Cars at LIH
Jun 7, 2016, 11:19 pm
#76
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Binghamton, NY
Posts: 26
When I was a kid, around 15 years ago, the first car my dad had back in Russia was a 1989 VAZ 2106, which was actually developed back in the 1970s. As compared to that car, all modern cars are great
Jul 17, 2016, 1:49 am
#77
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Binghamton, NY
Posts: 26
OK, picked up my car today. Got to the National parking lot around 2pm; a lot of people were heading to Enterprise at the same time, but I was the only person at National. They had no cars at all in the Emerald Aisle, so they told me to choose any car from the Executive Aisle. They had a couple of Mustangs, a 3-door Jeep Wrangler, a Jeep Compass, and a Buick LaCrosse.
I was looking for a 4- or 5-door car because I was going to use a car seat for my son, so I was choosing between the Compass and the LaCrosse. Got inside the Compass but did not really like it, so decided to go with the LaCrosse. Given that I expected that I would get something like a Nissan Altima or a Chevrolet Malibu, the LaCrosse seems to be a very good outcome.
I was looking for a 4- or 5-door car because I was going to use a car seat for my son, so I was choosing between the Compass and the LaCrosse. Got inside the Compass but did not really like it, so decided to go with the LaCrosse. Given that I expected that I would get something like a Nissan Altima or a Chevrolet Malibu, the LaCrosse seems to be a very good outcome.
Jul 17, 2016, 9:37 pm
#78
Join Date: Nov 2009
Programs: National Exec, HA Pualani Gold
Posts: 599
Enjoy Kauai.
Aug 14, 2016, 2:44 pm
#79
Join Date: Dec 2014
Programs: UA 1K, SPG Plat
Posts: 38
Arrived around 2100 on Saturday night, they apologized they'd just let the last SUV go.
(Think we were the last mainland (SFO) flight to land)
Plenty of Convertible choices (2 Camaros on the lot) offered to get a mustang if we wanted.
4 other Full size 4-doors on the lot, too jetlagged to remember which
Offered to swap for anything else within the first 24h if we weren't happy.
Took a Camaro, after driving to the hotel, something with softer suspension might be an idea - may call back today and see what the story is.
(Think we were the last mainland (SFO) flight to land)
Plenty of Convertible choices (2 Camaros on the lot) offered to get a mustang if we wanted.
4 other Full size 4-doors on the lot, too jetlagged to remember which
Offered to swap for anything else within the first 24h if we weren't happy.
Took a Camaro, after driving to the hotel, something with softer suspension might be an idea - may call back today and see what the story is.
Sep 1, 2016, 8:08 am
#80
Join Date: Dec 2014
Programs: UA 1K, SPG Plat
Posts: 38
Called back around mid-day Sunday, they had 1 Patriot and 1 Compass, and a few more full-size options.
Swapped for a Patriot - not ideal but I think the Camaro wouldn't have enjoyed the rest of the trip
Asked about Wrangler's - was told they were booked up and very unlikely, same for other SUVs.
---
I had a quick look when returning the car.
There were quite a few 4x4 trucks (F150s etc) - would have been an interesting alternative to a Wrangler perhaps.
Leaving (Thursday Afternoon) comprised of:
3 x Pickup / Trucks ( 1 x F150, RAM 1500, Nissan Frontier)
1 x Jeep Patriot
2 x Full Size
3 x Mid size
Swapped for a Patriot - not ideal but I think the Camaro wouldn't have enjoyed the rest of the trip
Asked about Wrangler's - was told they were booked up and very unlikely, same for other SUVs.
---
I had a quick look when returning the car.
There were quite a few 4x4 trucks (F150s etc) - would have been an interesting alternative to a Wrangler perhaps.
Leaving (Thursday Afternoon) comprised of:
3 x Pickup / Trucks ( 1 x F150, RAM 1500, Nissan Frontier)
1 x Jeep Patriot
2 x Full Size
3 x Mid size
Nov 22, 2016, 8:58 pm
#81
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Lihue, HI, USA
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold 75K; Delta Silver Medallion (1MM); Hilton Gold; Marriott Gold; National Executive
Posts: 1,111
I've had a light year for car rentals this year, so I'm doing a few one-day rentals toward the end of the year in order to maintain my Executive status. Today at about 4:45 PM, I returned a car to the co-located Enterprise office that I rented when I flew back from Oahu yesterday, and picked up a car from National. I had a compact reservation, as it was cheapest and I didn't really care how nice of a car I had to drive the 30 miles round trip for errands and work until tomorrow.
