I am going to Kuaui in May and we have a convertible rented and I was wondering if we should rent a jeep instead. Thanks for any advice!

You wont really need a 4WD on Kauai unless you have hiking plans up in Waimea--a 4WD will be handy in getting you closer to some trailheads.

It is difficult to lock stuff up in a soft top Jeep. But, they are fun to drive!

Neither the convertible or the Jeep offer the back seat passengers a lot of room, so don't consider this type of car if there are more than 2 people. Everytime I go to Lihue airport I see people trying to load luggage into the trunk of a convertible, they usually end up tying stuff to the closed trunk or draping the bags and clubs across the laps of the people in the back seat! The Jeep is even worse in terms of storage space.

Here's a tip..while one person waits for the luggage(baggage claim in Lihue is rustic) the other(s) go across the street to get in line for rental car..and I agree I don't think you need a 4 wheel drive. Folks often seem to recommend getting an economy"beater"..it worked for us.

We did not particularly like having a convertible, save money and get an intermediate such as a Pontiac Grand AM and enjoy the air-conditioning (and larger trunk space). Be very sure to fill out a damage report BEFORE you leave the lot.

We had a convertible on both Kauai and Maui and loved them. We always ran the airconditioning when we had the top down so we had the best of both. It was a great way to see all the views without craning our necks around car parts.

We went all the way to teh top of Waimea and visited Kokee Park and had no need for a 4 wheel drive.

Pam, you mentioned renting an economy beater. Where can I get info on doing that? We're going to the Big Island for a month next winter and we don't need anything fancy, just something to get around in. I've already tried rent-a-wreck, but they don't have an outlet on the BI.

Basically, we rented the bottom of the line..compact no frills and it was fine.
I don't know of rent-a-wreck on Kauai..but any of the standard rentals should have one class of cars that is cheap(relatively)..just go for that.

I would absolutley agree with what others have said. I have been to Kauai on 2 separate occasions, coincedently both times in October. We rented a compact from alamo - and had absolutley no problems driving anywhere. We also had the A/c on every day - the only time we didn't need it was when we were up waimea canyon.

I don't know why everyone wants a 4 wheel drive - even on the North shore, the beaches are usually right off the roads, where you see all the other cars parked. We never got suck anywhere - even when we got a bit lost and ended up on some dirt roads. Becasue of rain, the car gets REAL muddy & dirty - very cool looking when you have a white rental car with red mud all over it!

Ah synchronicity...in another post today someone mentioned Rent A Wreck on Kauai...says it's located near Cafe Portofino/The Marriot..and asks if anyone has used them. It's the post asking about car rental agencies at Lihue. Good Luck.