Cars at KOA (Kona International Airport, Hawaii)
Apr 18, 2018, 10:38 am
#121
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MCI
Posts: 698
Jun 10, 2018, 3:43 am
#122
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MCI
Posts: 698
Saturday at 10am.
Shuttle driver calls ahead to agent and I was met with the agent with my paperwork at the lot.
The lot was quite full and here are the selections:
2018 Mazda Miata MX-5 hardtop
Hyundai Santa Fe x2
Nissan Rogue x2
Dodge Charger
Chevrolet Impalas
Nissan Altimas
Toyota Camrys
Several other non-interesting usual FCAR sedans parked in front of the normal rows, likely expecting a rush later I assume. I didn't see a maxima or any PCAR/LCAR-esque sedans this morning. Aside from the Charger, seemed to be all Toyota/Chevy/Nissan.
Nissan Frontier x2 (1 was a PRO-4X, I assume the other was a SV 4x4)
Chevy Silverado 1500 4x4
Ford F-150 XLT 4x4
Dodge Ram 1500 4x4
All trucks are 4WD, 4-door crew cab
"upgrade" aisle by the exit:
Cadillac XTS
Jeep Wrangler
Mustang Convertible
Parked at the reserve spots at the far end: Suburban, Dodge Caravan (non available for EE to pick)
Agent said I can take any of the smaller SUVs (not the suburban), any FCAR, or any of the pick-ups or the Mazda.
Shuttle driver calls ahead to agent and I was met with the agent with my paperwork at the lot.
The lot was quite full and here are the selections:
2018 Mazda Miata MX-5 hardtop
Hyundai Santa Fe x2
Nissan Rogue x2
Dodge Charger
Chevrolet Impalas
Nissan Altimas
Toyota Camrys
Several other non-interesting usual FCAR sedans parked in front of the normal rows, likely expecting a rush later I assume. I didn't see a maxima or any PCAR/LCAR-esque sedans this morning. Aside from the Charger, seemed to be all Toyota/Chevy/Nissan.
Nissan Frontier x2 (1 was a PRO-4X, I assume the other was a SV 4x4)
Chevy Silverado 1500 4x4
Ford F-150 XLT 4x4
Dodge Ram 1500 4x4
All trucks are 4WD, 4-door crew cab
"upgrade" aisle by the exit:
Cadillac XTS
Jeep Wrangler
Mustang Convertible
Parked at the reserve spots at the far end: Suburban, Dodge Caravan (non available for EE to pick)
Agent said I can take any of the smaller SUVs (not the suburban), any FCAR, or any of the pick-ups or the Mazda.
Last edited by ginmqi; Jun 10, 2018 at 4:03 am
Jun 11, 2018, 10:27 pm
#123
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MCI
Posts: 698
Monday at 6pm.
The lot was absolutely decimated. Only a single lonely white Chevy Impala was there and in the far spots were the usual small and "midsize" pick ups : Nissan Frontier and Ford F150 and Chevy Silverado.
Though I did spot what looked like the new gen Expedition.
Upgrade/premium aisle seemed to have 2 430i and a 740i. A silver C7 Stingray Corvette parked off to the side was seen (not in any spots)
The lot was absolutely decimated. Only a single lonely white Chevy Impala was there and in the far spots were the usual small and "midsize" pick ups : Nissan Frontier and Ford F150 and Chevy Silverado.
Though I did spot what looked like the new gen Expedition.
Upgrade/premium aisle seemed to have 2 430i and a 740i. A silver C7 Stingray Corvette parked off to the side was seen (not in any spots)
Jun 12, 2018, 12:13 pm
#125
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MCI
Posts: 698
Good to now. I do see rental Expeditions driving around the island these days, but some are still the older gen.
FYI, I was chatting with the friendly return agent at KOA, and she said policy is to rent out the Corvette for 200-250/day (they have 5 total between them and enterprise). Said, if you do a high daily rate vehicle (say a Premium SUV or a Fullsize SUV) they'll just charge you whatever is the difference to make it up to that 200-250/day rate mark....interesting.
Jun 16, 2018, 12:39 am
#126
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: MCI
Posts: 698
Another quick weekend jaunt to the big island.
Friday at 730pm. Lot is fairly full, which was a pleasant surprise.
Many midsize/fullsize/premium cars to choose from: Chevy Impalas, Nissan Altimas, a Dodge Charger, Chevy Malibu
Nissan Rogues, Hyundai Santa Fe
Mazda Miata, Ford Mustang convertible (2018)
Ford Expedition (new gen), Ford Explorer, F-150s, Silverado
Many Dodge Grand Caravans
Cadillac XTS seen at front as well
Booked midsize, able to pick anything from the lot except larger SUVs and luxury and up cars.
Friday at 730pm. Lot is fairly full, which was a pleasant surprise.
Many midsize/fullsize/premium cars to choose from: Chevy Impalas, Nissan Altimas, a Dodge Charger, Chevy Malibu
Nissan Rogues, Hyundai Santa Fe
Mazda Miata, Ford Mustang convertible (2018)
Ford Expedition (new gen), Ford Explorer, F-150s, Silverado
Many Dodge Grand Caravans
Cadillac XTS seen at front as well
Booked midsize, able to pick anything from the lot except larger SUVs and luxury and up cars.
