Take heart, October friends.....we are going in September (early in the month, the 4th to 11th) and just this week, rates have noticeably declined. I started at $650 for a full size car and am now holding an Alamo intermediate SUV with a free extra driver for $446. I had a rate drop 3 days in a row this past Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Dollar for my dates is even cheaper, approx. $398 for the same dates, times and vehicle size. DH likes to pick his vehicle, though, so we will stick with Alamo unless the price difference becomes REALLY significant. Budget, too, is cheaper even than Dollar......but Budget is the rental car version of Spirit Airlines to us (a good cheap price when things go well, and a hot regrettable mess when they don't.....which is often) so that's one we won't personally risk at any savings.
I was sure we'd never see a total price under $500, and this week has given me hope of maybe, possibly nudging our rate down under $400 before we travel. Hopefully you October folks will see a similar decrease in pricing.