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I searched for months for the cheapest car, any size, in Kauai for last month, and ended up paying just over $700 for 13 days. I kept rebooking (on Costco Travel) as prices went down, and the cheapest car ended up being a full-size SUV about a week out (I can't believe a Hyundai Santa Fe is considered a full-size SUV?).
I must be getting old. Rental car prices seem crazy high to me these days - often due to special taxes on visitors.
Of course, you and Dean are right. I was thinking standard was full size, and that Santa Fe was small compared to my "standard" old Suburban workhorse on the farm!
I have still been looking all over for car rentals for my two weeks in May for Kauai. I remembered that RickandCindy23 once mentioned RCI car rentals. I checked yesterday and they were $100 cheaper at $525 all in for an intermediate. I just checked now and it’s at $505 all in for the intermediate. So that’s a $120 less than what I have now but with RCI you have to pay it now.
I can’t decide if I should just grab this or wait a little bit. It’s $100 more than what I have been averaging for my rentals over the years. I may wait until next week, Monday or Tuesday and if it’s the same I’ll grab it.
I just checked online for the three week Hawaii trip we will be making next Feb/Mar 2019, and was reasonably pleased to see we can book a convertible on Kauai, Maui, and Kona for a little over $500 per week on all three islands with Budget or National. That was on their own web sites. Given past rates for convertibles, that seems very attractive. Probably going to go ahead and book the cars even before we can book the flights, and then keep checking to see if there are any further price drops.
I’ve kept checking but they others have just gone up and the RCI rate has stayed the same. It’s been so long since I booked the reservation with Costco, I forgot my rate there and it was even higher than I remembered. It’s $665 so I’ll save over $150. I’m going to cancel and book through RCI today.
Wyndham Founder; Disney OKW & SSR; Marriott's Willow Ridge and Shadow Ridge,Grand Chateau; Val Chatelle; Hono Koa OF (3); SBR(LOTS), SDO a few; Grand Palms(selling); WKORV-OF ,Westin Desert Willow.
I check Kayak, RCI, SFX, Costco Travel, Discount Hawaii, Chase through the Ultimate Rewards Portal, and even AAA. I sometimes feel pretty overwhelmed with the prices on Maui. Our trip for late August-early September, usually a slow time for Maui, the car rental is coming in at $50 per day. I am not inclined to book anything now that must be prepaid and is non-refundable.
I check Kayak, RCI, SFX, Costco Travel, Discount Hawaii, Chase through the Ultimate Rewards Portal, and even AAA. I sometimes feel pretty overwhelmed with the prices on Maui. Our trip for late August-early September, usually a slow time for Maui, the car rental is coming in at $50 per day. I am not inclined to book anything now that must be prepaid and is non-refundable.
Wyndham Founder; Disney OKW & SSR; Marriott's Willow Ridge and Shadow Ridge,Grand Chateau; Val Chatelle; Hono Koa OF (3); SBR(LOTS), SDO a few; Grand Palms(selling); WKORV-OF ,Westin Desert Willow.
I was able to get $359 total with taxes and fees for two weeks for October last year. So $50 per day in comparison seems excessive to me, but maybe this is the new normal for Hawaii car rentals, adding to our already expensive Maui trips.
Fortunately, I was able to get cheap exchanges for this next trip, so it's not as expensive as booking our home resort, and we get oceanfront, too, guaranteed with the unit type we booked through exchange, so that is a great benefit.
I was able to get $359 total with taxes and fees for two weeks for October last year. So $50 per day in comparison seems excessive to me, but maybe this is the new normal for Hawaii car rentals, adding to our already expensive Maui trips.
Fortunately, I was able to get cheap exchanges for this next trip, so it's not as expensive as booking our home resort, and we get oceanfront, too, guaranteed with the unit type we booked through exchange, so that is a great benefit.
Car rentals everywhere seem to have become more expensive in the last couple of years. I've never been a big fan of the pre-paid rates, so usually just book the best flexible rate we can find. That way, if something comes up cheaper, I can cancel and re-book. That doesn't happen often, but I still prefer the flexibility of paying at the time of rental. In Hawaii we also prefer convertibles, so that makes it even tougher to find cheap.
I was able to get $359 total with taxes and fees for two weeks for October last year. So $50 per day in comparison seems excessive to me, but maybe this is the new normal for Hawaii car rentals, adding to our already expensive Maui trips.
Fortunately, I was able to get cheap exchanges for this next trip, so it's not as expensive as booking our home resort, and we get oceanfront, too, guaranteed with the unit type we booked through exchange, so that is a great benefit.
You are used to getting the same prices as I have in the past so it seems like they have gone up. I did book with RCI for Kauai, $505 for two weeks. I’m alright with it. At least flights have been cheaper too but this is a free mileage flight so I can’t complain too much.
Yeo, luckily I reserved early also and kept checkin but they kept rising. I ended out saving another $150 booking through RCI today. Higher than usual but not terribly bad. But we have been noticing the same as you.
Back in Oct 2017, I reserved 3 Wks Kauai for this July thru Costco for $1150 for a full size. I also have a standard SUV reserved for $1225. Today thru Costco the price is $1900 and $2000, respectively
Did the airlines suddenly add lots of additional flights to increase tourist demand? Somehow I don’t think so...so where is this increased demand originating from?
More resorts mean more people. Maybe not more flights, just fuller flights. But I know the Canadian airlines have increased flights to the islands this year.
Yes, and that is a good point to remember when thinking about paying in full well in advance to save a few bucks on a car rental vs. reserving a more expensive reservation that can be cancelled later if prices drop. We appear to be very near the apex of the economic cycle. With interest rates on the rise, the sudden return of volatility in the stock market, and the increasing likelihood of some sort of an international trade war, my feeling is the economy may look very different 10-12 months from now than it does today. Maybe not a full-blown recession quite yet, but I do think the downside risks for the next year far outweigh the remaining upside opportunities. If things do start to slow down later this year as I expect, those high rental car rates may get a bit cheaper as we get closer to 2019.
+1 I agree about the economy. Still have always been ahead with Autoslash/priceline - never had good luck with Costco. We have a rental for an upcoming weekend (Friday eve. to Sunday) in San Diego for $19 all in with Alamo.
Also as prices rise, it might be more economical to Uber or Limo to/from the airport and only rent for the day you really need the car. We do this frequently on Oahu because parking at HHV is more expensive than the car.
Quite glad I reserved cars for Oahu and Maui last October. My 9 day Maui minivan rental (5 people + luggage) has gone from $520 to almost $1400. Three day Oahu rental has gone up too, but not that drastic.
I just saw Alaska fares for $99 each way to HI. Perhaps these fares are bringing more people to the islands, but the number of cars have remained steady thus increasing demand and prices.
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I was thinking standard was full size, and that Santa Fe was small compared to my "standard" old Suburban workhorse on the farm!
