How do you ride ?

[Guest]

Just curious, what do you drive ?

What is needed for Puna, and why do you prefer what you drive ?

I'm searching for a used car here before I leave, and would appreciate all your insight as always !

Mahalos !

[Haaheo okole puka]

What is needed is what fits within your personal lifestyle and pocketbook, just as it would be anywhere else.


II A - Practice leads to being well regulated (in an ideal state, properly functioning) and armed citizens provide security of a free state - thus the already existing natural right to keep and carry arms shall not be infringed.

[birdmove]

We shipped our 2003 Toyota Tacoma pickup with Matson Lines. It ran about $1100 from Seattle to Hilo. I find it to be about perfect here. I also ride motorcycles or scooters, and the 2 scooters we have (one shipped from Seattle, one bought here) get 85-95 mpg, and the 200 cc scooter with a rear top box can carry a lot of groceries. The pickup we use to haul lumber for projects. Though it is a smaller pickup, I can haul 4x8 sheets of plywood all right. Drawbacks? It only hauls 2 adults in comfort. Will carry 3 in a pinch, but not with comfort. So, my dear wife has decided we need a second used car that can carry more people in comfort. Toyotas and Hondas are very popular here. WE have had the Tacoma pickup as our only 4 wheeler for about 2.5 years now, and it would be my choice for only car if we could only have one.

We live in HPP and I find myself taking a scooter almost always. Rain gear carried in the under seat storage. And a bicycle can be used here for basic transportation. The main highways to Hilo have very wide shoulders, usually full lane width. HPP to Hilo is about 12 miles of no hill riding. A young strong rider with a fast bike can do it well under an hour. Me, being 60, it takes longer with my single speed bike. We have a young 20 year old guest staying with us for a while, and he often ride to work in Hilo on his higher end street bicycles. About an hour for him from HPP to the Hilo waterfront. But then, he is a triathelete.

Jon in Keaau/HPP

[Guest]

Thanks for the input Jon.

My wife has a 2002 Toyota Highlander we will be shipping, but I need to downgrade my 14' Lexus and get something suitable for Hawaii.

I was considering most of the "bullet proof" cars IE: Honda Accords,Toyota Camrys, and was also considering 2002-2004 Lexus IS300 or ES300

Should I be considering a truck? I want to get good gas mileage. Homes we are looking at are in Mountain View area, if that helps.

I am curious to know what everyone drives and what area they live in and what they do with it. Insight like Jon left

[Carey]

It really does depend a lot on where you will be living, what you will do for fun & not so fun (taking the trash/green waste to the transfer station or dump in a 2-seater convertible down a pot-holed rock base side road on a rainy day would be a case in point.)

EXCEPT this: Check to see that the vehicle you have has a way of being fixed here...as with everything else, shipping replacement parts for a vehicle that is not normally serviced here can really add up....

Toyota P-ups are a gold standard here, and used prices here are much higher than most anywhere, so if you have access to & want to ship one, that would be something to consider...

but we have gotten used vehicles here that have run nicely, in better shape than the corrosion belt choices we had before moving (we did move our 3 year old Focus wagon with a hitch mounted tray, which worked out well for most everything, except for our urge to do things on 4WD roads...including visiting friends that lived on roads that we didn't want to subject our little wagon to - the wagon still has the little rust spots that started before we moved, but nothing like what it would have had if we had;t moved (we are used to doors & frames dissolving in 10 or so years of northern winters & the road salt needed...

Added: we have a 97 4WD Ranger x-cab that we bought used here for 4 years ago, now has nearly 220k (less MPG than the Toyota pup we had in the midwest, didn't move it here cause the frame & doors were almost totally gone) Just purchased a Sport Trac for family & friends that visited for almost 2 mos & wanted to do those things you need 4WD for (cheaper to buy than to rent a 4WD for the holidays...)

Now trying to decide wether to keep 2 old 4WD trucks for those times when you would like 2...or...

OH, this is the first time we have never had a Toyota...& never before did we have Fords...so this is all new territory for us...but the price for Toyotas is so high here...& the used Fords have been nicely priced...& the Ranger has just kept going... even with that mileage...so...

2nd ADD: to wether it would pay to buy in Cali & ship...

For the older, more beater Fords, Kias, & such, you can get them very reasonably here, & it would probably not be worth shipping them from Cali... for a Toyota, it might... & if you get a vehicle that is not common here, bring 2, one as a parts car...

& get used to the "Check Engine" light... I know of more car owners here that have a code reader in their car....

[Kelena]

An ideal car would be one you didn't mind getting dinged up a little, would have plenty of room for things like small trees or beach equipment and large coolers, would have 4 wheel drive so you could drive up Mauna Kea (or at least AWD), would seat at least 5 because you will have visitors. Good mileage counts here. I drive more here than I ever did on the mainland. My car has all of that except 4 wheel drive and good mileage. It should probably be raised 3 feet in the air, too, but that might look a little silly.

I really wanted a new car when I moved here, but I find I am driving down some ridiculously rough roads and can just imagine getting all nelly in a new car if I am going over potholes. The things that cars are asked to do do here is unbelievable, so a sturdy, mechanically-sound used car is better I think.

Expect your check engine light to go kablooey and your windows and other electronics to start acting up. My car was an imperturbable German-built tank until it got here. After three months the glove compartment came off in my hand, the turn signal light covers both flew off, my headliner started coming down and the check engine light came on never to go dark again (nothing wrong with the engine, the brakes or anything else it screams at me about). Who knew there was a place that was too much for a German car? Consider Japanese or American with a dealership on island.

No black cars or black interiors. Leather seats are not a plus, and take a pass on heated seats. Your seat will be plenty hot enough once you get here.

[Guest]

Lol. I do appreciate all the playful humor.

I wonder, would it pay for any of you to shop for a car, say in Cali, and pay cali prices and then have it shipped for 1k ?

[Delta9r]

I've never owned a brand new vehicle, always second hand, what I could afford without going into debt. Usually do my own repairs.
I used to like the old Toyota Land Cruisers, as well as Jeeps, since I like to go exploring, so I favor a 4 wheel drive, but you can get by just fine with any dependable vehicle.
My son is paying off his 3rd brand new truck, a Nissan Frontier, and I always give him a hard time about living beyond his means, but he's got a good job so it's all in jest.

I second the notion of buying in Oregon (no sales tax still?) and shipping it here, as people here seem to want way too much for their beat up Toyotas.

"Life is labor, and all that is good in life comes from that labor..."

[Guest]

Well actually, you pay the sales tax in the place where you register the car, not where you buy it. FYI.

[kalakoa]

Best for the island seems to be Toyota, especially Tacoma/4Runner/FJ, ideally purchased on the mainland and shipped over -- remember, if it's been used locally, it's probably seen plenty of "private" roads....

I've heard of "parts are hard to get", apparently Chevy trucks are the worst (!).