My husband and I and our two kids, ages 4 and and 6 rented Finn's VW bus for 10 days in March. We camped all over Kauai and had amazing adventures and got to see so much more than if we stayed in a condo or hotel. Kauai is special place and we cherished our time exploring this beautiful island. And for this, I am thankful to Finn for renting his bus.However, not everything stated in his listing and in our conversations was accurate. For starters, before we even rented the VW, we communicated to Finn that we'd be camping with our two kids and the listing stated the bus would be "meticulously packed" for up to 4 people. However, the supplies provided were for only 2 people. That meant sharing 2 cups, 2 bowls, 2 forks, etc. for every meal. No problem! We were okay with that minor oversight. Thank goodness we remembered to ask Finn to give us an extra set of sheets and a blanket for our kids to use, since the 4 of us couldn't share one blanket. It was still pretty cold at night for my kids to sleep in the pop top, but we're in Kauai! How can you complain! They wore their jackets to bed and were only chilly in a few places.Then, there was the payment for pick up and drop off. It was not in Finn's initial listing that was up on Outdoorsy's website when we rented the bus and has since been changed to reflect the hidden costs we were surprised with upon arrival. I confirmed with Finn before I rented his bus that it included airport pickup and drop off. But he failed to mention there was a charge of $75. Last year, we rented a VW bus from Kauai Campers and they had all fees clearly listed in their rental agreement, which also included airport pickup and drop off (great company and pimped out buses!). Initially, it was confirmed he was going to pick us up at the airport. Then when we landed, it was changed to his friend was picking us up and bringing us to his house to pick up the bus. His friend, Alec let us know at the airport that the bus would not be ready until later that afternoon since it was still being cleaned. This did not turn out to be the reason why we had to wait to get the bus. It turned out that Finn and his girlfriend were working at the farmer's market and wouldn't be done until later that afternoon to meet us at the house. Alec had to stop to get some groceries on our way to Finn's house and offered to take us to any stores we might want to go to while we waited. My family and I sat and waited while Alec went grocery shopping for himself and when we arrived to Finn's place, we were met shortly after by Finn. The bus did not seem like it was getting cleaned or had been just cleaned in any way.We went over the rental agreement and the operation of the bus. My husband has had many VW buses in his life and we have 2 VW buses right now, so he was already familiar with driving and fixing buses. We asked if the propane and water had been filled up and Finn confirmed that both had been. Maybe he misunderstood, maybe we misunderstood but when we ask if the water had been filled, we were not referring to the bottle of water they provided us but the water tank for water that comes out of the sink! So you can cook and wash your freakin hands and dishes when you're camping!!! But no, the water tank was empty and we were not provided with the key to fill it, so just so you know, you are provided with a bottle of water not water in the tank! Okay, a little misunderstanding, no problem. We dealt with it!Then, when we were signing the rental agreement, he mentioned that the bus had a "slight exhaust leak" and that he had a new muffler he had been meaning to install. Ha!!! The leak was actually from the both sides of the exhaust pipes where they connect to the engine. In fact, one of the pipes was completely broken and not even attached to the engine and the other one had a major hole in it. The exhaust leak did not involve the muffler. The noise was unbearable at the start of our trip. Driving out of Finn's property, we contemplated returning the bus because our kids were covering their ears and complaining that the noise was hurting their heads! It was that bad!! But, then what were we going to do for 10 days? Who has the nerve to rent out a bus that has a blaring exhaust leak to a family of four for 10 days and casually mentions it as we are signing the rental agreement!!!! WTF!! My husband spent the first 3-4 days working on the exhaust leaks. By the fourth day, the bus sounded much better with the patch repairs but they were constantly requiring maintenance to keep the noise down to a reasonable decibel level.We survived these mishaps and were still able to have a most incredible trip in Kauai. Mechanically, the bus ran well without any engine problems. That was a plus. And we are a family that does not like to dwell on the negatives, so in all, we had a great learning experience renting Finn's bus. It provided us an opportunity to see Kauai upfront and close. And for that, I am truly grateful. Mahalo
