Any tips for finding great car rental rates?

[Skjhjb]

Planning for our big trip end of September/early October for my 50th and our 25th anniversary.

Birthday part of the trip - 3 days at Disneyland!! Woot so excited!!

Anniversary part - driving the coast of California up to San Francisco, and then flying home from there.

Disney - booked!
Hotels along the way - booked!
Flights - booked!

DH's only request is a convertible mustang for driving the coast. We only need it from the Sunday when we leave LA to the Wednesday afternoon when we drop it off in San Francisco (it has been highly recommended that we ditch the car in the big cities - with Lyft and all the great options in SF, a rental is not needed.

Is it better to wait until closer to our dates of travel? We are getting insane quotes (and yes, I realize there is an extra fee because we are not dropping off in the same location). The least expensive I have found is Avis for $560 - for four days. Seems high to me - but if that's what it is, that's what it is. Some places were $1200 - yikes!!

I told DH we may be sleeping in that car instead of a hotel! Ha ha!

Any tips for getting cheaper rates? We don't have a Costco membership (and I tried their site, they were pricey as well).

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Check Mousesavers.com for car rental deals. Sometimes they have coupon codes. With your husband's specific request, the rates may not drop much. If the type of car is not a big deal, the rates will drop significantly. Since this is such a special trip, the rental rate may just have to be a very special gift. Hopefully you'll find a coupon that will work for you.

 

[rachaeld]

rentalcars.com always seem to have really good prices. They will show you the rates from numerous companies.

 

[kailuagirl]

If you have a costco membership, check their rates. We always book through them. And keep checking, like daily as the rates go up and down and it's worth looking and it only takes a couple of minutes. Also Dollar has southern california discount rates, just look for the little button that pops up once you pick the area you are looking for. Both of them you can cancel your reservations (if you don't do the pay now option)

 

[Gonzjj]

Try AutoSlash! I was able to find a rate for hundreds less than other travel booking sites.