I think Hertz' walk-up counter rates are high, but you can easily get those cut nearly in half with the right CDP and coupon codes. Personally, I rent with Hertz because the HLE locations are much more convenient than the other agencies.

I have heard wonderful things about Avis, but I have also heard about nightmare rentals as well. I don't know much about the others, but I felt like my one rental with National (as Emerald club) was among the worst rentals I've ever had in terms of value, but the service wasn't bad.

All in all, I like to be loyal to a single company as much as possible, and for me the best combination of location, availability, price, and service seems to be Hertz.

I'm not very pleased with the trends in their fleet, and I don't feel like the Gold Choice is a good value for someone who doesn't want to pay to upgrade to a true full-size sedan, but I still think their service is up there with the very best.