I'm going to rent a car for an upcoming trip, but have never rented one before. I figured I would ask my shopper friends here because you guys have probably shopped them before and know all the dirt. And you are the smartest shoppers around!!
Sooo, does anyone have any hot tips, general advice, anything? The prices seem reallllly high when I'm just browsing on the web....

for one you have to have insurance... or they will charge you extra (more than the advertised price)... another thing is you have to be 25 or older... cause thats the policy... another thing is like all travel companies it is cheaper if you plan way in advance... you can also get on several discount programs for free if you sign up in advance upgrades and stuff... www.hotwire.com has been the best site to get them from i have found... they look for the cheapest deals for you

good luck!

I sometimes get coupons from Enterprise, who I find the least expensive. you have to pay for gas, have Ins. (I'm sure you do).....just go and ask questions, sometimes calling a couple different Co's. can give you an idea of price, etc. I always deal direct with the companies, not go though an online agency. Prices are pretty set.

Check AAA. Good discounts there.

The best prices I ever got were from Hotwire.com. It is certainly where I would start looking if I needed to rent.

One thing to watch for that apparently is appearing in the fine print these days is having additional charges for returning the vehicle to a location other than where you rented it. Apparently that 'hidden fee' can be as high as $1000, so ASK.

Obviously you want to make sure the tank is full when you get the vehicle and fill it before you return it. Some of the car rental places are charging as high as $7-$10 per gallon to fill the car for you if you don't do it yourself. ASK.

I'd say always reserve online in some form. The rates will be cheaper for sure.

Also, check with your credit card companies to to see if any offer insurance on rental cars, and/or your car insurance provider, so you can feel safe in declining the additional coverage they always try to sell you.

Thanks everyone! Why aren't I receieving my email notifications, grrrr!

In June, I got a business contract with Enterprise, which is the only vehicle rental place in our small town. Every time I go there, there is a different person on duty, and the interpretation of what I signed varies. I had a difference of opinion with one, and he just dismissed the charge so I'd continue to come back. I got it for a series of road trips, which I estimated to be weekly, but unfortunately the companies that owe me haven't paid me yet in July. Therefore, I will start up again later. These are for trips to a city that I don't want to drive my personal car to because of its age. If a rental car breaks down, so what.

The insurance I got with them wasn't much, and it is beneficial.

They recommended that I always bring the car back with almost no gas, even if I have to drive it around on the weekends after a Friday trip (The place is closed on weekends.) because they have a contract for cheaper gas at the local station. They then pass that charge on to me.

Get the phone number of the local place. I purchased my car from this company years ago. It had apparently been in a wreck, and somebody made a mistake in painting one side of the car, which then faded in the sun. I called the 1-800 number and fought with them quite a while until they agreed to pay the lowest price I could find for a paint job. Then they sent me half of the amount promised and never responded to me again.

Considering all the problems that crop up in this business--with the MSP's, the targets, etc.,; these situations with the rental company are miniscule. I do believe I'll try to book more assignments, however, before spending this much with the rental company for a one-day trip. I have lived in the particular city I go to, but I never liked it and the assignments can be far from each other. I also get lost west of town. I don't use a GPS and right now I don't plan to because I've known people who get sent to the wrong place. I bought a brand-new map. It still isn't perfect.

An aside about maps: I went to another town the other day after finding the place on its website map. I'd been to that town only once before. I knew both highways, and, I thought, after looking at the company's map, "Ok, it's on the right north of the airport." How hard can that be to find? You know how some locals don't know their own town? Who doesn't know where the airport is? Would you believe that the airport had been closed for some time and only a guy in his 50's knew that there was a trailer park where the airport used to be?

There is a newer way of renting cars, and I've read some good reviews about this company. It's risky, and typically I get the best deal I can, but for someone who does not have the time or inclination to keep checking, this might work for you.

It's autoslash.com

There is a cute little video on how it works on the front page.

If you are renting via Budget, a code which has worked wonders for me is: BCD code X474200

Krissy, the key with renting cars yourself, ahead of time, is to keep checking.

with enterprise they are sales people and they get paid for the upsell... not the rental... so yes they will push everything at you because their job depends on it... had a guy that i know got fired... even though he was making a ton of sales no one bought his upsells so he got fired for missing his monthly quota... thats probably why you see a new person in every so often..

even with some of the codes hotwire can still be cheaper... i checked it out before... i dont know maybe it has changed... but its worth a look... and again you need to plan in advance... kind of hard to do with msing.. but not impossible..