Hertz - Is Hertz just more expensive??

I am in the process of booking a week rental and cant get over why Hertz is so much more than any other rental company. Just by doing a search on Orbitz most companies were around $35 a day for a full size car and Hertz was $57. I guess you get what you pay for but isnt a Ford Taurus a Ford Taurus? Any thoughts or advice?? Thank you! :)

I imagine Hertz has a lot of corporate contracts; they seem to have a discount code for everyone under the sun. It's like asking who pays $600 to fly the shuttle New York to Boston-- not many, but employees of some companies might be flying a "full fare" minus a substantial corporate discount.

I don't own a car, so rent a good number in town, usually from Hertz or Avis. Hertz may be more expensive but I can usually find a coupon for a free day on a weekend rental, or 20% off, or some such which roughly equals them out. And having had enough bad experiences with Thrifty and Dollar, I'm willing to pay a little extra for Hertz or Avis (not that their service is stellar, but it's better than the others at DCA, and their car selection better).

I am in the process of booking a week rental and cant get over why Hertz is so much more than any other rental company. Just by doing a search on Orbitz most companies were around $35 a day for a full size car and Hertz was $57. I guess you get what you pay for but isnt a Ford Taurus a Ford Taurus? Any thoughts or advice?? Thank you! :)

Trying throwing in a $25 dollar off coupon and a CDP# (such as AAA), I find that Hertz will come close to within 10% of the rest of the companies.. and for this little premium, I will go for Hertz.

The off airport rates are about the same as everyone else. The airport locations are normally higher, since everyone has a corprate account.

Yeah, the rate you find on Orbitz is a regular rate. Most of us who use Hertz regularly plug in "CDPs" (a group code that often offers a discount, can be for any number of groups: airline, AAA, credit card company, Costco, etc) and/or "PC#s" which are coupon codes that offer $$ off, car class upgrades or even free days. To do this you have to book directly through Hertz, or use the AAA.com interface (which automatically gives you the AAA CDP rate) assuming you belong to AAA.

When it's all said and done it usually equals other places or comes pretty close. And Hertz has in my experience less service hassle and cars that I'd rather drive (something other than a Taurus, for example ;)). And I like earning Hertz points towards free rentals.

Just a note on cost comparisons - even at a corporate discount, the Hertz/Avis rate is more expensive than "other company" rates. The reason the corporations use them is because of coverage - Hertz is almost everywhere.

I can usually do as CrazyOne or khkchan state above on a Hertz reservation and do better personally than my own company's corporate rate at Hertz.

I just do not think Hertz is all that more expensive if you know some codes to put in.
And booking via Hertz.com really lets me see my options-the booking engines(orbitz-travelocity etc,,,)are tough to see what you are getting.
I have rented a week in an avalon for $200, 2 3 day weekends in a Milan and a 626 for under $20 a day-that is just in the last month.
These have all been at My HLE,I am test driving for new cars.
Very happy with the value that Hertz -and NO GAMES :D :D :D unlike Budget,alamo,and enterprise.

I guess you get what you pay for but isnt a Ford Taurus a Ford Taurus? Any thoughts or advice?? Thank you! :)

The answer varies widely by airport layout. For any airport I visit frequently, I have a good idea in my mind which agency I consider most efficient, and what I would need to "get paid" to use another agency. In most airports (but not all), the #1 agency is Hertz. For new airports, I err on the side of Hertz at least for the first rental - then figure out if Emerald Aisle or someone else is just as optimal.

Orbitz is nice for displaying the initial playing field: it shows who (if anyone) is sold out, it shows who is in-terminal vs. off-airport, and what the basic "starting point" rates are like across the market for a variety of car types. But after that, I head for the agency sites to actually begin playing with the codes and eventually booking the car.

I always query Hertz, National, and sometimes the rock-bottom-cheapest agency of the 6 or 7 major national brands where I carry the "expedited renter" card. (These cards are all free - even #1 Club Gold - my advice is to get them all. I hope you never need most of them, but in a pinch they can't hurt.)