The lot was full (which isn't saying much given the small size of the lot). I walked toward the gate attendant, and she stepped out and said, "take anything from the first three rows (the two Executive rows and the one Emerald row, about 15 cars). I asked her if it mattered what class my reservation was for and she said no. The selection was decent, but nothing especially exciting. The cars were as follows:
2 Nissan Altimas
3 Hyundai Sonatas
1 Jeep Cherokee
1 other Jeep, I think another Cherokee
4 or more Impalas
1 Nissan pick-up (Frontier probably)
One or two other sedans
I took a relatively new Jeep Cherokee since I hadn't driven one yet. Definitely an upgrade from the Hyundai Elantra that I had just dropped off to Enterprise.
Note that October through mid-December is one of the best times to rent cars on Kauai. The car rental companies typically get rid of old cars after visitor counts drop off at the end of the summer. Then a slow trickle of new cars comes in for a few months leading up to approximately December 20, when the peak two weeks for visitors comes around. Every company has a surplus of cars this time of year, with the possible exception of this week (Thanksgiving week). But Thanksgiving numbers aren't nearly as high overall as Christmas numbers.
My time of arrival was also good. There is a string of 5 to 6 mainland flight arrivals at LIH between about 11 AM and 3 PM, and then a big gap until 3 or 4 more flights come in between 8 PM and 11 PM. Thus there are typically plenty of cars available during the 4 PM to 8 PM window (and the 3 evening flights often aren't enough to diminish the availability too much later in the evening).
Bottom line, if there are plenty of cars on the lot at the time of your arrival, talk to the person at the booth (there often isn't anyone else out on the lot) to see what they will let you take, regardless of what is in EA or ES. Most of the time, I think that EA customers will be able to take ES customers. On the other hand they are usually protective of the vehicles on the long row against the far fence as you walk into the lot, those are the vehicles being held for people with high-end reservations.
The lot was full (which isn't saying much given the small size of the lot). I walked toward the gate attendant, and she stepped out and said, "take anything from the first three rows (the two Executive rows and the one Emerald row, about 15 cars). I asked her if it mattered what class my reservation was for and she said no. The selection was decent, but nothing especially exciting. The cars were as follows:
2 Nissan Altimas
3 Hyundai Sonatas
1 Jeep Cherokee
1 other Jeep, I think another Cherokee
4 or more Impalas
1 Nissan pick-up (Frontier probably)
One or two other sedans
I took a relatively new Jeep Cherokee since I hadn't driven one yet. Definitely an upgrade from the Hyundai Elantra that I had just dropped off to Enterprise.
Note that October through mid-December is one of the best times to rent cars on Kauai. The car rental companies typically get rid of old cars after visitor counts drop off at the end of the summer. Then a slow trickle of new cars comes in for a few months leading up to approximately December 20, when the peak two weeks for visitors comes around. Every company has a surplus of cars this time of year, with the possible exception of this week (Thanksgiving week). But Thanksgiving numbers aren't nearly as high overall as Christmas numbers.
My time of arrival was also good. There is a string of 5 to 6 mainland flight arrivals at LIH between about 11 AM and 3 PM, and then a big gap until 3 or 4 more flights come in between 8 PM and 11 PM. Thus there are typically plenty of cars available during the 4 PM to 8 PM window (and the 3 evening flights often aren't enough to diminish the availability too much later in the evening).
Bottom line, if there are plenty of cars on the lot at the time of your arrival, talk to the person at the booth (there often isn't anyone else out on the lot) to see what they will let you take, regardless of what is in EA or ES. Most of the time, I think that EA customers will be able to take ES customers. On the other hand they are usually protective of the vehicles on the long row against the far fence as you walk into the lot, those are the vehicles being held for people with high-end reservations.
Last edited by PDX-RDM-AVL-TPA; Nov 23, 2016 at 1:09 am Reason: Added more detail
Nov 27, 2016, 1:38 pm
#83
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Paradise
Posts: 144
I'm back at LIH and the shuttle driver told everyone to proceed straight to the back lot and pick anything we want. I wonder if it's non-busy season and they're just giving everyone access to everything on the lot or if everyone on the shuttle just happened to be Executive status (we all checked in by name as we boarded the shuttle).
