So you’re “moving to Hawaii!” And you’re wondering, “What are the ideal cars for Hawaii?” After all you have a family or maybe you don’t. Everyone has their likes and dislikes, but we all want at least an opinion on what we should be thinking about. I have compiled a group of photos to help with the visual side and some of my explanations on why I think these are the best choices for Hawaii.

Each family usually has 2 vehicles, One for hauling everyone altogether, and the second for well, the bread winner to drive to work and also be used for the date night car. (if you’re married)

For the family car I choose the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. It is full size, offers plenty of storage space in the back, will get you anywhere on Hawaii and best of all it can become completely convertible. The Jeep Wrangler offers you the ability to go virtually anywhere in Hawaii. Many beaches are off the beaten path and are not accessible unless on foot or in a capable 4X4 vehicle. The Jeep offers plenty of clearance so going anywhere is a reality for this versatile family hauler. The new five door jeep comes with the soft-top and you can pay extra for the hardtop which is also very versatile. The hardtop may be better for those families that have infants or smaller children who don’t like the wind blowing in there faces. With the hardtop, as seen in the photo, you can remove two panels above the driver and passenger areas to make a large open space. For those die-hard convertible/nature lovers you can remove the doors as well and be completely open to the elements. Did I mention the turning radius is amazing in this Jeep, which is a big deal for the smaller streets and confined parking garages you will find in the city areas. This vehicle is priced extremely well and offers so much utility and creature comforts. Even A/C…

Note: If you’re single and don’t want the large Wrangler go with the two door for the same off-road capabilities.

Now for the 2nd Car, the “DATE CAR”

So now that we’ve covered the all important and family car we can move on to some options for enjoying your commute to work, enjoying the weekend drives, going on your monthly, I mean bi-weekly, uh.. you know what I mean, date night! Whenever that is for you and your significant other its always nice to drive around and arrive in style. There’s no better place to own a convertible than where the sun shines all year round. As long as you don’t mind the envious eyes of other drivers burning wholes in the side of your head you will always enjoy the free feeling of having the top down and the wind in your hair. I have expensive taste and have mostly included the higher end options for convertibles, but I did include the Chrysler Sebring Convertible for the more economy minded folks. Lets start with the 4-5 seater (practical) Convertibles.

The Saab 9-3 is an elegant looking, but not too flashy convertible that is engineered by airplane engineers. (Why that is a good thing for a car, I don’t know) But that’s what there commercial says. I like this car because it offers a smooth, clean and elegant look. This car has a soft-top.

The next is the amazing quattro system Audi A4/S4 offers in this beautiful design and “I’m coming to get you” look the front grill gives. The vehicle in this particular photo is a S4which is a more sport tuned version of the A4. This car screams class, and if it does rain than you have the benefit of the road gripping all wheel drive system (Quattro). Audi is a real inivator when it comes to getting power out of its power plants. I believe the S4 now comes in a 4.2 liter V8. Not great for gas mileage, but fun fun fun… You can get the A4 Cabrio in a V6 and a 2.0 turbo I believe…

My personal favorite, the 335I BMW Convertible. This car has a inline six cylinder engine with two small turbo’s that give this baby the power of a V8 while maintaining the fuel efficiency of a V6. Everyone knows a BMW with the beautiful and sporty lines that the BMW heritage is always sure to incorporate into the designs. Nothing drives like a BMW. There are two BMW’s sold for every one Mercedes sold in the United States. That should tell you something. If you haven’t driven a BMW I urge you to go to your local dealer and take a test drive. You don’t know what you’re missing. This 3-series comes with a retractable hard-top. (Best of both worlds)

The 2008 Chrysler Sebring has uped the anty this year by offering a retractable hard-top. The Sebring is much more affordable than the vehicles listed above and offers a great array of features, but will never match the driving dynamics of those featured above it. This is an American past time for bringing the convertible to the people, you can always go on Autotrader.com and find a used Sebring within reach of almost anyone price wise. If the more expensive foreign counter parts are out of your budget then I would consider the Sebring.

Another option for the price conscience is the new VW Eos. Not cheap, but within reach. Also the resale on the VW Eos is almost better than some of the luxury convertibles listed earlier.

Aloha
[Alo = presence, front, face] + [hâ = breath]
“The presence of breath.”

