Top 10 reasons to hire a MINI rental and not a Mustang rental in Waikiki

#7 - Our MINIs are fat on style and lean on gas

Everywhere I go these days people are talking about the gas prices. And while Hawaii does not have the highest gas prices in the country, it is in the top five. So when you're planning your vacation expenses, don't forget to factor in a little extra for car food.

Good thing we have fuel-efficient, eco-friendly, environmentally responsible MINI Coopers available for rent. Getting 33mpg's on the highway will definitely leave a smaller dent in your wallet than driving around a loud, unnecessary V8 Mustang rental all week.

And don't forget, we're the only rental car company on the island that offers you free fill-up service. That's right, bring it back empty and all we charge you for is the gas.

After all, you're the one on vacation here, not us.

Top 10 reasons to hire a MINI rental and not a Mustang rental in Waikiki

#8 - MINI dashboards are cooler. Way cooler.

One of the best things about renting a convertible car on Oahu is being able to have an unobstructed view of the beautiful surroundings while driving.

An ugly car car really mess this view up for you by making you look at their boring, dirty, or in some cases ugly dashboards.

This is definitely NOT the case with a MINI. Not only will everything on the outside look good, but so will everything on the inside. Well, I guess it also depends on who you bring on vacation with you!

Top 10 reasons to hire a MINI rental and not a Mustang rental in Waikiki

#9 - Convertible MINIs have built-in sunroofs, too

In Hawaii it rains a lot. That's why the exotic landscape is so green. And since we're in the middle of an ocean, the rain is much more sporadic and difficult to predict.

So the question is: When you see some grey clouds above, do you take a chance and put the top down or play it safe (and boring) and keep it up? Nobody wants to drive 65mph while getting soaked, and no one wants to pull off to the side of the freeway just to put the top up.

No worries in a MINI. There are two modes to the ragtop: sunroof and convertible. Push the "open" button while driving and you can enjoy a generous amount of sunshine through the full-width sunroof. No need to pull over and stop the car. That way you can work on your tan AND make it to your Luau on time.

Top 10 reasons to hire a MINI rental and not a Mustang rental in Waikiki

#10 - You don't really want to look like everyone else

With over 7.5 million visitors flowing in and out of Hawaii each year, the last thing you want to do on vacation is spend an entire week looking just like everyone else around you. Right?

The three most common rental cars on Oahu are Mustangs, Sebrings & Jeeps. So with 7.5 million people coming to Hawaii each year, that sure adds up to a lot of Mustangs crowded into every lookout point, valet area and beach parking lot. However, Little Hawaii is the only rental car company offering MINI rentals.

There are enough ways in our daily lives that we are either compelled or forced to do things just like the guy next to us. It's time to break the mold and be our own person, live our own unique life, and stand out from the crowd. No, you don't have to arrive at Waikiki beach by parachute or have a high school marching band accompany your every entrance with pomp and fanfare.

A MINI Cooper rental will do the job perfectly.

Incredible Accessories for your MINI Cooper

The other day I was shocked to open my mailbox and find the newest copy of Moss Motors' 2002-2008 Mini Accessories Master Catalog. I had never heard of Moss Motors before, but now I'm a huge fan. There is literally EVERYTHING in here you could possibly need to trick out your MINI. And for those of you who aren't into pimping your MINI ride, they have great stock parts as well. They even have new stuff for the Clubman on their website: http://www.mossmini.com/.

You can get your own FREE copy of their latest MINI accessories catalog by clicking here.

Free MINI Cooper rental winner on Hawaii.com

Congratulations to "Moaulanui", one of the Hawaii.com 3-day MINI Cooper rental winners!

She had a blast driving around Oahu in our red Cooper S Convertible with three of her friends. Then again, who wouldn't enjoy driving around in the island's hottest exotic convertible rental car for free for three days?

Check out her vacation thread at Hawaii.com's forum:

http://www.hawaii.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=6139&p=189892#p189892

Cool Little Hawaii Merchandise Now Available Online

What better way to keep you Hawaiian vacation alive than to sport the new Little Hawaii logo everywhere you go. Whether on a t-shirt, jacket, hat, beach bag or even a mug, our Little Hawaii merchandise will help bring back memories of cruising around the tropical island of Oahu in a convertible MINI with the sea breeze flowing through your hair.

And if you haven't had the experience of renting an exotic MINI convertible from us, that's OK. You can still flaunt your vacation aspirations by purchasing any of our affordable goodies by clicking here.

Top 10 Reasons to rent a MINI instead of a Jeep in Honolulu

#1 - You'll Feel Like You're Driving A New Car

When deciding on a rental car for your Hawaiian vacation, there are plenty of vehicle choices. There are also quite a few both national and private rental car companies in Honolulu to choose from. So why rent a convertible MINI from Little Hawaii?

We want you to feel like you're driving a brand new car when you get into one of our MINIs. We spend over a hour washing, vacuuming and detailing your MINI before it is delivered to your hotel. We make sure the fluids are full, the windows are clean, the glove box is empty and the carpets smell like something you actually want to smell. We will 99.99% guarantee you won't get this kind of service with any other car rental company on the island.

