I'll admit I haven't had a lot of time or success finding other threads on this topic, and am hoping someone can provide input to my specific situation.

I am trying to book a one way rental from Los Angeles to Denver and I can't believe how expensive the weekly rental is. If I pick it up at Burbank airport and return it there, it's about $700 less than if I return it at Denver International Airport. Ouch!

My goal was to drive to Colorado and take a one way flight home. I found a flight for $99 plus tax, so I'm looking around around $260 in airfare for my husband and I. However a $800-$1000 car rental is killing me. Perhaps it's cheaper to fly there round trip and rent a car in the area instead.

I don't think I'll have enough time to drive there and back as we have limited time for this trip and don't want to spend too long on the road, when we're really going to check out the area, look at real estate, etc. Just wanted to have a roadtrip for part of it.

I started with Avis, but perhaps I need to look into some others.

Does anyone know what the penalty would be if you booked a car as a round trip and then just returned it to another state. I know a colleague who used to do that when she needed a one way rental and the airport didn't allow them, and then she's just say her plans changed once she had the car, but I'm not sure what fees she got slapped with.

Any help or suggestions?

My travel agent may be able to get me a corporate rate, but I'm guessing the one way will still be steep.

Thanks in advance for the help!