Nov 29, 2016, 2:15 am
#84
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Lihue, HI, USA
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold 75K; Delta Silver Medallion (1MM); Hilton Gold; Marriott Gold; National Executive
Posts: 1,111
I picked up another rental at LIH on Saturday morning at about 10:30. This was shortly before the first mainland flight comes in, so the lot was full. I was looking for an SUV. Again they told me to take anything in the first two rows (ES and EA rows). There were almost as many SUVs on the lot as sedans. I didn't pay much attention to the sedans, but I think they were mostly Impalas, Sonatas, and Altimas. My choices of SUVs were:
2 Jeep Patriots
3 Hyundai Santa Fes
1 Hyundai Tucson
1 Chevy Equinox
I really liked the Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk that I had earlier in the week, but their were no Cherokees available. I first chose the Equinox as it had power seating and felt more comfortable overall. I got as far as the exit gate and even had my contract. But before driving out, I was trying to pair my phone. The phone list was full of course, and when I selected the other phones and deleted them, nothing seemed to happen. So I handed the contract back, and picked up the lowest mileage and nicest smelling Santa Fe on the lot. I put over 180 miles on it in two days driving my parents to various sights, roughly equivalent to twice the distance from the end of the road on the northwest side of the island to the end of the road on the southwest side of the island.
When I returned the car, I noticed that they had a whole line of Jeep Wranglers lined up near the return area (not in either the Enterprise or National lots for cars available to be rented). I haven't seen a Jeep Wrangler in the available rental lot any times I've visited over the past two weeks. I'm thinking that they keep the Jeeps in the special area off to the side, and only pull them out when someone has a Jeep reservation. The day I rented, I called the office to ask about the potential for getting a Jeep Wrangler, and the person I talked to said that I could potentially ask the manager for a Jeep. In the end I decided not to do that, as I realized that a Wrangler would be less comfortable than something like the Santa Fe, Equinox, or Cherokee.
2 Jeep Patriots
3 Hyundai Santa Fes
1 Hyundai Tucson
1 Chevy Equinox
I really liked the Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk that I had earlier in the week, but their were no Cherokees available. I first chose the Equinox as it had power seating and felt more comfortable overall. I got as far as the exit gate and even had my contract. But before driving out, I was trying to pair my phone. The phone list was full of course, and when I selected the other phones and deleted them, nothing seemed to happen. So I handed the contract back, and picked up the lowest mileage and nicest smelling Santa Fe on the lot. I put over 180 miles on it in two days driving my parents to various sights, roughly equivalent to twice the distance from the end of the road on the northwest side of the island to the end of the road on the southwest side of the island.
When I returned the car, I noticed that they had a whole line of Jeep Wranglers lined up near the return area (not in either the Enterprise or National lots for cars available to be rented). I haven't seen a Jeep Wrangler in the available rental lot any times I've visited over the past two weeks. I'm thinking that they keep the Jeeps in the special area off to the side, and only pull them out when someone has a Jeep reservation. The day I rented, I called the office to ask about the potential for getting a Jeep Wrangler, and the person I talked to said that I could potentially ask the manager for a Jeep. In the end I decided not to do that, as I realized that a Wrangler would be less comfortable than something like the Santa Fe, Equinox, or Cherokee.
Last edited by PDX-RDM-AVL-TPA; Nov 29, 2016 at 11:12 am
Nov 29, 2016, 3:11 am
#85
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Paradise
Posts: 144
I picked up another car at LIH on Saturday morning at about 10:30. This was shortly before the first mainland flight comes in, so the lot was full. Again they told me to take anything in the first two rows (ES and EA rows). There were almost as many SUVs on the lot as sedans. I didn't pay much attention to the sedans, but I think they were mostly Impalas, Sonatas, and Altimas. My choices of SUVs were:
2 Jeep Patriots
3 Hyundai Santa Fes
1 Hyundai Tucson
1 Chevy Equinox
I really liked the Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk that I had earlier in the week, but their were no Cherokees available. I first chose the Equinox as it had power seating and felt more comfortable overall. I got as far as the exit gate and even had my contract. But before driving out, I was trying to pair my phone. The phone list was full of course, and when I selected the other phones and deleted them, nothing seemed to happen. So I handed the contract back, and backed up and picked up the lowest mileage and nicest smelling Santa Fe on the lot. I put over 180 miles on it in two days driving my parents to various sights, roughly equivalent to twice the distance from the end of the road on the northwest side of the island to the end of the road on the southwest side of the island.
