Hawaii is no doubt one of the most expensive places in the US, but also one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in the Pacific. Even so, some tourists still grew frustrated at the pricing in the state because their recent vacation was almost ruined when they didn’t want to avail of the $3,000 car rental just to get around in Hawaii. The solution? They just bought a 2nd hand car in Hawaii worth $750.
TikTok user 222_iceman is the problem-solver in question and went to Kona, Hawaii, for a vacation around mid-February. In the video, which he uploaded on February 19, you can hear him ranting about the prices of the car rental services in Hawaii, complete with screenshot evidence. “It’s literally three grand, with tax for [expletive] four-day rentals, absolutely insane. That’s more than our Airbnb,” recalls the TikToker.
So, he went ahead and found a 2007 Mazda CX-7 on Facebook Marketplace for $750 (initially listed at $800), which he bought right away so he and his friends could drive for a week without resorting to rentals. As for what he planned to do with the car after the vacation, “On Saturday, when we’re leaving, we’re just going to give it away to a homeless person or something like that.”
Of course, for that price, one can’t be too picky, as the car already shows visible rust on the roof, and it’s unclear how many miles it has left. Surprisingly, the TikToker gave an update on the state of the car, and he claims, “Honestly, this car’s been great, everything works… It hasn’t overheated.” With that said, the way they treated the car, keying it and scratching it all over, has drawn some criticisms online.
People Online are Blaming Their Lack of Planning
Meanwhile, critics from X have raised their eyebrows at the $3,000 price for a car rental, as some people quickly checked on Turo and found that weekly rentals only cost around $700. Some have explained that it’s a different situation for on-demand booking, “Likely they didn’t plan it, so if they booked it as they arrived, price jumps immensely. I am from that Island and yes prices in Hawaii are crazy in general.”
Hence, a repost of the video couldn’t help but ask, “Is this supply and demand or does this look like price gouging?” Some commenters have questioned how the TikToker dealt with the insurance, and others replied with how plausible it was, “You can add it to your insurance the second you buy it. You get a grace period on registration and tags.” As good as the solution was for the exorbitant car rental prices (according to the TikToker), some people still managed to find better deals.
One TikTok commenter in particular claimed that other services will drive you around in Hawaii as well for a relatively dirt-cheap price, “U-Haul, $20/day,” according to one hustler. As for why the car rentals spiked to $3,000 last week in Kona, Hawaii, commenters have blamed unfortunate circumstances, “If he arrived when volcano was predicted to erupt, they jacked the prices up temporarily. All the hotels sold out in Kona. The article I read said it was due to Volcano episode 42 and Valentine’s Day.”
