The large travel Web sites do not only compare the rates at all the major car rental agencies, they often negotiate deals to provide lower rates. Do a search at Expedia.com, Travelocity.com, Hotwire.com and Priceline.com. Also try Kayak.com, which aggregates many of the travel sites and compares their best deals. Don't forget the car rental sites CarRentals.com, RentalCars.com and CarRentalExpress.com
Car rental companies are presently becoming more aggressive with their direct prices. Check prices at every rental agency, as they run weekly deals, and each of them has a long-term rental program. The agencies to check include Budget, Alamo, Enterprise, National, Hertz, Thrifty, Dollar, Advantage, Ace and Rent-A-Wreck. There are also regional and local car rental companies that might offer lower prices. In Los Angeles there is Discovery, Deluxe and Midway. Do a search for the city from which you will be renting to find other independent companies.
Most rental agencies have a certain amount of negotiating authority that allows them to lower the price on a rental. Typically, this depends on their own car availability, but adding a personal touch to the request never hurts. Rental locations at airports generally have the lowest rates, but check around, as the rates do vary at every location.
Depending on your travel plans and personal preferences, you might want to consider buying a reliable used car and then re-selling it when you are done with your trip. Depending on how many miles you add to the car and the time you want to spend in buying and selling, this might be the least expensive option. Factor in the sales tax, though, if you live in a state with a high sales tax. Consumer Reports lists the most reliable car models, and Cars.com lists the cars with the best resale value.