The last thing you should have to think about is what the last driver did to make the car smell so bad. Or why our vacuum can't get ALL the previous customer's sand out. Or how you're going to remove those used napkins from the glove compartment with who-knows-what on them.

YOU'RE on vacation. Let us make you feel like it!

Top 10 Reasons to rent a MINI instead of a Jeep in Honolulu

#2 - They Stick To The Curves Like Spandex

There are quite a few drives here on the beautiful island of Oahu that were made to be driven in a MINI (there are a bunch that were made for Jeeps, too, but you're not allowed to drive rental Jeeps on them, so what's the point).

One of the best is located on the south shore of Oahu. When leaving Waikiki, head east on the H-1 and keep following the Kalanianaole Hwy (or K-Hwy) to a little city called Hawaii Kai. Just before you head up the hill to Hanauma Bay, have your co-pilot get the camera out, and check to make sure you're not following a tour bus. The road winds around between the lava rock cliffs and the crashing waves of the Pacific. There are quite a few scenic lookouts along the way, but if you've got no traffic, I recommend just cruising through until you get to Sandy Beach, then turn around and do it again.

But please be cautious. The urge may be overwhelming to throw both your arms into the air and scream like you're on a roller coaster. If you're the co-pilot, make sure the one behind the wheel keeps 'em at 10 and 2.

Top 10 Reasons to rent a MINI instead of a Jeep in Honolulu

#3 - MINIs Have Cool Toggle Switches Like Fighter Jets

Yeah, they looked weird to me at first, too. But now I think they're pretty sleek. They're one of the many interior features you'll find on our MINI rentals that sometimes make you forget you're driving a car.

The shiny, silver toggle switches in our MINI Cooper rentals control the driver and passenger windows and the door locks. On our Cooper S models, there's also one to turn the traction control system on or off. I've even seen pictures of some MINIs online that have switches for lots of other necessities, like rocket boosters, ejection seat and smokescreen. But no need for those things here in Honolulu.

Top 10 Reasons to rent a MINI instead of a Jeep in Honolulu

#4 - MINIs Are Easier To Park Than Jeeps

Parking spaces are an expensive, highly-valued commodity in Waikiki. They're also ridiculously small, just like our MINI Cooper rentals. If you're driving a large or wide vehicle, like an SUV or Jeep, you'll find parking in and around Waikiki and Honolulu to be very difficult. What may be even more difficult is having to deal with door scratches by not-so-careful neighbors.

In most states there are official regulations as to the minimum width and depth of a parking space. Not here. If a parking lot doesn't have enough spaces, we say "no problem, bruddah" and just make them skinnier. It's so much easier than trying to make the lot bigger!

So if I had the choice of parking either a clunky rental Jeep or a sleek, sporty, convertible MINI Cooper with parking sensors, it's a no-brainer.

Top 10 Reasons to rent a MINI instead of a Jeep in Honolulu

#5 - Push One Little Button And The Sun Is All Yours

If you've been on Oahu for at least a few days, you've seen this: a Jeep on the side of the road in the rain with the top half-closed, one passenger is in their seat getting soaked, and the other is trying to figure out how the heck you close the thing (and also getting soaked).

In our convertible MINI Coopers there are no latches or secret tricks, and no voodoo magic or advanced degrees are required. Just two buttons: CLOSE and OPEN. The buttons are so simple they don't even say "close" or "open." They just have a little picture of a closed top and an opened top.

Now THAT's a care free vacation car.

Top 10 Reasons to rent a MINI instead of a Jeep in Honolulu

#6 - MINIs are 49.85% Better Able to Handle Honolulu's Roads

Believe it or not, the beautiful, exotic island of Oahu does have a few imperfections. One of those are the roads. Those of you who have been here know what I'm talking about: narrow, potholed, one-way roads with names too crazy for most visitors to pronounce. Although we at Little Hawaii can't do much about the condition, direction or pronunciation of Hawaii's roads, we can provide you with one of the only rental cars that can flip a U-turn in roads as narrow as 18 feet.

With a turning radius of just 17.4 feet, our MINI Coopers blow away the large, clunky competition's radius of 34.9 feet.

You may ask yourself why small turning radius is such a big deal when considering a rental car in Honolulu. Well, when you get here and make a wrong turn and find out you need to be going the opposite direction, you'll be glad you rented a MINI.

Top 10 Reasons to rent a MINI instead of a Jeep in Honolulu

#7 - Free 24-Hour MINI Roadside Assistance

When you rent a MINI Cooper from Little Hawaii you'll be able to relax. This seems like a necessary thing to do while on vacation, right? You'll be able to relax, because if you accidentally lock the keys in the car, run out of gas or run over an nail, all you have to do is dial the 1-800 number for MINI Roadside Assistance, and they'll come rescue you anywhere on the island. For free. No, we're not kidding. For free. You don't even have to purchase our insurance coverage to receive this excellent service. Here's a sample scenario:

-You drive our convertible Cooper S to the North Shore
-You go to the beach and relax
-You get tan and return to the MINI
-You see the keys on the seat & the doors are locked
-You laugh & say "silly me!"
-You call the 1-800 number for MINI Roadside Assistance
-You go back to the beach for a few minutes until someone comes to unlock the door
-You go out to dinner and have a great rest of the day

No panicking.

