Find the cheapest gas during your Thanksgiving travels using these apps, web sites

Are you planning a long car trip this holiday season? Once you've gotten on the road, here's a list of websites and phone apps that will help you find the cheapest gas along the way:

• Data at FuelMeUp.com is collected from users and updated constantly by the Oil Price Information Service. Input your city, state and zip and you can see the prices for different grades of gas.

• Whenever you launch the iGasUp app, the 10 cheapest U.S. stations closest to your current location will appear with fuel prices displayed in lowest to highest price order. It's available for iPhones.

Find out how to save money on your Thanksgiving car trip.

• AAA's TripTik Travel Planner displays the location of more than 85,000 gas stations throughout the U.S. along with current fuel prices at station locations. It's also available for Android and iPhone devices.

• At GasBuddy.com, you can select your state, county and city to find gas prices from several places in the area. You can search in Canada, too. It's also available for Android, iPhone and Blackberry devices.

• Mapquest.com: Enter an address, city or zip code, and Mapquest will return a map with markers for nearby gas stations. It will display the name and address of several area gas stations, starting with the ones that have the lowest priced gas. It also shows you the highest cost of gas in each area.

• Exxon has its own app, Exxon Mobile Fuel Finder, that updates prices from all Exxon Mobil stations in real time. Its GPS feature also gives directions, feature filters and general information about the stations. Also available for Android devices.

• With the MurphyUSA app for iPhone and Android devices, you can compare current gas prices for major stations in your location, track miles per gallon and cost per gallon, find nearby stations, save your favorites, get value alerts for deals and offers and pay via your phone. MurphyUSA operates more than 1,100 stores in 23 states, including Illinois.

• With Fuel Finder, you can set preferences to refine searches, and maps and directions are available based on your GPS location. It also includes complete gas station information including extra services like car wash, ATM and more. It's available for Android and iPhone devices.

Ready to make sure your vehicle is in shape for your Thanksgiving road trip? Contact Give CARS of America today via our web site or give us a call at 847-724-6724.

Brian Blohm is the Service Manager and Managing Partner - Operations for CARS of America in Glenview. He is an ASE-Certified Automotive Service Technician and ASE-Certified Service Advisor with more than 25 years of automotive experience. A graduate of Triton College with an associate's degree in Automotive Technology, he has continued his training and education with the Automotive Training Institute and RL O'Connor. You can reach Brian via email at brianb@carsofamericainc.com.