Rental Car Deals

The cost of most travel items has gone up a lot in recent years, but for rental cars the cost can actually be lower than it was even 20 years ago (yes, I do remeember that far back.) However, while advertised rates may be low, add-ons like collision damage waiver can quickly turn a bargain into a costly undertaking.
There are Websites like www.kayak.com and www.priceline.com which allow you to compare rates from various companies. Generally, it is cheaper to rent cars at sites away from an airport than at the airport itself. If you are just flying into a city for a couple of days, though, the difference in price may not be worth it, because you have to add on the cost of getting to the other location by taxi, shuttle etc.
I have had good luck renting cars recently from Enterprise (www.enterprise.com) and from Avis (www.avis.com.) According to one source, who managed to score a Cadillac in Florida from Enterprise for just $13 a day, franchise owners and employees at Enterprise have a lot of leeway to negotiate rates. One possible downside, if you don't own a car and have your own insurance, is that they may not accept the collision damage waiver protection offered by most premium credit cards. At least, that was my experience when renting from them in Florida--fortunately, I had other insurance..
If you rent cars often, the annual fee charged by premium credit cards is usually worth it because of the collision damage waiver alone.
As with most travel products, rental cars and their prices are complex, But at least in North America, you can be assured that prices are usually a good deal compared to what they used to be.