I just made a car reservation on Hotwire and noticed that the choices included a "premium" car category. (I was looking for a small SUV to make sure we can get up to the Sierras in case of snow, so didn't check that out, though.) You won't know which vendor it is until you pay the money ... I'm completely indifferent to which car agency I rent from, so I like Hotwire -- they usually have good deals.

I've used Enterprise for years because they seem to come up the cheapest on price-search engines. And over time I've built up a relationship with the manager of the branch that's closest to me, and sometimes they give me car upgrades. One time, we got a Mercedes to drive for a Xmas trip down South, and we had paid only for a compact car. Great prices and great customer service.

Ditto the Priceline recommendation. It works great for rental cars. I usually run searches on travelocity etc. to find out what the going rates are for the location I am going. Then, I drop about $5-10 off the daily price and place a priceline bid. If you go too low, priceline will tell you to rework your bid. Usually we end up with Avis or Hertz, but it's always a reputable company.

We've had good experiences with Hotwire for car rentals. IIRC, you know the type of car the agency rents in advance (e.g., Ford, Honda, etc., and which models of those brands apply to each category). Also, if you go to the rental place and they have more than one model within the category you've selected (e.g., you select full-size, for which they have Accords and Camrys, and they give you a Camry) you can ask for the other type. I've found that they're happy to do so as long as it's in stock.

Haven't done it in about three years, but we used to get great deals with coupons from the Entertainment book.

I have found priceline to be a great resource for car rentals. I have been able to name my own price at $8-10 a day (although it will prob be a bit more expensive in CA), but keep in mind that the taxes almost double the price. Even so, I only use priceline to rent cars these days.

This summer, I rented a car from San Diego. Got a deal through Kayak.com, I think through Enterprise, for $300 for 2 wks for a standard size. They let me upgrade to a Lincoln Towncar or a small SUV for free.

Hertz has a Prestige collection or even their green collection...that limits the options to things that are fairly higher end.

For example, DH did the trip up Cali and got a Miata from the LAX Hertz.

I like National because you get to pick your own car.

My SIL got an amazing deal through Costco... not sure how.

I am planning a trip in which DH and I plan to drive down the California coast. We have done it before (although another portion) so I am convinced that I need a good car to handle Hwy 1. I am a bit snobby about cars in terms of their handling capabilities, though, I am trying to get over myself, given the prices for luxury/premium class. I kinda wish we could ship our car to drive it in Cali, so that it can get out of stop and go DC traffic, but clearly that's not an option.

Does anyone have a tips for getting a better than average car deal? Is it worth booking in advance? Who has the best deals.

Thanks!