Almost anyone can say at least one Hawaiian word, Aloha! But do people in general really understand the significance and meaning behind the word? Probably not. Hawaii is known as the “Aloha State.” Many companies have it in their name and also have “Aloha Friday” where employees may dress more casually. Not only is it a greeting used to say hello and goodbye, but it also means love, affection, compassion, mercy and peace. Aloha is a way of living and treating each other with love and respect. Its deep meaning starts by teaching us to love ourselves first and afterwards to spread the love to others. The Spirit of Aloha is sending and receiving a positive energy, living in harmony. When you live the Spirit of Aloha you create positive feelings and thoughts.

Maybe this is why Hawaiians are so laid back and friendly! No wonder everyone loves visiting Hawaii for vacation, not only does it have beautiful scenery, the perfect weather and tons of fun things to do, but the people are nice and friendly spreading aloha everywhere and to everyone they meet!

So even if you’re not in Hawaii or planning a vacation anytime soon, strive to live the Spirit of Aloha and spread the love to others!

Get ready for Spam-erific celebration!!! While many people have heard that Spam (by Hormel Foods) is popular in Hawaii, some of you may be shocked to know they have huge festivals surrounding the gelatinous meat substance!! Yes, that’s right! Loosen your belt and head over to Hawaii to bow down to the tasty treat, Spam! This year on May 3rd Hawaii will be celebrating the 6th annual Waikiki Spam Jam. Not only is there music, dancing, lots of food (i.e. Spam), and fun, but this festival also benefits the Hawaiian Food Bank. People donate all kinds of canned goods and money to help the needy in Hawaii.

Introduced during WWII, Spam is so popular in Hawaii that now you can order it from your favorite menus at McDonald’s and Burger King! Crazy huh! They even have a sushi-style way to devour Spam, called musubi! At the second annual Spam Jam they had an amazing 313 foot musubi which required more than 275 pounds of rice, 1,650 slices of Spam and 600 feet of the dried seaweed called nori. What a way to start a party!! You can even compete to be Mr. or Ms. Spam and win a year supply of Spam and $1000!

So get ready and make your plans to visit Hawaii and celebrate with the locals for the 6th annual Waikiki Spam Jam! With all the different way to serve it up, there is always room for Spam!

Is gasoline really more expensive on Hawaii as most Main Landers assume? The answer is NO!

This is a common objection brought up when someone is trying to convince you that moving to Hawaii is a bad idea. Most of the time tankers stop by Hawaii before they reach California. The prices are similar to the Main Land but can be inflated only around the Touristy areas. You can check prices at these websites.

• Honolulu Prices
• Mapquest Gas Prices

Wanna read up on the most expensive places to live while we are on this topic? Hawaii didn’t even make the top 10 in this article by SOYOUWANNA.COM - The ten most expensive U.S. cities to live in

When you can’t get enough shoe, just build a house that looks like one. A house like this would have to be custom built. Good luck telling your agent to find you a house like this one.

If you are one of the fans of ABC’s hit orginal series LOST” you are probably aware that a large portion of the show is filmed on Oahu. On your next vacation to Oahu you should click on LOSTVIRTUALTOUR.com and go see the locations where your favorite episode may have been shot! To get details please visit the website above and schedule your tour of Kualoa Ranch.

If you need a great real estate site to search for Oahu real estate look no further. Oahure.com is the place to go. We all enjoy beautiful pictures and I am frequently searching on Google images for those photos that just inspire. Oahu Real Estate has some links on there website that lets you view some amazing photographs. There is a variety of scenic photos, surfing, and more. Click on the photo to view more…

Today I dropped off my car at Firestone in Mill Creek to have the front end brakes done. Several hours when I went back to pick up the car I used the bathroom and this poster was hanging up. It really caught my eye because its just darn hard to find good service anymore. You wonder sometimes do these people even care about their reputation? The gentleman who helped me was very pleasant and now when I think back to other times I’ve used Firestone, the people working there have been very helpful. That must be why I keep going back.

If the company cares about its customers they will treat there employees even better.

Firestone gets an “A” in my book

Aloha! And welcome to 808oasis.com The purpose of this blogsite is to help you navigate the process of moving to the great state of Hawaii, and to understand the process of buying or selling a home. The Justus Realty Group has decided to make a strategic transition from Seattle, WA to the breath taking state of Hawaii to continue growing and build in a new territory that is full of opportunity and beauty. There are only so many places on earth that we can call an (Oasis). Hawaii is definitely one of them. So sit back and explore the wide variety of information and categories made available in one convenient place, 808oasis.com