On Thursday, we are scheduled to drive to Savannah. As luck would have it, there was a snowstorm yesterday and my car is now in the body shop. A rental car is needed and my insurance doesn't cover auto rental. I haven't been able to find any good deals (I live in the Asheville area). Does anyone have any advice for finding discounted rentals? Better yet, does anyone have any promo codes?I've checked Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity-all of their prices are about the same. Thank you.

Did you try Dollar? I usually rent with Hertz & Avis, but have gotten some really good deals with them lately. Ask them to do a "rate search". Do you have AAA to receive their discounts? How long will you be gone? Sometimes weekly rentals are cheaper than daily rates. What car insurance do you have? USAA also offers discounts with most of the rental companies. Also go online for the rental car companies directly. They offer discounts and try other companies besides the most well known. Sometimes you get better deals with them. Good luck.

I've had very good luck with Avis, look around on their website for deals. I've also had good luck with hotwire. They best deals always seem to be from an airport location, however. Enterprise, while it's standard daily rates are high, are often lower than others for a weekly rental. Also, has your body shop any "deals" set up with local rentals?? Good luck.

I don't know if BJs is in your area, but I got discount coupons there recently. They were at the front of the store, so I didn't even need to be a member to get them. One applied when I booked, the second was an upgrade when I picked up the car. The coupons were for several different companies. I found Budget to have the best deals.

call your credit card company and see if they cover rentals. i have providian and capital one and they both cover rental cars

Thanks for the quick responses. I have tried Dollar, but they're not available in Asheville. Neither is Priceline or Hotwire. Asheville is a small market compared to the large cities, so I think rates tend to be higher here. I can't seem to find any deals at all, just the AAA 10% through Hertz.

Here's a couple that should help

http://www.pcpages.com/rentalcodes/
http://www.travelcouponsonline.com/hertz.html

How 'bout he local yellow pages? We have a lot of local car rentals around us tht specialize in accident replacement. They are usually less spiffy then Hertz and rent older cars but are much cheaper.

First, if the accident was not your fault. you shold get a rental form the other person's insuraance.

if that doesn't work....check with your body shop for deals on cars while yours in in the shop. They do it all the time.

Locally, for me, Enterprise is very big for use while car is in the shop...with cheaper rates if you tell them your car is in the shop.

One caveat, you MUST check the car very carefully when renting for sctratches and nicks. Enterprise seems to nitpick the car (unlike the majors) when the car is returned.

Is there a Rent-a-Wreck nearby? Please don't be put off by the name! It's a car rental company that rents cars with higher milegae on them than the majors do--they're not really wrecks at all, and the prices are much lower. Friends of mine had a very positive experience with Rent-a-Wreck in Arizona. Good luck!

List of codes for various car rental companies:

http://www.betterbidding.com/index.p...3&act=SF&f=304

No one ws ticketed for the wreck. The roads were icy, and the two vehicles slid into each other. I'm beginning to hate snow. Anyway, I found a promo code from Hertz for $20.00 off and combined with my AAA, that's the best deal I could find since I need unlimited mileage. We don't have anything like rent-a wreck around here, just the major car rental companies at the Asheville airport. Thanks to everyone for your advice.

IF you contact the body shop that will be doing the repair...I'll bet you get a cheaper rate.

Not only that, but the rental company wil pick you up and drop you off at the shop.

Try calling them.

ALWAYS go with Enterprise when your car is in the shop for repairs. Since that is their main market they are super-aggresive at pricing and have great deals.