I plan on renting a convertible when on Oahu--this may be a dumb question, but can I safely leave the top down when I park at various attractions/points as I drive to the North Shore? I have a read a lot about petty theft, so obviously won't leave anything in the car, but just wondered about leaving the top down while parked (attempted theft of the car???)-- I leave the top down all the time at home but we don't have a lot of theft out of cars in my area. Thanks.

anyone?

The answer may well be in the fine print of your rental credit card, suggest you call and ask, the last time I looked at some credit cards rental car coverage one stated that theft coverage may not apply if the vehicle is left "unsecure", and besides a dirty-bird or a passing shower could ruin your day.

I don't know what the crime rate is like in the North Shore area but we had our rental mini-van broken into in the Haunama (spelling?) Bay area. The police said that the method is very common - they some how punch out the lock on a door and reach in for whatever is readily available. Who knows - maybe an open convertible that obviously has nothing in it will be less of a temptation. Keep an eye on the weather though - short bursts of rain are common.

While we were in the North Shore this past summer, we parked at Shark's cove and there were a couple of shady looking characters eyeing the cars. So much so, that my husband felt uncomfortable and went back 15 minutes later to check on it. WE were driving a convertible and put the top up everywhere unless it was a quick photo stop.

We rented a convertible on the BI and it had leather seats. We didn't leave the top down because the seats became too hot sitting out in the sun. You would also have to be careful about not parking under trees or telephone lines because of birds. It only takes a minute to put it up anyway.

We rented a convertible in Oahu and had top down our whole way around thee island - we weren't far from car or out of it long when we stopped to watch surfing or get shaved ice etc. It might be different if you were going to be camped out on beach for a while.