Most visitors to Maui will rent a car for at least part of their stay and compared with a many other tourist destinations, Hawai`i rates are usually quite affordable. Now, “affordability” does depend on what you rent. In most cases, if you want a, Jeep, Hummer of Jag, etc., you’ll obviously pay a premium. Personally, I’ve never understood renting an exotic car on Maui–there’s no place you GO FAST. Jeeps have a really crappy ride, there not good for locking your stuff in, the gas mileage sucks and most rental agreements forbid you from driving them off road. Drop-tops are the big profit center for the island vehicle rental biz, and being a Miata owner, I do understand the draw. You will, obviously, pay a premium for your sunburned pate.
Regardless of what you’re looking for in vacation wheels, here are a few tips:
- Compare vendor prices:Even with the consolidation of rental car companies (Enterprise now owns National and Alamo, Avis owns Budget), competition between brands is aggressive. If a car’s not on the road, it’s not generating revenue. Websites like Expedia and Travelocity are good places to start your search and offer good hints as to where the hot deals may be hiding.
- Use your memberships:I frequently find the Costco deals are the best, but there are lots of other options including AAA, AARP, AOPA, American Cat Fanciers Association, etc.
- Book early and recheck rates every couple of weeks:Rates fluctuate and it has all ways appeared to me that current fares are set based on anticipated demand. If bookings for a period aren’t what they were project to be, it’d make sense to reduce the price.
- Extras: Schlep your GPS, use the liability coverage of your personal car insurance, gas it up before you return it. It’ll save you a bunch of dough.
Have any tips? Please post your comments.
When we come to Maui, we always rent offsite, non-chain rental cars. They are usually older, clean enough, and they pick up at the airport. Their onsite is in Kihei. We’ve never had a problem. The price is much, much better than the chains.