Moving to Maui...hybrid car/piano questions (Hilo, Kahului: house, buy)

[HSMOM12]

Aloha-
I have been reading alot of great posts with all sorts of very helpful questions/answers already....thanks to all! But still have more questions....

First, my husband has a 2003 honda civic hybrid with about 100,000 miles on it. He's not sure if he should bring it to the islands or not. The company will pay for shipping, but he's thinking he might want a convertible or a jeep. Are hybrids very desirable there (is there a market for them), or should he just sell it here.

Next, we have a piano we are trying to decide what to do with. Again, the
company will pay for it to be moved, but we are not sure how well a piano will move.

[irvm]

Originally Posted by HSMOM12

Next, we have a piano we are trying to decide what to do with. Again, the
company will pay for it to be moved, but we are not sure how well a piano will move.

If it's a good piano, I suspect the humidity will ruin it.
That's a problem in Ga, and Hi is way more humid than Ga.

[Koale]

Aloha ...m12,
I also have a piano that I dread leaving behind. Did alot of looking into shipping it to Oahu and was told over and over that I would chance having it deteriorate due to the
high humidity. That and was also advised to leave behind any wood furniture etc that may be effected by the humidity.
I know it's a drag.

[Jungjohann]

Ran a restaurant on Keawekapu Beach here on Maui years ago. We had a piano, and some Hawaiian bands that would use it all the time. Installed a de-humidifier to keep the internals relatively dry. Had to have it re-tuned on a regular basis, but other than that, no problem. As far as furniture is concerned, mine is doing well after 30 plus years here..

Aloha

[mauidude]

Yeah, the whole humidity/salt air scare is B.S. in Hawaii. Unless your living right on the beach I wouldn't worry about it.

You could always put the piano in an air conditioned room if your worried about it.

[Jonah K]

Originally Posted by mauidude

Yeah, the whole humidity/salt air scare is B.S. in Hawaii. Unless your living right on the beach I wouldn't worry about it.

You could always put the piano in an air conditioned room if your worried about it.

That's not entirely correct, especially for Kaua'i and the Hilo side of the Big Island, where we still have tropical rainforests and cliffs that drop off into the ocean.

Most of the islands in Hawai'i have several microclimates, that can range from arid desert to tropical rainforest. Thus, the climate of Lahaina is somewhat different from that of Kahului, Hana, Makawao, etc. In addition, elevation, proximity to the ocean, surrounding flora, etc. can all have an impact on the climate.

While it's probably best to have an extended visit before moving to Hawai'i, a dehumidifier should keep things relatively dry as Jungohann mentioned in an earlier post. In many instances, an air conditioned room for a piano is overkill.

[kani-lehua]

Originally Posted by mauidude

Yeah, the whole humidity/salt air scare is B.S. in Hawaii. Unless your living right on the beach I wouldn't worry about it.

You could always put the piano in an air conditioned room if your worried about it.

sorry, i don't live right on the beach--just 1 block away. the salt air here in kailua, o'ahu is very destructive. just put in new awning windows and the salt collects in the tracks--literally looks like hawaiian salt. some of the cranks are already rusting even with marine lubricant on them. this is only so for the windows facing the east. all the rest seem to be fine.

[Jungjohann]

Yea, if you're windward side, as Kani pointed out, anything facing the ocean is going to rust, unless it's stainless steel or heavily galvanized. Leeward side, relatively dry, no pilikea. We were working on a medical clinic just outside of Hilo, the drywall, which had been sitting in the building for a while, already had mildew growing on it. It all had to be replaced with greenboard, which is mildew resistant. I've had guys working for me from Pakakalo and Haiku, there trucks, not to old, already lots of rust. The guys from Kihei and Lahaina, no rust at all.

Aloha

[Sorcerer68]

I lived 10 miles from the beach and the humidity ruined my piano in short order. I lived in an old plantation style house and kept the windows open a lot. If you keep the room it's in shut and run the a/c or dehumidifier, you'll be ok.

Right before I left in April I looked around at Hybrids and they were heckishly expensive. Bring it.

[pj737]

I own a hybrid and let me tell you... used ones sell for big bucks here. But then again, your car has 100,000 miles and all the hybrid components have expired their warranty. At least on Oahu, most dealerships don't mark up above MSRP and shipping is fixed across the entire US. General excise tax is 4.71% here so if you can pick up a car tax free somewhere else, buy it and ship it (if that's even an option) since your company is offering free shipping. Overall, tough call.