Priceline Hotel: Need help with a rental car in Maui (landing in Kahului)

[philhouse]

I just got the Marriott for July 20-25, 2009 and now I need a rental car.

I also need a rental car for Kauai for July 25 to August 1.

Any suggestions or has any one used Priceline or Hotwire and gotten a good deal?

I looked online at a couple car rental places and they were showing me lower rates then what I saw on PRICELINE and HOTWIRE.

Thanks!

[thereuare]

Please only post one rental period per thread... we'll use this thread for your Maui rental, please start a NEW TOPIC for your Kauai rental.

For Maui, what car class are you looking for and what is the best rate you're able to find thru conventional means? (use our Car Rental Checker to assist in your search) and what does HOTWIRE offer? (and for HOTWIRE is that an 'opaque' rate where the name of the rental company isn't shown until after your purchase OR is the name of the rental company shown?)

Let us know the above and we'll advise accordingly.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[bbbb]

I would book some thing that you can cancel right away. Then start checking rates and bid PRICELINE every week until your trip. Rates are out of control this year in HI because rental companys have reduced inventory.

[philhouse]

Okay, I will keep this thread about the Maui (Kahului) reservation from July 20 (4:00pm) - 25 (10:00am).

I filled out the car rental checker and the cheapest rate that I got was from Alamo For $196/week which netted $243.71 after tax. I don't need it for a full week, but I could see the actual charge without filling out all of my information.

I checked on Hotwire and the opaque rate for the cheapest available was $209.79 including taxes etc.

As far as which class of car I want, generally when I rent cars I will look at the rates that are grouped together before a big jump up in price and take the highest from the grouping. For example, if economy is $150, compact is $160, Intermediate is $170, and Full Size is $230, I'll usually take the intermediate. However, I'll take anything that is a really good deal!

I would book some thing that you can cancel right away. Then start checking rates and bid PRICELINE every week until your trip. Rates are out of control this year in HI because rental companys have reduced inventory.

Thank you for the tip!

I just realized, I would LOVE to have a convertible as it is Hawaii and all!

[thereuare]

So if you re-take the steps above what is the best rate for a convertable?

What is the best HOTWIRE opaque rate for a convertable (and besides the 'all-in' price, what is the nightly rate shown by HOTWIRE before fees and taxes)

... or were all the above quotes for a convertable?

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[philhouse]

I just threw in the convertable part for fun in case someone saw a great rate for one...but it is likely out of my price range.

I will likely focus on a realistic car rental, so the economy or intermediate.

[thereuare]

For the "opaque" HOTWIRE rate above, what is the per day charge before taxes and fees?

[philhouse]

For the "opaque" HOTWIRE rate above, what is the per day charge before taxes and fees?

The opaque rate is $57.95 per day or $343.15 total for convertible in OGG.

[thereuare]

We're not on the same page so let's take a step backwards...

You stated you're not really going to spend the extra money a convertable would likely require, correct? So i'm trying to determine the current HOTWIRE rate (on a daily basis before fees and taxes) for the car class that you intend to bid on based upon this quote:

I checked on Hotwire and the opaque rate for the cheapest available was $209.79 including taxes etc.

Doublecheck HOTWIRE to see if this offer is still available and let us know the car class and daily rate before fees and taxes for this offer.

Thanks.

[philhouse]

I just checked and now the cheapest car rental is $247.76 with taxes in. However, this is with Alamo and it's not showing an opaque rate anymore...I'm not sure why...

[bluedog925]

I got a car through PRICELINE last week for $159 including taxes

for a week, compact car, Maui OGG. I bid $15 a day vs. the $27 - 30 per day everyone

else was asking . This is for the first week in May, however.

[thereuare]

I got a car through PRICELINE last week for $159 including taxes

for a week, compact car, Maui OGG. I bid $15 a day vs. the $27 - 30 per day everyone

else was asking . This is for the first week in May, however.

As you can see, your winning bid could be useful to another user, please share your win to the board as a NEW TOPIC.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

Thanks.