As noted upthread, my various friends are also unable to reserve a car in Buffalo for later this month or early May. I tried various NY state locations (originally), to no avail. I went as far afield as Albany.

At that time, I had luck with Columbus (OH) and Chicago. At the time I was researching this, Chicago was just over $100. Columbus was also “reasonable”. Don’t remember the exact amount. Columbus adds a 2 hr drive to the journey plus the NY state I90 toll. Chicago is a rather long drive.