Do I need a V6 on Big Island?
 

Do you think an Intermediate rental car would be fine for these destinations?

Planning on going to the VNP and Mauna Kea VIS (not doing Saddle Rd) in December. It's been recommended that I get something bigger than the lowest level rental car, and that makes sense to me.

The price difference for the exorbitant week-long car rental ($100/day!!) isn't much overall so it isn't rental cost I'm concerned about. I want to balance having enough power to get up the mountains with fuel costs and more importantly, not driving around a huge boat on mountain roads and in town. (We used to driving smaller cars.)

We usually just rent a compact and have had no problems with it in the past (just 2 of us). The rental sites list it as Economy > Compact > Intermediate > Fullsize. Hoping we can just get an Intermediate but if we need V6, we'd have to rent a Fullsize.

Any suggestions/insights much appreciated - enjoy-la!

Parking a large car on the Big Island would be a pain, I think. Most rental cars you will see on the road are small sedans. We always rented a smaller car, but we didn't take any mountain roads.

I'd be surprised if any full size car is a V6 these days.

Well I know parking a large car in midtown Manhattan can be a pain, and a lot more expensive than a smaller car, but on the island of Hawaii? Please explain.

You don't need a V6. A V4 may lag a little on steep inclines but it will be fine.

Thx a mint for all the replies!

I don't know much about cars so looked in the "details" part of Budget which gave breakdowns of what to expect btwn classes, and it listed V6 so that's why I put it there.

Was more concerned about driving on narrow roads, than parking.

WhereAreWe, ahhh, peace of mind - thx!

So appreciative of the help on these boards. :) Enjoy-la!

We explored the island rather extensively and never had a problem in our convertable parking or climbing hills. Not a lot of narrow roads that I recall either. Not like the West End Maui drive, or the road past Hana. The only reason to me for upsizing is personal comfort since if you are like us, you will be putting in some major miles.

I drove around the Big Island with a huge Ford Explorer and then a Minivan with no issues at all. In fact, if there is an island to drive a big car, the Big Island is the place to do it! Wide expanses of road which go on and on...so you might as well have a comfortable, sturdy car. The only time where the roads got narrow was probably when going up the Kona Coffee belt, or driving through Ali'i drive in Kailua-kona - but honestly, not a big deal. Intermediate car would be fine, but wow, 100/day rental? I have never paid that much. ARe you going during the holidays? If not, you may want to try priceline or hotwire...

Well, it's fairly easy to explain. Parking a bigger car is a PIA no matter where you are. But it's especially difficult in places like Hawaii, where parking lots and beach areas can be jam-packed with rental cars.

Try discounthawaiicarrental.com
They rent from the majors, last trip to Kauai I got a great car from Avis thru them.

Yes, unfortunately our dates include 10 days pre & post-Christmas dates.

I'll monitor HW & PL but their rates were higher. I'll also look at the "buy now" feature on car rental sites when the date is nearer.

jamie99, thx for that link. I was using that and have it down to $73/day - still MUCH higher than I'm used to. I've always heard everyone say Hawaii is expensive. :(

Enjoy-la!

Check out Costco. We rented an SUV for a week on the Big Island for $235 through them. Great deal.

Whatever you do, book something asap. There are a finite number of rental cars on TBI and I have heard stories of people waiting too late during the holiday season and being completely out of luck. Having to rent trucks from UHaul or post ads on Craigslist to find a car for their stay.

taitai, thx a mint for the info. We're not Costco members so never thought of them - checked them out just for fun and they were $25 cheaper. Good to know. I did book a cancel-able one but will still watch for a better rate, now knowing it's not likely to come up...just a bit OCD ;)

Enjoy-la!

We rented a Mazda for a month and we drove the whole island (did not go to Mauna Kea VIS ) with no problems. We enjoyed the ride the Mazda gave us and it was considered an economy car.
Just be sure to make a reservation. Our son came for a visit, he and his friend wanted to strike out on their own for a day and had to pay $200.00 for ONE day. We called every rental place available and non were available for the day they wanted. He ended up going to one of the resort hotels and paying that awful price!

There is no problem taking an economy car to any of those places you have mentioned.

You don't need a V6 (if it is even available) and you certainly don't need 4WD.

Yes, you are renting over the very most expensive time of year.

No one has mentioned the cost of gas. It is quite a bit higher than you might be used to paying. A smaller car gets better gas mileage and a larger one "might" require high test, which would be even more $$.

You should join Costco; not sure if member car rental prices are lower than the $25 saving you found. They have the lowest priced gas on the island. Also, you can buy snacks, water, beach toys etc and MACADAMIA nuts there at great prices. You will surely make upt he $55 cost to join and you can use it at home when you return.

