March 17, 2024 - Are Maui car rental customers a bunch of old geezers and grannies? The answer is a resounding "Yes!" that can be borne out with statistics. Our customers are definitely older than average. Are they wiser? Let's come back to this question in a bit. 

A quick tally of 244 recent customers shows a median age of exactly 70 - versus a median of 48.2 for US adults (persons over 21) - this is based on published 2022 US Census data. Statistically speaking, the difference is significant - it is not a fluke. 

Not only that, the distribution of our Maui car rental customers (percentage of total vs. age) is radically different from the age distribution of US adults. With one quick look at the chart, the difference jumps right out.

Fully one half (exactly 50%) of the customer group that we tallied are in the cohort of 65-77. And we have many octagenarians, and a few nonagenerians, still going strong. 

And just in case there is any doubt remaining, check out the chart of the age distribution. It looks just like the trace of a seismograph in a magnitude 8. And that is how they shake and quake on their way to and from the car.  

How did this come about? 

Could it be that, for most people, it's only after they turn 65 - the traditional retirement age in the US - that they finally have time to relax, smell the roses, and... take a trip to Maui?

Is more advanced age simply a general characteristic of visitors to Maui? In other words, are visitors to Maui - for whatever reason - in general as a group older than the population at large? We tried to find an answer, but the Visitor Bureau is keeping mum on this question. Maybe they don't want anybody getting the idea that Maui is an open air old folk's home. It already has the reputation, in some circles, of being an open air insane asylum. Would you like to know why? You can find out if you just go hang out in Paia, on Maui's North Shore, for a few hours. If you do go, be sure to park your rental car in a secure location, and don't leave any valuables in the car. 

Or do seniors flock to our Maui car rental company specifically because we offer such attractively cheap rental rates, and they are more willing to make the trade-off of a lower, cheaper rate versus a newer, fancier car? In fact, many of our customers tell us they are specifically looking to rent an older car not only because it's cheaper, but also because a used car blends in better, and draws less unwanted attention, than a flashy new rental car. 

We do have very competitive rental rates year-round, and we always offer the best rate to seniors. 

Here is something else we do know: from our experience, seniors do make better rental car customers. They are more mindful of driving safety, more mindful of the operation of a vehicle, so they are less likely to get in a serious accident or cause serious damage to their rental car. 

This is true up to a point, where unfortunately, for some individuals, cognitive decline starts to set in with advancing age. It's sad to say that we have seen this occur in a few cases. 

Back to our weekly survey of rental rates. For a one week rental from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG), starting on Monday, March 18, rates are down from last week.
Off-airport $216.21 (down ~ $100)
Airport Rentacar Center $387.86 (down ~ $50).
Source: rentalcars.com