htown

Thanks! It isn't the end of the world if we don't get a convertible but thought it would be ideal to enjoy the trip. I'll take a look at the Costco and Expedia website.

tentseller

AARP Mustang Convertible (V6) @OGG 2 days @99/day basic Nov 2012 with Budget

philemer

Need a minivan (6 people & 6 suitcases) for Maui, 10/23>10/31. I've checked every site I know of and the lowest available now is $424, all in, using Chase UR pts. Let me know if, and where, you find something cheaper. Mahalo!!

[Edit: Autoslash.com got me a rate of $380 thru Budget. Getting better.]

Boraxo

See advice above. Book your best rate now as a backup, and keep checking every 2-4 weeks.

Just went through this drill again. 6-8 month advance weekly rate was $350 @Hertz, $270 @Alamo and $240 @Avis. About 8 weeks before my trip Hertz is now $220/wk all-in for intermediate. ^ But wait - it gets better. At the 2 week mark the rate is now $200 all-in +upgrade to premium car + 250 point bonus= Sweet!

PS Those daily rates are not too useful for comparison without the taxes, which often add $100 or more on a weekly rental.

PPS Hertz experience was awesome - best ever on Maui. No waiting, no nonsense at counter. If your vacation time is valuable may be worth a few extra $$ to go with Hertz over Avis, Budget, etc.

akr1970akr

I'm looking at a full size car at OGG via Costco in November for 5+ days.

Avis and Enterprise are coming up the cheapest at Costco @ 212 for the 5+ days, which seems reasonable to me.

Any thoughts / suggestions from the commentariat on who might be better/easier to deal with, or have better vehicles. We're over 25.

I have an Enterprise loyalty number, but nothing on Avis, and no status with either in any case.

Thanks in advance.

ILuvParis

I know not everyone has the time to check, but I've found that there are times when the rates stay the same for days and other times when they change more than once per day. I would check back as often as I thought of it. I recently got an 11 day rental for $196 (Enterprise) which, at one point was over $300. Also, Enterprise and National let you put the points on either program. I would pick the cheaper car.

heraclitus

Not sure if this is an option, but I went with http://www.discounthawaiicarrental.com/ as recommended by someone else in another thread (or maybe it was this one?).

Ended up with a Nissan Pathfinder or equiv. (I'm travelling with 3 adults and 1 child, so needed a SUV). Supplier is Thrifty, base rate of $235/wk. With extra days, taxes and fees, it came to $458 ai, which seems respectable based on what I've seen at OGG.

ILuvParis

Discount Hawaii and Costco are generally the two best options. I check both repeatedly when planning a trip to HI.

akr1970akr

thank you, going with enterprise....

got a full size for $212 for 5 days in Nov, all in

philemer

No love for Maui car rentals 1/23>2/6. Can't find anything under $500 (except the week I reserved long ago for $479). Yes, I've tried all avenues I could think of. Any ideas appreciated.

mr.brodie

I am biting my tongue but will observe that I noticed some unusually high prices and class unavailability situations in the Fall and you seem to have too. It is almost as if something or someone is dramatically trying to force (and not blinking) $up.

I just had a peek at your upcoming dates and it appears that “they” still aren’t blinking.

I don’t have an answer to your question, as I had no choice and just had to suffer through the nonsense. I will admit that I toyed with not having a rental car at all, for some of the trip. This would have been a first.

ILuvParis

Priceline has worked for me a few times, but unless you get a really low rate, it's usually better to have a cancelable reservation in case rates do actually drop. I usually try Priceline right before the trip and bid something below the best rate I've gotten through Costco or Discount Hawaii.

lhgreengrd1

The best strategy is to use Priceline and intentionally submit an extreme low-ball bid. After you fail with both an initial bid and a re-bid, you will then be offered the best price that Priceline will give you - but that's not what you should take: You will also be offered the best price that their affiliate car rental companies will offer directly - and unlike the Priceline options, these are fully cancellable, and in general, this is barely any higher than the Priceline opaque offer.

In the past, I went through this process about 3 different times, and continued to get lower rates each time, always cancelling the prior reservation upon getting a better one.

Currently, I am holding a cancelable Budget reservation for 8 days on Maui in Marchfor $29 per day + about $100 in taxes and fees, for a total of $334. This is within a few dollars of what I could have gotten non-cancelable with Priceline or Hotwire directly, and also about $95 less than any published cancelable rate anywhere else.

And if rates go down, I am free to cancel this and take advantage of the new lower rates. I'll try to re-book this at least 2-3 more times in the weeks leading up to my trip, first by going the Priceline low-ball bid route, and then taking the best cancelable offer from their affiliates. Previously, I found that the best rate came in 2-4 weeks prior to my trip - which might be a bit dicey to go for if I wasn't already holding the existing, cancelable reservation.

Cardboard55

Will the major rental companies like Hertz, Avis and National bring you a car and let you return it at a hotel where they don't have an official location? We usually just rent a car for a day or two at a time while we're on Maui, because we spend most of our time at the resort. I'm not sure which companies are on-site at the hotels we're staying at, but I'd like to stick with one of the three above since I have status with all of them. It would also be nice to rent a car on the day we're changing hotels so we could drive ourselves instead of getting a cab, but that would be a pain if we couldn't pick it up at the first hotel and return it at the second one.

Lowest price isn't our primary motivator; it's convenience.

philemer

No, they won't bring a car to your hotel, AFAIK. Call your hotels and ask if there is a car rental office on site, or close by. What hotels are you staying at?

Maui's rental rates are quite high right now but may not be when you arrive. I'd use cabs.