Rental car--how much & how to get best deal?

[nilseks]

I would love to hear good rates that people have gotten on a one week car rental in Orlando, and how they got them. On the transportation board someone said he got a car for a week for $107. For the life of me I can't figure out how to get a deal this good. I'm searching now for the first week of December, and I see prices in the $300 range. I'm not picky about the car type (small is okay) but I do not want to have to go 'off terminal' to pick it up. It needs to be at MCO.

What should I expect to pay, and how can I get a deal? This is our first time offsite and I don't want to spend to much.

Thanks!!!

 

[stephen9871]

Check out carrentalsavers.com, I used this search engine last year when I went to Disney and spent less than $200 for 12 days. I kept checking it daily and rebooked every time I found a better deal. I found that searching in early morning gave me better rates than in the afternoon or evening. Hope this works for you.

 

[kiki02]

Check out carrentalsavers.com, I used this search engine last year when I went to Disney and spent less than $200 for 12 days. I kept checking it daily and rebooked every time I found a better deal. I found that searching in early morning gave me better rates than in the afternoon or evening. Hope this works for you.

Keep checking. Dollar rental can be really low. Sometimes on the actual dollar site, less than any other (carrentalsavers , priceline too). Just keep checking. But won't allow free spouse driver. $10 a day i think.

 

[CaFeeney]

Keep reading the trans board. With tips for other posters we were able to get an Alamo rental, standard size for $86 INCLUDING TAX.

This was April 11-18 2012 using a Costco code (we are members) and a $35 coupon code posted on the trans board. They are incredibly helpful!

 

[eyeheartgoofy]

In my experience, the better deals happen 30-60 days out. I usually book the cheapest I can find a few months out, then start really hunting as my dates get closer. Rental cars don't generally require a deposit and they are easy to cancel online ... so cancelling and rebooking when a better rate comes along is not difficult.

I check the transportation board and mousesavers. I also periodically check orbitz and travelocity to see which car they are showing as the cheapest ... then check that rental company website and google for coupon codes.

 

[nilseks]

Thanks for the tips and ideas. I guess maybe I am just looking too far out and need to wait until they lower their rates. Good to know.

CaFeeney that is an AWESOME rate and gives me hope, lol. I would be so thrilled if we could come in at under $100!!!

 

[ExpatDisneyLover]

I use hotwire a lot for car rentals at MCO - have gotten a compact for as little as $6.95 a day - $10-15 is more usual plus taxes and fees.

 

[ChiBub]

We went to WDW the first full week of December the past two years in a row. Both times, we paid about $120 for the week for a mid-size sedan -- but I didn't book my "final" rate until about a month out in each case. This far out the prices were still crazy. I booked in the fall and then re-booked when the rates dropped as it got closer. It's hard for those of us who like to plan as far out as possible, but have no fear, your patience will pay off.

 

[ceecee]

Wasn't there a Wendy's code? I can't find it now.

 

[Chris2597]

Keep checking....I started looking for a rental in January for our June trip. The initial price was over 600.00 for the week....EEK!! In Feb. it went down to 276.00 for the week for a mid size. Last week I found a mid size SUV (Ford Escape) for 130.00 total for the week. Yay!! I kept checking the tranportation thread on DIS and found the rate using a code that was given in a post.
The car rental agencies are somewhat like the stock market or spinning a slot machine wheel. It seems they change daily or even several times a day.