Buying Car Parts on the Cheap

"Bozi Tatarevic" (hoonable)
12/16/2013 at 11:18 • Filed to: None

There are many sources for car parts whether used or new that are available locally and online depending on the type of project or repair you are working on. I am going to cover both used and new for regular maintenance in this part of the series and will cover upgrades and projects in the next article.

Maintenance and Repairs

Buying OEM Parts

When working on maintenance and repairs the dictating factor on the purchase is usually how quickly the item needs to replaced. If the maintenance is planned then the first path is to look up the OEM parts and check prices. I will use a belt tensioner for my 05 Cadillac STS as an example.

1. Check the OEM parts websites for your brand. I find that the tensioner is GM Part no: 12577652 and goes for $108.63 retail and about $81 from the OEM discount sites so we are saving about 25% already

2. Take the part number and cross-reference against OEM manufacturer part number. AC Delco makes the tensioner for the Cadillac and I find that their model number is 38418

3. Search for the part on RockAuto.com and Amazon. Rock Auto has a never-ending 5% promo code which can be found with an easy google search. Adding the tensioner to the cart and using the code. The comes up to $71.91 with shipping which is a 34% saving from retail

4. Taking the part number and searching on Amazon, we come up with a price of $63.49 shipped which is now a 42% savings for the same part. If you have the prime account on Amazon, you can have the part next day for a total of $67.48 which is still cheaper than any other source.

This path is a great way to find and OEM part at a steep discount a I have used it for many different car makes, it just requires a little prior knowledge on the manufacturer or looking at the part on the car to see how it is stamped. There are also many make specific online stores that sell OEM or OEM manufacturer parts and the best path to be informed is to find those on the forum. An example is AutoHausAZ which is my go-to site for European car parts.

Buying Aftermarket Parts

When looking at aftermarket parts I usually start with the same sources of looking at RockAuto and Amazon just like in the previous example

1. I find that RockAuto has the Dayco #89386 tensioner for $51.21 including shipping and discounts and Amazon is at $65 shipped.

2. Next, I take the part number and do a google search for other online stores and I find that other sites list the part for $62 to $66 so it is not valuable to proceed in that route.

3. I also check ebay but in this case, the cheapest one is at $62 shipped

4. My next step is to check local parts stores and Advance Auto Parts close to me usually has a 30% or 40% promo code if you order online to pick up in store so most of my purchases go through them. If find that the Dayco part is priced at $76.99 at AAP but there is a $30 off $75 promo code to bring the price down to $46.99 plus tax which is about $48.63 total and is cheaper than any other source and less than half price than buying the OEM retail part.

Even if the AAP price is a few dollars more than the online price it is sometimes the go to method as it allows you to have the part within hours if needed instead of waiting for it to come in the mail. I also check other local parts stores before I make the purchase in case there is another aftermarket part which comes out cheaper.

Buying Used Parts

When the part that needs to be replaced is no longer available for purchase as new or is too expensive then I go the used parts path. The tensioner above is not something that would commonly be purchased used but I will use it for the example.

There are many different sources to obtain parts this way. One of the first places I go is to car-part.com as it allows searching of most local junk yards and allows me to gauge an average price.

1. Looking at the car-part.com site, I see that local junk yards offer the part for $25 to $40 dollar so that is the pricing scale.

2. I check craigslist next and usually make use of a location based search such as searchtempest.com to search a wider area. In this case, no results come up but many times, you can find the part cheap from a local seller or part out.

3. Next I check ebay and find that the used part is available from a few online sellers with a cheapest price of $28 shipped

4. Lastly, I check the enthusiast forum for the specific make and search for part outs and part sales. In this case no results come up but it usually matches what craiglist shows.

For our example, the $25 part from the local junk yard comes up as the cheapest so that would be purchased in this case. Another junk yard option for older cars are the yards where you are allowed to pull your own parts. These yards have significantly cheaper prices and my local one charges $6 for belt tensioners if you can find the car in the yard.

There are many paths to get the part you are looking for and I hope this helps some people in their quest to keep their cars in top running shape.

Coming up next:

Upgrade and Maintain Your Car on the Cheap

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DISCUSSION (11)

FJ80WaitinForaLSV8 > Bozi Tatarevic
12/16/2013 at 11:26

Great tips thanks for the write up.

efme > Bozi Tatarevic
12/16/2013 at 11:31

nice. I almost religiously use AAP for auto parts. it is hard to compete with their prices and the fact that I have almost instant satisfaction of getting that party without waiting as they're 2 miles down the street and everywhere!

junk yard would be interesting but the local one is nearly 45 minutes from my house.

MooseKnuckles > Bozi Tatarevic
12/16/2013 at 11:37

Unless it is something like a coolant elbow or other universal replacement items, maintenance/repair is the perfect time for upgrade. Brakes, suspension, fluids, bushings, etc.

Bozi Tatarevic > MooseKnuckles
12/16/2013 at 11:46

I am in full agreement with you on that one and am planning to do another article on just that

Bozi Tatarevic > efme
12/16/2013 at 11:51

Yup, I use them on a weekly basis and even buy supplies like brake cleaner in larger quantities now so that I can use the discounts

davedave1111 > MooseKnuckles
12/16/2013 at 12:35

Not in the UK, sadly. It'll count as a modification for insurance purposes, in almost all cases, and send your premium through the roof.

I found that uprated shocks and bushings for the E30 are no more expensive, maybe even cheaper, than the OEM stuff - but if I put them on, it'll cost me a small fortune in extra insurance for almost no benefit, and I can't even just not tell them because the aftermarket bushings are bright orange and unmissable if the car is ever in an accident.

veteran011 > Bozi Tatarevic
12/18/2013 at 09:32

Re: junkyard parts.

I've had good luck with using the Automotive Recyclers Association of New York . They have an inventory of all the NY state junkyards and a relatively easy search feature. They are a chapter of the national Automotive Recyclers Association so go there to find your local chapter.

ED9man2 > Bozi Tatarevic
12/18/2013 at 10:49

Cheap parts suck, and they never save you money in the long run. Cheap parts are good for one thing, you have an old shitbox to sell and you need the parts to last long enough to find a buyer. Anything store brand from Autozone or Advance is junk. The cheapest shit on Rockauto is junk. Cheap shit on Ebay is junk. Honestly even with big name aftermarket parts, unless the company is an OEM supplier, or a very reputable performance part company that also does replacement parts, chances are their stuff is junk, and the price will usually give it away. With all the OEM wholesalers online these days, for most things you are much better off paying a small premium or occasionally the same price or less to get the parts OEM. I could make a pretty short list of aftermarket brands that are actually quality. For years I did nothing but buy the cheap shit to fix my cars, and I always ended up doing it over and over again. You name it and I tried it cheap and almost always it failed prematurely or wasn't right in the first place.

luna > MooseKnuckles
08/14/2015 at 05:57

I will throw out another for carkart.com

When I bought 16 spark plugs to do a tune up, not only was it cheaper than any local place in USA, they were at my door in like 3-4 days. Ordered one weekend, was doing the tune up the next.

luna > MooseKnuckles
08/14/2015 at 05:57

I will throw out another for carkart.com

When I bought 16 spark plugs to do a tune up, not only was it cheaper than any local place in USA, they were at my door in like 3-4 days. Ordered one weekend, was doing the tune up the next.

luna > MooseKnuckles
08/14/2015 at 05:58

I will throw out another for carkart.com

When I bought 16 spark plugs to do a tune up, not only was it cheaper than any local place in USA, they were at my door in like 3-4 days. Ordered one weekend, was doing the tune up the next.