My husband and I will be celebrating our 25th anniversary on the Big Island of Hawaii in October.

His dream car has always been a Mustang convertible, but with 3 kids it wouldn't have been very practical, so we've never gotten one.

Currently, we have an economy car reserved for our 10-day visit (through Discount Hawaii Car Rentals). The price for 10 days is about $281.

I e-mailed them last night to get a price on a Mustang. The price was $652 (a difference of about $370!!!!!!!!!)

On Hotwire, I got a quote of $471 (but it wasn't specifically for a Mustang, just a convertible).

We've rented a convertible (a Sebring) before when the two of went to Maui without the kids, and we had a great time.

My question is, do you think it would be worth it on the Big Island to have a Mustang convertible? It would be a total surprise for my husband, and he would love driving it. But I'm not sure it's worth it.

Our itinerary is 3 nights south of Kona, 2 nights at Volcano, 5 nights at Fairmont Orchid north of Kona, so we'll be doing a good bit of driving during our trip.

I've e-mailed Hotwire to ask if there is a way I could specifically reserve a Mustang, but they haven't replied yet.

Thanks for your input!

Will it be just you and him, or the whole family on the trip? Mustangs have a SMALL trunk. ONE large suitcase is about all that will fit in it. So, if you have a lot of lugagge, you might need the bigger car.

It will just be the 2 of us; we won't have too much luggage.

We had a SUV on the BI and I really enjoyed it. Since we did so much driving (over 1,000 mile) it was nice to be high up. Spending 2+ hours in the car to/from VNP with the top down on a convertible probably wouldn't have been for me, too much sun, wind, etc. I personally liked the SUV on BI and when we go to Oahu in Nov. I'm getting the convertible since we'll be doing much less driving.

Go for the convertible!

After 25 years, you both deserve it. I would compromise, and just go with best price...or does the fact that it's a Mustang outweight the cost factor? After all, he is your Sweetie!

Well, I'm really torn about getting the best price or going for the sure thing of a Mustang! It would surprise him SO MUCH if we had a Mustang to drive.

And he's the BEST husband in the world, and most definitely my Sweetie, and he deserves it. (But it's still a lot of money!!)

Maybe Hotwire will e-mail me to say that we could definitely reserve a Mustang. If so, I'll go for it. If not, I'm still not sure.

Renting a convertable from Hertz gives you a pretty good shot at a Mustang, unless something has changed.

If you try Hertz, use CDP code 14 (this is my AAA code, or you can use your own - spouses drive free). I have never been asked for my card...

Any chance you could rent a mustang for just 2 days or so and then switch to the regular car? He still gets the mustang and it won't cost as much.

I hate to be a spoilsport, but the beating sun in Hawaii could prevent you from enjoying a convertible. If you are fair-skinned or need to limit your sun exposure for any reason, the extra cost may not be worth it.

We upgraded to a mustang conv as a last minute decision at the counter. Loved it. Warm nights, top down, perfect. Extremely small trunk. We had to put our suitcases in the back seat to/from the airport, neither would fit in the trunk. (might want to swing by a ford dealer to check it out). But the car was fun.

Convertibles are fun, for the first 20 minutes. Then they are a pain. Watch out for significant sunburn or dehydration problems. Not worth it in my opinion.

Samsaf,

I am torn. My car here is a Mustang. My car I left in Hawaii is a 1969 Mach 1 Mustang, and I really, really love the new generation Mustang. I rented a convertible here in Oregon to go to the Coast and LOVED it, albeit as mentioned the trunk is TINY.
I am torn b/c on the BI, there simply is no need for a convertible. Personally I always get the smallest car we can reasonably fit in, so usually it is a mid size. This is due to the extremely high cost of gas and the amount of driving done on the BI. A previous posted loved their SUV, but on an average trip the difference between a Midsize and a SUV in just gas costs can be as much as $200.00. Not to mention there isn’t really a need for an SUV. Back to the drop top, I probably would not do it, OR split days. On the first leg of the trip, get a midsize, whatever. Then after doing most of the major driving, if you are staying on the Kona side, take the midsize, quietly exchange it (w/o spouse knowing) and bring back the ‘Stang drop top to the hotel. Get DH and bring him down, go for a drive and enjoy! Cheaper too, since it is the last one or two days the price difference then would only be about $30-40.

Good luck and happy travels!

You know, that might be a good idea to do part of the trip with a convertible. I was thinking it would have to be the first part of the trip, but maybe the last 5 nights at the Fairmont would be the best. I'll keep researching. (By the way, I asked all three of the kids --ages 17, 19 and 22 --what I should do, and their responses were all, "Go for it, Mom!!" But of course they're not paying for it.)

Thanks for all your input. I'll let you know what I finally decide. If I decide to get the Mustang, it will be REALLY hard not to tell my husband about it over the next 2 1/2 months!

Samsaf, I don't even know why there's a debate . . . go for the convertible mustang!!!!

Oh for goodness sakes, just go for it! We rented a Mustang convertible for our trip through Reno, Yosemite, and Napa Valley and had a blast. My husband enjoyed driving it through all the curvey roads. If it gets too hot just put the top up, he'll still enjoy driving it!

We did the convertible on Maui and enjoyed it while doing Hana and the West Circle drive. Sometimes the heat was too much so the top went up otherwise. Also, very little 'down' time on Oahu.

I've never been to the BI, so this is just food for thought, but I just finished reading the Blue Book, which suggests that you need 4WD on several parts of the island (to get to some good stuff - particularly steep inclines, etc.)

I foolishly ask: any opinions out there?

I have always gotten Sebrings while on the islands since I was never a fan of the old mustang....The NEW mustang is a very nice ride, and very cool looking, I love the retro green model and will definately rent one next trip out!

I think I'll try to splurge while we are there soon and rent a convertible, at least for a day. You all have made it sound great!

This afternoon I talked to a person at the Avis office on the Big Island. According to her, the Avis office only has Mustang convertibles right now, but they will soon be getting in their shipment for the year (starts in Sept./Oct.) and she doesn't know if they will get Mustangs, Sebrings, or what. She advised met to call back at the beginning of October.

I think we'll go with the convertible (and hopefully get a Mustang), just because I know my husband would love it so much (and I just won't mention the price to him -- will have it paid by the time we get there!!!!)