When I returned the car, I noticed that they had a whole line of Jeep Wranglers lined up near the return area (not in either the Enterprise or National lots for cars available to be rented). I haven't seen a Jeep Wrangler in the available rental lot any times I've visited over the past two weeks. I'm thinking that they keep the Jeeps in the special area off to the side, and only pull them out when someone has a Jeep reservation. The day I rented, I called the office to ask about the potential for getting a Jeep Wrangler, and the person I talked to said that I could potentially ask the manager for a Jeep. In the end I decided not to do that, as I realized that a Wrangler would be less comfortable than something like the Santa Fe, Equinox, or Cherokee.
2 Jeep Patriots
3 Hyundai Santa Fes
1 Hyundai Tucson
1 Chevy Equinox
I really liked the Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk that I had earlier in the week, but their were no Cherokees available. I first chose the Equinox as it had power seating and felt more comfortable overall. I got as far as the exit gate and even had my contract. But before driving out, I was trying to pair my phone. The phone list was full of course, and when I selected the other phones and deleted them, nothing seemed to happen. So I handed the contract back, and backed up and picked up the lowest mileage and nicest smelling Santa Fe on the lot. I put over 180 miles on it in two days driving my parents to various sights, roughly equivalent to twice the distance from the end of the road on the northwest side of the island to the end of the road on the southwest side of the island.
When I returned the car, I noticed that they had a whole line of Jeep Wranglers lined up near the return area (not in either the Enterprise or National lots for cars available to be rented). I haven't seen a Jeep Wrangler in the available rental lot any times I've visited over the past two weeks. I'm thinking that they keep the Jeeps in the special area off to the side, and only pull them out when someone has a Jeep reservation. The day I rented, I called the office to ask about the potential for getting a Jeep Wrangler, and the person I talked to said that I could potentially ask the manager for a Jeep. In the end I decided not to do that, as I realized that a Wrangler would be less comfortable than something like the Santa Fe, Equinox, or Cherokee.
Last edited by Twixboy; Nov 30, 2016 at 1:08 pm
Mar 29, 2017, 4:29 am
#86
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Paradise
Posts: 144
Got back to LIH this week and walked up to see an empty lot. The attendant quickly came over and apologized. There were only Jeeps available in the back lot, so I took one of those. I'm actually a lot happier with the 4 door Wrangler than the 2 door I got last time. This one has a good size trunk that fit my whole family's luggage. The 2 door I got last time couldn't fit more than 2-3 carryons in the trunk. The larger SUV also feels more sturdy and doesn't like to dart all over the road like its little brother does.
Apr 2, 2017, 3:49 am
#88
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Paradise
Posts: 144
Does anyone else smell something funny in the cars from National Lihue? It's almost like a new car smell, but it's musty. I've smelled it in all the cars I've rented here, whether it had 100 miles or 15,000 miles on the odometer. I might've gotten used to the smell, but when I return here from another city my nose becomes sensitive to it again. You can also smell it on your clothes at night after spending a couple hours in the car. I was thinking maybe National applies a roach spray to the interior of all their cars since roaches are a big problem on this island. I've already rented 2 roach infested vehicles from this location in the past year. Any thoughts on this?
Apr 4, 2017, 11:15 am
#89
Company Representative - National Car Rental
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 47
National Cares
Twixboy,
We’ve noted your comments and we would like to have the opportunity to speak with you further. Please send a detailed email to [email protected] include the exact rental location, your contact telephone number, your rental agreement or reservation numbers and any further information regarding this.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Carol H.
Social Monitoring
We’ve noted your comments and we would like to have the opportunity to speak with you further. Please send a detailed email to [email protected] include the exact rental location, your contact telephone number, your rental agreement or reservation numbers and any further information regarding this.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Carol H.
Social Monitoring
Apr 4, 2017, 2:59 pm
#90
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Paradise
Posts: 144
Twixboy,
We’ve noted your comments and we would like to have the opportunity to speak with you further. Please send a detailed email to [email protected] include the exact rental location, your contact telephone number, your rental agreement or reservation numbers and any further information regarding this.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Carol H.
Social Monitoring
We’ve noted your comments and we would like to have the opportunity to speak with you further. Please send a detailed email to [email protected] include the exact rental location, your contact telephone number, your rental agreement or reservation numbers and any further information regarding this.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Carol H.
Social Monitoring
I was just curious if anyone else noticed the smell that I'm talking about since I've had dozens of vehicles from this location leave the same exact musty smell on my clothing. Again, not a problem since I wash my clothes after wearing them
