Best place to rent a car in or near the villages
 

I just rented and returned a minivan from enterprise for $44 a day without doing any research.
Any advice for the next time?

I also use Enterprise, they have an office in the Lake Sumter Landing area, however, since I have cars here, I have not used the local office.

Has anyone used Priceline.com to rent a car in TV?

Hampton Inn has hertz, enterprise is in Lake Sumpter, uhaul has a van for 20 a day.

I often use Hotwire when I travel (as long as there is no possibility of cancellation) and just checked their site for a two day, mid-week minivan rental. It was $44/day also, so it seems like you did fine. I didn't check other types of cars.
Car rental prices fluctuate depending on location, projected volume and length of rental. I always start with Hotwire and Priceline. If I'm planning ahead, I check back often until a couple weeks prior, then call one or two agencies direct to see if they can match the price online. If they can, I book direct because they have no-fee cancellation. Hotwire requires payment up-front and is non-refundable.

My goal is to get to return to Miami as inexpensively as possible in March.
I have a smart car and I'm not comfortable too far from campus driving it around.

I'm looking at my options. Taking the village van to the airport and renting a car at the airport right now is dirt cheap [$5-$12/day]. And I don't need to impose on my friends to get me to Lake Sumter.

I have also used Enterprise at Sumter Landing and was pleased with them.

A couple of weeks ago after driving a U-Haul down I took the Villages shuttle to the Orlando Airport. Rented a Corolla for from EZ rental... it cost a total of $75 for 3 days plus the $35 shuttle cost. Took a plane home so it really wasn't an inconvenience.

I've rented from Hertz in Lady Lake and Enterprise in Lake Sumter. I always check prices on the web to get the best deal. I've also rented a car at the Orlando Airport and returned it in The Villages.

Be sure to check their hours. One time I picked a company and they weren't open on Sunday in The Villages. I had to go to my second choice. That was a couple of years ago so things might have changed since then.