No worrying.

No crying.

(and no complaining from your spouse or kids!)

Top 10 Reasons to rent a MINI instead of a Jeep in Honolulu

#8 - We Deliver Your MINI Rental To Your Door

Renting a convertible MINI Cooper for the first time may be one of the more exciting, and easy, things you do on vacation. Not only can you quickly & easily book one of our MINIs directly from our MINI Reservation Website, we'll also deliver it directly to your hotel or vacation rental. We'll give you a call when we're 5 minutes away to give you enough time to roll out of bed, grab your license and mosey on downstairs to the lobby. It only takes a second to sign some forms and then we'll show you a few of the outstanding features of your finely-detailed MINI. I don't know of any Jeep rentals that come with this kind of service.

This means you can be wearing your PJs when you book a rental and when we deliver it to you.

Now that's vacationing.

Top 10 Reasons to rent a MINI instead of a Jeep in Honolulu

#9 - FREE BRAGGING RIGHTS INCLUDED WITH EACH RENTAL

I hear people all the time talking about their last vacation. They talk about the city they visited and how amazing it was, where they ate and how delicious it was, the activities they did and how crazy they were, and even sometimes who they met and how incredible they were.

But rarely do returning vacationers brag about their rental car.

Why? Because usually there's nothing to brag about. Nothing that makes you want to say "OMG, I've got to tell you about this car we rented..." even though half the vacation was spend driving around in it.

At Little Hawaii Car Rental Co., each of our MINI Cooper rentals inherently includes post-vacation bragging rights. You will find it difficult to NOT tell everyone about your amazing cruise through paradise in a MINI. You may even have to exercise a little more self control than you're used to so you don't annoy your listeners.

Top 10 Reasons to rent a MINI instead of a Jeep in Honolulu

#10 - OTHER MINI OWNERS WILL SMILE & WAVE TO YOU.

I drive MINI Coopers all over the Oahu, and everywhere I go I get a friendly wave & a smile from other MINI motorists along the way. Whether I'm driving our hardtop Cooper S to the beach or delivering our convertible chili red Cooper to a rental customer; whether I'm on the freeway, at an intersection, or in a parking lot; or whether I'm parked or driving. Its kind of like the common motorcycle wave, but with cars instead of bikes. Is there any other car in the world whose owners do this?

Now, I'm not to say that Jeep drivers don't wave to each other, but I never see them waving. My brother owns a Jeep, but he doesn't wave at other Jeeps when he's driving.

Feel more loved on Oahu: rent a MINI.

Honolulu: Hotel Renew - an Aqua Elite hotel - Traveler Reviews - Loved Hotel Renew - TripAdvisor

Honolulu: Hotel Renew - an Aqua Elite hotel - Traveler Reviews - Loved Hotel Renew - TripAdvisor

Missy20 and her sister hired our red convertible MINI during their Waikiki vacation and had a blast. They stayed at the newly-renovated Hotel Renew, which is currently offering a great package deal when you rent a MINI. They left a great review of their experience on TripAdvisor.

Check out our MINI rental reviews on Yahoo Local

Thinking of renting an exciting exotic convertible during your next trip to Honolulu? Can't decide on a car yet? We could tell you until we're blue in the face that you'll have the most fun renting a MINI Cooper. But don't take our word for it. Check out our excellent customer reviews on our listing Yahoo Local listing.

Our customers know even better than we do how a "Mini Cooper convertible and the roads of Oahu are a match made in paradise." We'd like to thank our loyal customers for the positive feedback & fantastic photos with a great big MAHALO!

An unexpected tragedy leads to long-awaited upgrade

Many of you have heard of the unfortunate and extremely frequent vehicle break-ins on Oahu, especially in Waikiki and at popular tourist attractions. That's why each time we deliver one of our detailed MINI Coopers to a new rental customer, we caution them to keep valuables either back at the hotel or in the secure trunk of the MINI, out of sight of potential thieves.

Well, on a gloomy day last January we didn't follow these suggestions, which resulted in a broken window and a stolen computer bag (luckily sans computer). So after quite a bit of online research, we decided to go with The North Face Striker sling backpack as our new official company bag.

The striker has everything we need in a bag, and then some: an uber-comfortable shoulder strap with Velcro & clasp closures, elastic cellphone pocket, mesh zippered hip pocket, padded & insulated laptop/lunch compartment, water bladder hook & hose outlet, headphone flap, waterproof nylon fabric, waterproof zippers, side compressions, stitched foam back panel, tons of inside pockets (including one for our tire pressure gauges), and even a built-in safety whistle for the next time I see someone trying to break into a car. And for only 70 bucks, it's a great deal.