Someone above mentioned using a company with US offices so that if you have a problem it's easier to deal with them afterwards. But realize that if you rent from Avis -- when you return home if you have a problem and call Avis, you will immediately be told that Avis in Europe is separate and you must call them. I'm not sure if the same thing is true with Hertz. But AutoEurope is indeed located in the US and you will only deal with US offices if you encounter any sort of problem.

To see how Hertz, Avis, EuropCar, etc., and even AutoEurope stack up against one another cost-wise, do some cost comparisons on kayak.com. Sometimes AutoEurope is cheaper, sometimes not, but even if you want to go with them, or with Gemut or Kemwel, it helps to have a good idea of what others are charging for the same vehicle.

Thanks for all the great suggestions! Kayak, yes, I will check it out. Totally forgot about it.

I really do appreciate the help from this forum.