When you bid for a car rental, you are just saying what you are willing to pay in daily "base," aren't you, with the taxes and fees outside the scope of the bidding as such? (Do the taxes usually vary with the amount paid for the rental itself, that is the "base" rate? They aren't set like the various fees are, so the lower the base rate one gets the car for, the less they will pay in taxes and fees too?)

I have bid for cars before through Priceline and been happy with the outcome, but I always approach it with some trepidation, fearing that I will get it wrong and wind up stuck with a deal I did not intend. It would certainly be helpful if Priceline did a better job of explaining the blind bidding process.

Neither Hotwire, nor other rental bookers have a bidding feature like Priceline's do they? Is it possible to do better than Priceline without coupons or codes?