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Five Clicks to a Car Deal
The Travel Tightwad · June 28, 2002

Before she discovered Hotwire, Anna Blackman routinely reserved her cars through a rental company website. She says she did it for the frequent flier mileage credit and because the rates were better.

But she recently snagged a great price on Hotwire for a one-week rental in Baltimore - a brand-new midsize car from National Car Rental for $22 a day - that made her forget about her miles. "It was much cheaper than my reservation with any other car rental company," says the El Sobrante, CA, executive.

Hotwire quotes a price but doesn't give you details on the company you're renting through. After you agree to the rate, you get a pre-paid voucher for the rental, thus eliminating any price surprises you might get with a conventional rental.

The market for distressed car rental inventory isn't given the same attention as the one for last-minute airfares. But at any given time, there are hundreds of thousands of rental cars sitting unused in airport parking lots. They're incredibly cheap, often costing less than half the normal rate.

But where do you find them? Here's five places to look:

1. Orbitz. Brandon Lucas, a wireless consultant in New York, starts his search for low car rental rates here. Why? Orbitz frequently offers a competitive rate, not to mention its easy-to-read search results. "Orbitz has by far the best selection in my opinion, especially for airports like Los Angeles International," he says. "If I see any rates under $20, I book it and stop there." Don't like what you see? Don't worry; there are other sites you can search.

2. Car rental company site. Unless you're absolutely sure that Orbitz is offering the lowest rate - or you don't have the time to keep searching - surf over to a car rental company's website. For example, Hertz's site or Avis’ page. Car rental companies sometimes save some of their last-minute inventory for their own site, offering so-called Web specials. Terence Cummings, a retired airline captain, likes to search several car rental company sites when he flies into San Francisco. When he finds the best rate, he makes a reservation, but he keeps checking back as his pick-up time approaches. "On my last trip, I ended up with the same company, but at a savings of $50 over my original price," he remembers.

3. Online travel agency. Dave Drasin likes to check sites such as Travelocity and Expedia because they often negotiate low rates on rental cars directly with the rental company to help push distressed inventory off the parking lot. "It's hard to tell if you're going to get a good deal," says the Orange County, CA, government worker. I'll usually cross-check the deals on that car company's own site also. Frequently, the car rental company site comes out cheaper, but not always."

4. Scour the rest of the Web (and don't forget your discount code). That's Gary Bores' strategy. He hits sites like SmarterLiving.com and remembers his AARP membership when it's time to book. "In the end, I quite often find my AARP or Costco discount gets me the best deal," says the Boise, Idaho, retiree. "AARP has a neat deal going with Avis, for example. And since I'm retired, I have plenty of time to devote to my searches."

5. Priceline.com. When Bonnie Schollianos planned her last trip to San Francisco she clicked on priceline.com, which offers one of the largest inventories of distressed-inventory rental cars. "I knew what the going rate was so I'd bid and if I didn't get it, nothing ventured, nothing gained," says the e-commerce consultant from Gurabo, PR. "Well, I bid low - $25.00 per day for an SUV. Despite being given a zero percent chance of succeeding and I didn't take the 'opportunity' to increase my chances - lo and behold - I got it!" Note: Priceline.com should be your last stop, not your first. Under its "name-your-own-price" approach, your credit card is charged when your bid is accepted.

Finding a car rental bargain at the last minute can be a daunting task. But it's not impossible. Pricing isn't as volatile as it is with airfares, and there are only a limited number of websites that specialize in last-minute bargains. As Martin Kennedy, who works for the City of Buffalo, NY, says, "Check everywhere, book your car, and hold your breath."

Christopher Elliott is a travel commentator based in Key Largo, Fla. All e-mailed questions may be edited, condensed or republished at the site's discretion.