In the islands they all have bumper stickers that say "slow down you not on the mainland". A 996TT on Maui is like having a T-Rex in your back yard as a pet. Most of the roads are two lane twistees with terrible sight lines, no sholders and lots of big trees/rock walls to hit or cliffs to drive off. Everyone drives soooooo slow. 5-0 especially likes handing tickets out to Haole. Service options may be limited at best. I'd sell it and get a hard top convertible (the tropical weather plays havoc with rag tops but is fantastic to drive with the top down almost all year). Like a 335i or and SLK55. Plenty of power without over kill and you won't stand out as much. The only Porsches I've seen in Maui after visiting for over 25 year were Boxsters.

 

quote of the day.

i had to move neighborhoods to be able to "properly" drive this car. absolutely right the back roads in HI are scary as hell and possibly too much car. hmm,.. a lotus maybe..

 

Man........you better don't go to Hawaii...how are you going to drive slow after having a 996tt.....no way...it's imposible......go to Germany....there you can drive a 996tt

 

this.

went to Maui for honeymoon last year. First couple days i wish i had my car on some of those roads, would have made for some great shots on the cliffside highways. those speed limits and easy-going drive style would almost make the car a waste on that island....

...unless they freshly pave the Hana road

 

You'd be better off with a Prius on Maui. The price of gas, the police, and the crazy low speed limit make a 996TT overkill.

 

Cali actually has the highest gas prices.

 

I'd get a diesel 4x4 and call it a day....just invest the money in perhaps a sloop and have fun. Went there....the T-rex for a pet is a fair statement. Imagine being behind a vw van on the road to hana...a lot.

Jeff

 

Just got back from Maui yesterday. Very few "exotic cars" that I saw. Was there for 7 days and saw maybe 7-10 boxters, one 996 carrera, and a ferrari of some sort in Lahaina. Get a wrangler with four doors and a rack so you are ready to go when JAWS or Hookipa is hitting (it was dead for most of my trip, but was getting to advisory levels when I left...damn!)

 

Its simply not a supercar habitat. Dont ship it, sell it / store it or whatever makes sense based on your timeframe in Hawaii. Tough place to live if you love driving, thats for sure.

 

I moved to Hawaii (Oahu) in 1989 and brought my 930 turbo. If you have it shipped by Matson, definitely have it in a container and leave NOTHING in it that is not bolted down (I lost a hard wired radar detector). I lived there 8 years but sold the car after only 1. Simply was not fun. Everyone just cruises along, no fun roads and the police are ridiculous. They do not like performance cars and are more than happy to demonstrate that. I don't know if it is the same today, but the entire time I lived there every police officer had the option to use his own private unmarked car in return for a car allowance so you never knew who you might be ticketed by! Performance driving aside, it is a fantastic place to live. I enjoyed every minute of my time there and would have stayed if work did not dictate otherwise. Best of luck to you.

 

Thanks everyone, I think I will sell the car. Have lived on Maui and Oahu before. The idea of keeping the car was appealing, but not practical. The T Rex's or the like need more freedom.

Fall is short here, I'm putting on my winter rims and tires next week.

 

I moved to the Big Island in July and am glad I left my 996 turbo on the mainland. Rains too much here in Hilo and the locals seem like they would give a lot of grief to a nice car. However, we just visited Maui a few weeks ago for the weekend and fell in love. We are now hoping to move there next summer. First thing Im going to do when we arrive is ship my car there. Lots of nice cars and more touristy so less likely for something bad to happen and the weather is perfect!