Jan 13, 2019, 7:43 pm
#127
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: USA
Programs: Chase Sapphire Reserve, WFBF
Posts: 1,573
I was here this week with a full size reservation. Saturday afternoon the lot was almost empty, I was offered any pickup truck I wanted as an upgrade or one of two Nissan Altimas. Took a Silverado crew cab 4x4 with 2k miles.
Wound up with a flat tire on the Silverado (bonus: changing the tire was super easy) and went back to exchange on Wednesday. This time there was more on the lot and I was offered any pickup truck I wanted or a choice of four almost identical Jeep Wranglers. Took one of the Wranglers (gray hardtop, 6k miles) and enjoyed driving it around the big island with the roof off. The toughest part was telling "my" car apart in parking lots from every other tourist who had rented a gray Wrangler.
Wound up with a flat tire on the Silverado (bonus: changing the tire was super easy) and went back to exchange on Wednesday. This time there was more on the lot and I was offered any pickup truck I wanted or a choice of four almost identical Jeep Wranglers. Took one of the Wranglers (gray hardtop, 6k miles) and enjoyed driving it around the big island with the roof off. The toughest part was telling "my" car apart in parking lots from every other tourist who had rented a gray Wrangler.
Jan 24, 2019, 8:38 pm
#128
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 561
Had a mid-size SUV reservation today 1/24. Lot was almost empty, and I was given three options: Yukon XL, Silverado, and Frontier. Given the big island doesn't have as annoying of a parking problem as Oahu, I happily took the Yukon XL, which is a great ride. But I guess some other travelers in the same situation could've been unhappy with not getting a normal-sized car. Other than these, the lot had 3-4 caravans and less than 10 normal sedans.
Mar 17, 2019, 11:27 am
#129
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: YBA / YYC
Programs: AS; Aeroplan; Hilton (Diamond); Marriott (Platinum);
Posts: 346
Thanks for everyone for their contributions to this thread. I'm an Exec Elite for the first time, and have a full-size reservation for KOA in early April. I'm actually gunning for a mini-van or full-sized SUV as we now have a total party size of 6. From reading this thread it would seem that the chances of picking up a caravan look pretty good, however I thought I'd check in and see if I'm right. Any recent DPs are appreciated.
May 5, 2019, 4:02 pm
#131
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Arizona
Programs: BA Gold, AA Plat, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Explorist, National EE, Hertz PC
Posts: 473
Executive Elite arrived 2pm on Saturday reserved full-size was offered a minivan or Altima, declined the minivan as there are only four of us and I don't want to spend the extra gas money. I inquired if it would be possible to have one of the many small suvs (eg: Ford Escape) as our luggage didn't fit in the Altima. The outside agent said the full-size was already an upgrade as I'm technically paying for one class less 
and said if I wanted a small SUV I would need to cancel my reservation and book the car I wanted. Loaded up the app to check the price on the midsize SUV, the rate was $2 more for the entire week. I went inside and asked them to cancel the current res so I could could book an SUV. Counter agent said that was ridiculous, brought me outside and gave us our choice of any midsize SUV.
and said if I wanted a small SUV I would need to cancel my reservation and book the car I wanted. Loaded up the app to check the price on the midsize SUV, the rate was $2 more for the entire week. I went inside and asked them to cancel the current res so I could could book an SUV. Counter agent said that was ridiculous, brought me outside and gave us our choice of any midsize SUV.
Jan 24, 2020, 8:37 am
#132
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Cockeysville, MD
Programs: Marriott Rewards Lifetime Titanium, Amex Plat, Hertz Gold 5*, National Exec, AA Plat
Posts: 9,467
I've only rented from locations with Emerald aisles-I am exec. I'll be renting from here in March and seems they only have counter service. Does that mean I only get the car I reserve or i get a choice limited to what they tell me is avail?
Jan 24, 2020, 10:00 am
#133
Join Date: May 2004
Location: YVR
Programs: AC 50K, WS Gold, Bonvoy Plat
Posts: 66
I just rented here this past week. When I arrived I proceeded to the counter where the employee took me out to the lot and said I could pick any of the vehicles in the SUV category which I had reserved. I am EE. Hope that helps.
Jan 24, 2020, 4:48 pm
#134
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Cockeysville, MD
Programs: Marriott Rewards Lifetime Titanium, Amex Plat, Hertz Gold 5*, National Exec, AA Plat
Posts: 9,467
Feb 7, 2020, 3:56 pm
#135
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 7,875
Yes, however I wouldn't recommend the Volt on Hawaii. I took it thinking it would offer me great gas mileage but I was wrong. It was more of a headache than anything else. You can only get about 30 miles on a full charge before switching over to gas. Not all charging stations are free on the Big Island, and charging at a hotel requires a fob from valet. On top of that the car itself couldn't handle the roads in Hawaii. It struggled to go up hill and then when it made it up the hill it kept screaming Propulsion Power Reduced even in mountain mode.