top down on Maui seems awesome, but will we freeze our asses off atop Haleakala?

Also would a midsize SUV drink up more gasoline than a convertible like a Sebring? Oh, what are approx gas prices at the pumps on Maui and BI these days?

TUGgers rock! Mahalo to you all! :cheer: <-- a kine hula
 
Convertable.:whoopie:

Our last trip to Maui we rented a Mustang (THE rental convertable) and drove the Hana highway all the way around. Our weather was pretty good & the top was down except for a short bit when it started to rain. The views are awsome with the top down. However, don't leave anything in the car. We had sweatshirts stolen when we parked & did a short walk out of sight. An SUV is unnecessary. We also had the top down for a drive up Haleakala. It was freezing! But if you have warm clothes on you'll be fine. Thank goodness we did the volcano the day before our sweats were stolen
 
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If it's just the two of you, I'd go for the convertible. Unless, of course, you get car sick. Being low to the ground makes me feel barfy.

Also, if you have more than two people, I'd go with the SUV for the luggage room.
 
If its just two people, a convertible is probably the most "fun" even if perhaps not the most comfortable (depends on how big and tall you are and if you like wind in your hair).

If you get cold or it starts to rain ( a likely occurrence on your way to Hana) you can always put the top up and you should be OK.

If any more than two people are going, then go for the SUV. This summer I drove to Hana with several people in the Pontiac equivalent of an Equinox and there was absolutely not problem. The road has many curves but is not that narrow that even a full size SUV like a Ford Expedition, would have any problem. I would not want to be the one sitting in the back seat of any of the typical rental convertibles.
 
Mid-sized SUV? Fun? That's a contradiction of terms, unless maybe it's an X5 or Cayenne. Get the convertible!
 
We have rented compacts, mid-sized, convertibles, full sized vehicles on Maui. All were good, BUT the vehicle that was the most fun was a soft top Jeep. The next time the wife and I go back, it's going to be a Jeep we're driving while there. Easy to drive, easy to park, and tons of fun with the wind blowing what hair I have left.:banana:
 
We had a mustang conv last summer on Oahu. It was fun, but the road noise is terrible, especiaLLY on the freeways. Also, if it is really hot, watch for excessive sun. I don't think its all that great!
 
I've always wanted to rent the convertible but when we had a chance to rent one a couple of trips back for a really good price, my DH talked me out of it. He had heard about all the breakins and tops being slashed with convertibles and didn't want to have to worry about it. So... we haven't tried one - I guess I'm not sure why I responded since I don't have an opinion :(
 
Born2Travel said:
I've always wanted to rent the convertible but when we had a chance to rent one a couple of trips back for a really good price, my DH talked me out of it. He had heard about all the breakins and tops being slashed with convertibles and didn't want to have to worry about it. So... we haven't tried one - I guess I'm not sure why I responded since I don't have an opinion :(
Click to expand...

You responded because you're a nice person and you wanted to share some of the considerations folks put into these things. So thank you...and thanks everyone who posted. Even though we got kinda burned by a rental company when we rented a convertible in Sedona, we've decided to give it another go on Maui. I'll let ya know how it all goes! :hi:
 
Mrs. C and I love the convertibles on Hawaii. The only downside we see is the trunk space -- we usually have to put one suitcase in the back seat of the car, since the trunk is quite small.

But that's only a concern on the way to and from the airport.

And being a convertible, it's easy to get the suitcase in and out of the back seat (at least it is with the top down).
 
tiger1210 said:
We had a mustang conv last summer on Oahu. It was fun, but the road noise is terrible, especiaLLY on the freeways. Also, if it is really hot, watch for excessive sun. I don't think its all that great!
Click to expand...


Never again with the convertable in Hawaii! Anything of interest and we will park and just walk around to look!

We went to Kauai for nine days back in 2003 for a softball(fast pitch) tournament with our daughters sixteen and under team and it was not fun!:rolleyes:

We had about eight families get the convertables and two were broke into and radios stolen along with some of their items.:doh:

The worse part was the heat and we owned a 2000 Mustang Conv at the time in N.CA and still hated it. It was so bad that the hotel would bring our car up and laugh when they would ask if I wanted them to put the top down when they went after it. After the second day we would say leave it up and have air on full blast.:eek:

Even the few times we had the top down it was for short period and just not worth it to us!

The year before 2002 we spent a week in Maui and had a convertable and same thing, it was hot then few miles away you get rain and had to stop and put top up. Going to dinner and top down and it was nice but you only drove few miles then had to put the top back up. :whoopie:

We were so sick of these cars we went home and traded our Mustang in on a SUV.

I think th worse thing in Kauai was some of us had to make second trip to airport because we couldn't fit all the bags and softball equip.
 
Our friends rented a convertible mustang the week we went to Kauai and I think the thought of having a convertible in Hawaii was better than the actual reality of it. Our friend (who is very fair skinned) got so burned from driving in the convertible that after the first couple of days he never took the top down again. My husband has a jeep and when he takes the top off in the summer our little ones get exposed to too much sun if we get caught in traffic (which happens much more frequently than we'd like in Southern California) so we keep our family trips to a minimum in his jeep. Plus if you're not used to the noise of driving in a convertible it really is rather distracting, and if you're driving over 25 mph your hair is blowing in your face and getting in your mouth and eyes. I used to love my convertible Mustang when I was a single 20 yr old. Now I prefer quiet, AC, comfortable rides in my SUV and not having to worry I'm frying my little ones in the back seat or that they are tossing their things out the side of the car :)
 
We were on Maui back in October and had a little PT Cruiser covertible, my wife's choice. Not all luggage would fit in the trunk so some wound up in the back seat. It was a blast with the top down for a week.
 
Thanks everyone for the tips...we went with a convertible and the only problem was the locals knew ours was a rental and we got lots of stinky eye in the rural parts of Maui. But we met nice folks too...and we saw some spectacular scenery, especially on the West Maui circuit drive, those infamous one lane, narrow roads atop the island (oh yeah, and they really do have falling rocks...those signs do not lie!) :eek: That drive made the Hana Hwy seem like a walk in the park, a piece of cake, easy as pie...get it? For adventure, drive the circuit we took for the total white-knuckle adventure of a lifetime! LOL

Oh and speaking of Hana...check out the "Best BarBQ" stand, family run, around MM 11 near Gardens of Eden. It's a yummy barbque indeed, and Jesse and his wife and kids are very nice folk.

Aloha and mahalo to all who helped me plan our trip...just got back on redeye last night...time to catch up on ZZZ's. :wave:
 
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