OK I've been to San Diego many times, but this year car rental rates are, for whatever reason, astronomical--triple what I have paid in the past!

So, since obviously the airport car rental locations/companies aren't going to work with my budget, my question is, are there any other local sites/companies not too far from the airport that I could take a cab to to pick up my rental car once I get there? I saw Avis on a Kettner Blvd. that was much cheaper than the airport one, for instance.

Thanks for any suggestions.

budget4me:

Hello we also visit San Diego to visit our son and for the first time last year we used www.hotwire.com - terrific rate and we were placed with Hertz. My thought was it is only a car we are not going to live in it, how bad can it be. Since then I have read others who also use hotwire for car rental.

We will always use hotwire from now on when we visit San Diego.

Sandy

SandyBrit is right about Hotwire to rent cars..I just checked SD for a weekly rental on a full size was $18 a day..I think that's a great deal.
I have rented from Avis on Kettner and they are fine..
I use Hotwire all the time and just rented from them to Boston for the week and Expedia was 3X the rental rate!

I must be doing something wrong . . . I just checked Hotwire and the lowest rate I see in San Diego for my dates is $32 a day (a bit more than the other websites), and that is for an economy car, full size is more. I can't find the $18 rates? Is there some other area of the website such as a bidding one I need to do to get that?

The website says cars "starting at $13.95," but I guess either that isn't for San Diego or it isn't for July . . .

Rates are cheaper by the week..when are you coming to SD and how many days do you need the car?
$32 for economy does seem high but July is expensive everywhere in SD..

The rates are stratospheric this year . . . two years ago I had a compact car for $77 a week in San Diego (in July)! Now it's $32 a day . . .

I need it for 2 weeks. Hotwire seemed to show only the daily rate, and other sites just take the daily rate and multiply it by 7 to get the "weekly" rate. Used to be the weekly rate equaled five daily rates, with two days free . . . no more.

I did figure out that the "bidding" or the "prepaid" or whatever they term it, is the $18 rate on Hotwire. I was looking at the "open" rates instead of the prepaid ones, which I'd never used before.

I'm coming July 18 to August 1 btw.

Try Enterprise at 950 Hotel Circle North, San Diego, CA 92108. Away from the airport and downtown it's less expensive. You'd have to get a cab or something to Hotel Circle, though.

www.enterprise.com

Barbara, I think this is the most helpful response I've seen in answer to my question! I checked the website and the rate is just $126/week, very reasonable. They even say that they'll pick me up! I'm going to call them to make sure.

Thanks for your help.