wharvey

In addition, check out www.autoslash.com. They have a way of finding coupons and rates to reduce a reservation.

hawaiimommy

Thanks I tried Autoslash.Best price through Auto slash is around $1000 for a full size SUV through Hertz. Minivan prices are really high.

Kevin Liu

Hello All, I was wondering whether anyone knows which rental car company allows to drive their 4WD up to Mauna Kea summit and Green sand beach
Trying to do figure out the best way to rent the car
thanks !

Executrip

Old thread...but..
Harper's is the only agency that will rent a vehicle for Mauna Kea Summit....with stringent guidelines ....and +++ $$
Can't think of an agency that will allow Papakolea trespassing.

Kevin Liu

thanks for the note, I just want to make sure that things haven't changed in last few years
probably walking only for papkolea ? lol

Executrip

Yeah, walking only... on a brutal one way trek to a so-so olivine beach...all the while leaving your vulnerable rental vehicle at the trail head.
Take a Pass.

bocastephen

None of the rental car companies "stamp" the contract with any prohibition about Saddle Rd or Mauna Kea - the standard contract caveat applies - no driving on unpaved roads. You can certainly drive to Mauna Kea visitors center, and if you have a 4WD SUV, you can probably go to the summit too, where you will likely see every size and type of rental car imaginable, contracts be damned, although the road from above the visitor's center to the summit is unpaved.

What you should not do is drive past the parking lot at Papakolea, given the deep sand and huge pot holes and ruts - that is a guaranteed problem. Plenty of people park there and make the walk, but it's a long walk and you want to make sure your rental car is totally empty and it's probably a good idea to leave the doors unlocked to prevent broken windows, although I've never had a problem there.

The walk is long, keep sunset time in mind, and hopefully the ladder at the very stop of the cliff is still there, so you can get down to the beach much easier than trying to climb through the stone gaps along the shore.

Kevin Liu

I see, I thought the contract itself is different
I suppose there are parking spaces are unpaved and I suppose I'm not allow to park on it as well :P

bocastephen

I haven't seen any modifications to the normal standard contract there in years....way back in the day they would print the contract and put a big stamp on it with the Saddle/Mauna Kea prohibition.

Mauna Kea visitors center is all paved including parking (except overflow parking), but I honestly can't remember if Papakolea parking is paved or gravel...either way, you'll still see lots of other rental cars there along with locals fishing the shoreline. I think Papakolea is beautiful to see at least once.

Mauna Kea summit should be a 4WD with LO gear specifically for the ride down where brakes can overheat quickly in the thin air and result in loss of control, which is really dangerous....but again I've seen everything up at the summit from 4WD to convertibles to old Ford escorts and Honda civics and everything in between....but "can" doesn't always equal "should".

IAN-UK

The dangerous bit, from the point of view of your contract with Avis et al, is that a short(ish) part of the road is unpaved AND you'd be operating against the advice of very clear notices posted at the visitor centre. The notices all but prohibit non-FWD.

However, this dare-devil rebel did it last month in an entry level cheapo rented car with only 2-wheel drive. I was more nervous driving through the cloud to reach the visitor centre: from there it was low gear driving up to the top, and then down again under beautiful clear skies: no particular problem except the ...... who tail-gated me down.

It took some figuring out how to engage low gears, but it was worth the 5-minute consultation with the user's manual.

Clearly, I'm not suggesting anyone should emulate my reckless behaviour.

Lavarock7

Big Island Resident here. Years ago I drove up to the summit with two friends in my Ford Ranger with 4-wheel drive.

As snow flakes started to fall rangers began closing the summit. We were one of the last vehicles to leave and as we started down, my brakes started acting funny. My foot went all the way to the floorboard and we kept moving. I pumped the brakes, switched to 4-wheel drive and continued, but those brakes caused me great concern. I had great anxiety when we reached hair-pin turns in loose gravel/cinders. At the visitors center we stopped to consider if we were going to be able to drive the rest of the way down. We did but with 4-wheel drive the whole time.

I can attest that I have NEVER been so scared in my life.

I would never head to the summit in less than a 4-wheel drive vehicle. You have no idea what shape a rental car is in...

Vehicles have been known to go over the side up there, especially at turns.

If you have to have a tow truck (because you are stuck or the vehicle stops running), the closest tow truck is in Hilo and very expensive.

udontknowme

The availability for sale of brake fluid at the Visitor's Center (not far from the freeze dried astronaut ice cream) attests to the significant number of people who boil their brakes dry descending the Observatory Road. Low gear in a high compression large cubic inch 4 wheel drive vehicle (with 4 wheel low engaged) and with minimal use of brakes is the way to go.

philemer

Time to refresh this thread.

Car rentals for January, 2019 are out of sight! I've tried all the websites I know about and nothing is less than $350 for a weekly rental at KOA. I've never seen it this bad. As I mentioned in another thread I may decide to use Uber/Lyft to get around town. We can walk into Kona from our condo so might be a good way to lose a few pounds. Any locals have an idea?

muran

If you are just going to stay in the immediate Kona area then I guess ride sharing or walking would work. I would just use the Uber estimator to decided on if it is worth it for what you want to do. You do not have to rent a car the entire time. I put some random address on Alii Drive to the airport and it was $25 each way. Honestly $50/day does not seem too unreasonable for that time of year.

philemer

I have NEVER paid $50/day on a weekly rental anywhere in HI during Jan/Feb. Supply is low and demand is high I guess. Uber/Lyft and Roberts shuttles I guess.