Tyson: Avoiding these pitfalls can keep financial misery at bay

Tyson: Avoiding these pitfalls can keep financial misery at bay (Houston Chronicle)
Learning from and avoiding the mistakes of those who have come before you goes a long, long way toward doing your best at the endeavor at hand. Managing your money is no different. If you take these lessons to heart and commit to avoiding these same errors, you can sidestep a lot of misery and lost money:

Younger rental drivers pay the price Minimum ages are coming down, but rates are going up (San Francisco Chronicle)
It's easier for younger drivers to rent a car than it used to be, but it's still not cheap. Hertz, Avis, and Budget all have lowered their minimum rental age recently from 25 to 21, but they are imposing daily surcharges on younger drivers because they tend to get into more accidents.

2003 Toyota Corolla CE from North America (Carsurvey.org)
What things have gone wrong with the car? General comments? Good car, I recommend it to everybody who has at least 18000 $CAN to invest in a car who has one of the best reputation in the market.

In Rome, buyers need time and luck (International Herald Tribune)
Here, history is the thing. Living in the heart of the city's ancient center usually means that buyers must be willing to make concessions.

Top Luxury Cars on MSN Autos
The most popular luxury cars on MSN Autos, based on visits to the site's vehicle pages during the third quarter of 2005.
compiled by MSN Autos

Business in Brief (Haaretz Daily)
Fleet management company Eldan Operational Leasing's new ad campaign proclaims "Buy a car from Eldan and don't pay VAT for life." How much money is that worth? You would think 16.5 percent - but you'd be wrong.

Budget and After-School All-Stars Work to Give Kids a Break (The Auto Channel)
PARSIPPANY, N.J., Jan. 9, 2006 -- Travelers looking to save money on car rentals can now do so while supporting a great cause.

SILVERTON: Where expert skiers hit mother lode of steep and deep (San Diego Daily Transcript via Yahoo! News)
SILVERTON, Colo. (AP) -- As avalanche-control blasts echoed in a narrow valley walled off by towering, jagged whitecaps, a guide stretched one hand high above her head while cupping the other around her nose and mouth, creating an air pocket.

Test Drive: Project Gotham Racing 3
Editors at MSN Autos take Microsoft's latest driving game out for a spin.
Perry Stern

Preview: 2006 Porsche Cayman S
Porsche's new mid-engine coupe builds on the Boxster S, but kicks it up a notch in the performance department.
Mike Meredith