There are several ways to turn an old car into money depending on your level of automotive expertise, the age of the vehicle and a few other factors.

I drive about 50 miles a day to work and back, round trip. Since I drive a lot, last year, I bought a Prius using a couple useful websites and steps. I mentioned how to get the most mileage of your car in a previous post. Today I'd like to share with you my best way of finding the cheapest gas that goes with your car with a combustion engine.

The state I live in - California - is averaging the highest gas price per gallon in the continental U.S. these days, according to the Gas Price Chart available on GasBuddy.com where you can check out the average gas of your area down to the county level. As the price at the gas pump rises steadily exceeding $4.25 per gallon in my area as of May 2012, I'm all into knowing ways to save money on gas.

This month marks my first anniversary of owning a Prius HB II that I bought for $22,188 (before tax). If I were to do it again this year, I'd follow a simple three-stops (2 online and 1 offline) shopping process:

1. Go to TRUECar.com for a price reference.
   
2. Sign up to CarWoo.com to get three or more real offers a day. Pick one.
   
3. Go to the dealer to complete the transaction and drive away with the car.