LOW-BUDGET CAR RENTALS

Some car owners, especially thosewho live in urban areas, are findingout that owning an auto can be a bigpain in the wallet. Depending onyour driving habits, renting a car maybe cheaper. If you can take masstransportation during the week, forinstance, renting a car on the weekendscan cost as little as $10 a dayfrom Enterprise (www.enterprise.com). Or for about $700 a month,you can get a mini-lease from Avis(www.avis.com). If you don't drivemuch, car-sharing plans can costeven less; Flexcar (www.flexcar.com)has monthly plans starting at $35 amonth for 5 hours or 50 miles.Flexcar locations are found mainlyon the West Coast and in the Washington,DC, area. Zipcar (www.zipcar.com), a somewhat similar program,operates in Boston, NewYork, Denver, and DC.