Deb, we joined Costco before going to Hawaii for the savings in gas and imagine our surprise that we could not buy it. You have to have a Costco CREDIT card, not just a Costco card. It was still good for us as we used it for groceries and liquor.

Uh, we don't have a COSTCO credit card. We use AMEX card, both here on mainland and on BI. You can also use a debit card, I believe.

Ummm DH waited in line and was planning on using his MasterCard and said he was rejected.

Correct, no mastercard or visa CREDIT card. It has to be AMEX [any AMEX card works] or Costco credit card.

Debit cards are ok.

Good info for people to have. Thanks Deb

I buy my Costco gas with my bank VISA ATM.

DebitNM, thx for the Costco suggestion. The price I found was the member price - I think only members are allowed to book. I just looked to see if it would be worth getting a membership again. We were members when we lived in a different locale. I had read that Costco was one of the least affordable places for mac nuts - and we need to get a LOT of them for gifts (I planned on getting them from Longs/WalMart).

explanation, and can you pls also clarify what "my bank VISA ATM" is - is that a debit card? not sure what the "ATM" means in the context of a bank Visa.

We don't have an AMEX card and won't want to bother getting one for just this, so just curious what your card was.

Enjoy-la!

If it has a visa or mcard logo...its a debit card. No logo...its an ATM card.

Costco has cash card that you can load with $$$$ and then use for purchases.

DebitNM, thx for the explanation. After we join as members, I guess I can just go inside the store and get a Costco cash card? Since we have to pay cash for that too, we'll probably just pay cash for gas and everything else.

Enjoy-la!

You CAN pay cash for things inside Costco but but you CANNOT pay cash for gas - hence the need for some type of accepted card for gas.

Just a little tidbit Klam_chowder, go to Costco before you have lunch and have lunch there. They have large hot dogs and 20oz drink for $1.50, I love hotdogs so this was a treat every time we needed to shop, the cheapest lunch on the island!

Funny story - we joined costco on the big island about 3 years ago so my picture on my membership card is of me looking frazzled from snorkeling at two steps earlier that day...it is not the romatic beach-y hair look that I was going for at all, but I look back at that picture and laugh that I am reminded of the Big Island when I go to costco. :)

You can be a costco member without their tru earnings credit card but you have to pay with an amex (or I guess debit card but I've never done this). You cannot pay with a regular visa or MC credit card. If you sign up for the costco tru earnings credit card, they put your picture on the credit card so that now becomes your membership card too.

FWIW, I always go for the best performing car when I rent. Particularly on Vacation. The relatively insignificant additional cost for me is more than outweighed by the comfort and safety of a drivable car

DebitNM, that tip is much appreciated!

cd, I LOL'd - we used to be members about 5 years ago, and when we shopped I ALWAYS made sure we had lunch/dinner there. Yup, hotdogs, pop, and churro for me, ice cream for DH. I grind my own beef as I don't trust what's sold at the store, but I love hotdogs - can't explain it!

tifa2276, great story. If that were me, I'd smile everytime I whipped out that card. Great to know to test my debit card (I don't use it but have one) so I know whether we have to have cash or not. Might be more convenient with debit as I always get carried away at Costco.

Rich, I agree. We'll go with the intermediate (we don't like driving big vehicles) with peace of mind we won't need that extra power but it'll be there if we do. It's only $15 more for the entire 10 days so it's not the cost but the comfort-level of driving around a huge car. I prefer driving smaller cars and since they all come with a/c, auto-everything the difference is in the roominess, which for 2 of us isn't a big deal.

Enjoy-la!

Amex is the only credit card allowed.

You can pay with cash inside Costco, but not at the gas pumps.

Certain Debit cards are allowed inside and at the pump as long as you have a Costco membership card.

You can buy Costco gift cards and use them at the gas pump with your Costco card.

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For Mac nuts, etc, Walmart is the cheapest in Hawaii. Costco is cheaper on certain multi-packs. Longs only comes into the competition if they are having a sale.

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The only time you need a big car on Hawaii is if you have a lot of people. You will need a 4WD if you go to the peak of Mauna Kea. If so, I recommend you rent one just for that day.

The only rental car company that allows it's cars to go to the summit of Mauna Kea is Harpers.

Other companies may rent 4WD, but your contract with them does not allow you to drive the vehicle fully up to the summit.

Harpers is a great deal more expensive.

Thx for the extra info - Fodorites are fab!

We're going in winter and definitely will not be heading to Mauna Kea summit - just to the Visitor Info.

Our last move brought us to a market that was Costco-less. We just moved in the past 6 months and DH was just talking about joining Costco again as we'll need snow tires in the winter so it may all work out. I know - boo on me talking winter when spring weather just began. Enjoy-la!