Mysterious Toyota Phenomena in Hawaii - Let's hear from the locals!

[PaulsTrail]

I saw a few Police driving 4runners.

I saw that too. Maybe for chasing the perps on the trail :car:

We were there for a couple of weeks last year and kept seeing a blue 4Runner on Saddle Road (Big Island) pulling people over. I was curious and, with some Google searching, found an article that said Hawaii pays its officers bonuses to use their personal vehicles for patrolling. Wish I'd gotten a picture of that 4Runner all lit up. It looked stock otherwise.

We noticed the abundance of 4Runners and Tacomas there too. I too figured it was because the locals wouldn't be caught dead in a Wrangler due to all the tourist rentals.

 

[MeefZah]

We were there for a couple of weeks last year and kept seeing a blue 4Runner on Saddle Road (Big Island) pulling people over. I was curious and, with some Google searching, found an article that said Hawaii pays its officers bonuses to use their personal vehicles for patrolling. Wish I'd gotten a picture of that 4Runner all lit up. It looked stock otherwise.

We noticed the abundance of 4Runners and Tacomas there too. I too figured it was because the locals wouldn't be caught dead in a Wrangler due to all the tourist rentals.

Yeah, the department provides a monthly stipend that essentially would cover a payment, insurance, and fuel; and the car is equipped to their standards with X number of lights in X places, siren, radio. Car has to meet certain criteria as far as brand, age, etc.

The benefit to the department is trifold - Joe Average has no idea who around him is a cop and who isn't, thus promoting (in theory) better behavior; it is a force multiplier because even off duty the officers still are in an official vehicle with a radio and sign on quickly and can take action if needed; it's actually more economical to run the motor pool this way than maintaining a huge fleet of issued vehicles.

Strangely, though, they still have department owned marked vehicles there.

I wouldn't mind running patrol in my 4Runner if the department was covering all my costs. What I would mind was heaving some bloody, shit covered drunk into my backseat and having to deal with that subsequent nightmare the next time I loaded up groceries. At least with a fleet car I can have the trustees spray out the hard plastic back seat and carry on.

 

[PaulsTrail]

The benefit to the department is trifold - Joe Average has no idea who around him is a cop and who isn't, thus promoting (in theory) better behavior...

It certainly worked on me. Once I realized that olice:, I started watching my speed much closer.

 

[axisbogner]

Man, I never see any built rigs out in Pasadena. I always drive mine around town when running errands and never get spotted.

Ha, maybe you wouldn't consider mine "built". But I'll give you a shout if I spot you. I'm over on the east side.

 

[axisbogner]

Blew their budget on the lift..now they are truck poor. Have to wait for the next tax return year to get them rimZ.

Just waiting on the Hawaiians to spot the thread and represent. If there are legit off-roaders, they aren't going to tolerate this

 

[2flyfishin]

Just waiting on the Hawaiians to spot the thread and represent. If there are legit off-roaders, they aren't going to tolerate this

You could always tag one of them like [MENTION=129409]hawaiianryan[/MENTION] .

 

[wadle5]

Just waiting on the Hawaiians to spot the thread and represent. If there are legit off-roaders, they aren't going to tolerate this

Well the legit off-roaders probably actually wheel it so mine didn't pertain to them.

 

[hawaiianryan]

Hey Guys,

Yup all your observations are right. The locals love their Toyotas out here. Don't quote me on this, but I think Toyota is the number one selling brand in Hawaii. My guess would be the 4Runner, Tacoma, and Camry and the top sellers in the brand.

I started off with a Tacoma and ended up moving up to a 4Runner and both my parents and their parents drove Toyotas. I think everyone is just loyal to the brand and the high resale value to also a plus.

Maybe some of the other locals can chime in on their insights. [MENTION=138904]Lawaia[/MENTION] [MENTION=131404]96706RROMJP[/MENTION] [MENTION=131287]raycie[/MENTION]

I just came back from Maui and OMG... it's land of the lifted Toyotas!! I couldn't help but think how my lifted T4R wouldn't feel so lonely out there!

So my basic observation was that:
1) Hawaiians must love to go off road since the percentage of lifted vehicles must be >10x over California and
2) Hawaiians must hate Jeeps, because it seemed Jeep = tourist rental, Toyota = legit local. I don't recall a single off-road ready jeep.

I'd love to hear from the Hawaiians about this mysterious phenomena happening out there. Are my observations correct? What's causing this?

-Ax

 

[Lawaia]

I agree with [MENTION=129409]hawaiianryan[/MENTION]...brand loyal, reliability, and very good resale value are why Toyota's are sooo popular here. Some guys lift just for looks, but a lot of us like to do outdoor activities (fishing, hunting, etc.) that require offroading. Personally, most of my fishing buddies drive 4Runners or Tacomas, lol.

 

[IslandJim]

This thread is worthless without pics! Want to see the bracket lifts.

 

[oneshot808]

I agree with [MENTION=129409]hawaiianryan[/MENTION]...brand loyal, reliability, and very good resale value are why Toyota's are sooo popular here. Some guys lift just for looks, but a lot of us like to do outdoor activities (fishing, hunting, etc.) that require offroading. Personally, most of my fishing buddies drive 4Runners or Tacomas, lol.

what he said ^.

 

[LandCruiser]

Surfer girls in tiny thongs riding around in lifted Toyotas.

I love Maui.

 

[T4RHonolulu]

Pretty sure it's more about stylin' than off-roading.

True, and us locals do love our Toyota’s lol


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[Decipher]

Tacos are easily the most common vehicle on Kauai in my time there.

We’ve always rented a wrangler and it’s worth every penny. There are amazing trails and beaches that you absolutely need 4WD to get to.

I met a ton of cool locals...all but one had a Tacoma. The one who didn’t had an old Dodge Ram buried to the doors on Polihale. Helped him dig for the next two days. Good times.


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[Shiftless Joe]

Don't forget about the mandated murals painted on the tail gate; some are actually works of art.

Almost had mine done while in Guam