BMW Rental in HI?

[Zahnarzt]

My fiancée and I will be off to our honeymoon after our wedding in September, and I managed to convince her that we should take the fabled Road to Hana (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=3900+Wailea+Alanui+Dr,+Kihei,+HI+96753+(Four +Seasons-Maui)&daddr=Hana,+HI&hl=en&geocode=4682781881061380384,20.680154,-156.442673&mra=ls&sll=20.75804,-156.230392&sspn=0.378822,0.482025&ie=UTF8&ll=20.765103,-156.213226&spn=0.378804,0.482025&z=11) one early morning to take in some scenery and, of course, the driving experience! We already have some little rental convertible reserved, but what I'd really like to do is get an M3 or 335i convertible. I've looked around the internet a bit, and there certainly seem to be options available, but they all seem rather fly-by-night. I figured it might be worth checking to see if any forum members have had any luck with renting BMWs in Hawaii. Any recommendations for or against? We'd be looking to rent for a single day.

Fingers crossed,

:str8pimpi Rick

[vexed]

I know there are places here (Oahu) that rent exotics, not sure about Maui. If you want to enjoy the road to Hana and stop for the scenery it frankly does not matter all that much what you are driving. But if you find something have fun.

If one of you gets car sick take a pill before you do the drive.:eek:

[OH FO SHO]

i just got back from Maui a couple weeks ago... the road to Hana is nice..... its not as bad as a drive compared to the kahekili hwy (30 / 340 hwy) a lot of one way only roads... looked like jurassic park :) and if you guys are gonna watch the sunrise at halaakala wear something really really really warm cus its soo damn cold up there lol

have fun and congrats

[s2pidyeah]

My fiancée and I will be off to our honeymoon after our wedding in September, and I managed to convince her that we should take the fabled Road to Hana (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=3900+Wailea+Alanui+Dr,+Kihei,+HI+96753+(Four +Seasons-Maui)&daddr=Hana,+HI&hl=en&geocode=4682781881061380384,20.680154,-156.442673&mra=ls&sll=20.75804,-156.230392&sspn=0.378822,0.482025&ie=UTF8&ll=20.765103,-156.213226&spn=0.378804,0.482025&z=11) one early morning to take in some scenery and, of course, the driving experience! We already have some little rental convertible reserved, but what I'd really like to do is get an M3 or 335i convertible. I've looked around the internet a bit, and there certainly seem to be options available, but they all seem rather fly-by-night. I figured it might be worth checking to see if any forum members have had any luck with renting BMWs in Hawaii. Any recommendations for or against? We'd be looking to rent for a single day.

Fingers crossed,

:str8pimpi Rick

why is it all da tourist wants a convertible?

[Kaili]

...I've looked around the internet a bit, and there certainly seem to be options available, but they all seem rather fly-by-night. I figured it might be worth checking to see if any forum members have had any luck with renting BMWs in Hawaii. Any recommendations for or against? We'd be looking to rent for a single day.

Fingers crossed,

:str8pimpi Rick

Aloha Rick,

I just discovered this board so this post may be late. Congratulations on your wedding! The Road to Hana is wonderful ... take your time and enjoy the scenery :). I hope you have/had a great experience ... please don't equate small, mom and pop casual with fly-by-night ... it's different here ... I hope your stay allows you to experience that :)

Mahalo, Kaili

[mauiholm]

I'm 'way too late to help Zahnarst with his honeymoon plans, so I'll throw the following in for anyone following in his footsteps.

I haven't personally seen any Z series (or BMWs at all) in the various Maui "exotic" car rental yards, which isn't to say they aren't available. Google (http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=bmw+rental+maui&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8) for and follow up with the vendors such as aloha toy store, exotic car express, etc. You might also call BMW Hawaii (http://www.bmwhawaii.com) to see if they offer rentals.

That said, a Z3/4 or Miata is a good fit on the Hana Highway. Sometimes you'll get lucky and have zero rain anywhere along the route, but be prepared to exercise the drop top. "Why is it all da tourist wants a convertible?" If they're just going to make speed runs between the airport and their resort, not much point. But, if one is gonna make a Hana run, mo bettah to get the roof out of the way to drink it all in.

A final point: having made it to Hana, you can a) have a relaxing lunch and return drive, or b) shoot for Oheo Gulch at Kipahulu ("the seven pools") to play in the water and hike up through the bamboo forest to Makahiku Falls (800'). Worthwhile, but the tradeoff is that you'll be too burned out for a fancy dinner when you finally get back to your room.

If you're seriously considering following the road from there through Kaupo and onward around the mountain to Tedeschi Winery and Kula, I'd go with a midsize hardtop like a Pontiac G6. The road is - at best - patch upon patch upon patch, and driving it on a firm suspension isn't any fun, believe me. When going Kaupo and beyond, plan ahead to keep your mate happy: call the Maui Public Works Department (tel. 808/248-8254) or the Police Department (tel. 808/248-8311) and ask about potential road closures.

[Zahnarzt]

Interesting insight. We ended up with a Chrysler Sebring, as there really wasn't anything else unless we wanted to pony up significantly more. That said, you're right about it being pretty much useless to get anything special to go from the airport to the hotel. Did run into a small problem a few times of walking back to the wrong vehicle, since there are literally thousands of Sebrings there. Perhaps that's where Chrysler is dumping them.

The actual Road to Hana was a great experience. They must have redone a good portion of it just before we were there, as almost all of it was really nicely-paved with new black top and freshly-painted lines. Considering all the water and hills and turns, however, I could see how it would deteriorate quickly. The Chrysler, as you can imagine, was an absolute boat and just sort of floated wherever it wanted to around turns. I did try to push it on the drive back just to see, and I think I could smell the transmission towards the end. What really got me is how fast some of the locals were taking the road. There was one Subaru in particular that was heading for disaster for sure had I been able to go any faster. We were also fortunate enough that the islands in general seem to be really slow as far as tourism. The road was wide open for us with almost no traffic until the return trip, and at that it wasn't close to what we're used to in Chicago.

All in all, it was a good experience, but it is a scenic, twisty road with not much at the end. We did about just as much hiking as we could to get back as the sun was going down. An M is overkill. You wouldn't use it. A 3 series with sport package might be just fine if the roads remain as good as they were when we were there, but don't expect to go any faster than 40mph on one or two parts. It's either impossible or just plain unsafe to go any faster.

It was hard to get a clean shot of the road, as there really weren't any straightaways, and I was driving, so my wife was on camera duty. I'll try to link a YouTube video that at least paints the picture.