How To Find Affordable Auto Parts For Older Cars
Watch and Wait. This is my favorite strategy. Basically you just sit back and let everyone fight it out until the auctioneer calls out, "Going once, going twice..." - then shoot your hand into the air and bid. At this point you will only be bidding against one person and will have watched his or her bidding habits and might be able to determine when he/she will stop. The caution here is to make sure the auctioneer sees you - even if you have to yell. I have missed some great buys because I was a hair too late. Timing is everything with this strategy.
Some finding parts for old motor homes will offer you payment for the truck but they will buy it as scrap metal. When the parts are being sold, the owner needs to present the title for the truck. If not, the sale may not take place as the parts could have been illegally obtained.
The inside of your car should not be left to chance either. You will want to look for the best carpet cleaner that you can afford, because, if you have kids, they are going to make your interior a mess at one point or another and you need a way to clean that up as well. You should also consider trash bags that are made for cars so that you are not just throwing your trash on the floor. These can be found at your local auto parts store.
Buying a car from a salvage car auction is a great way to save money and even make money if that's what you'd like to do. You'll also be doing a great thing by reusing resources that are already there. Many people lose out because they are scared to invest in a car with a salvaged title. Their loss is your gain as you come out with a salvage vehicle that will last you many years at a great price.
While some mechanics are fighting this change, quite a few are embracing it. They realize they no longer are responsible for warranties on parts. Also, they no longer have to worry about paying their parts suppliers on time. In fact, some mechanics actually give out web addresses to companies they want their customers to purchase from. Even though they lose the profit they would have made on the parts, they will generally have fewer headaches when it comes to getting such parts for their customers. A few mechanics have even gone as far as just charging more for the labor.
On the other hand you can contact a car salvage company or a junkyard. Such companies are always on the look out for cars in bad condition. They either recondition these cars to sell them off again if this is possible or they use break them down to repair and sell their spare parts.
However, once you find a salvage auction you still need to know what to do to get a good vehicle for a cheap price. The way the auction will normally work is the gates will open at a specific time and you will have about 2 to 3 hours to go around and check out the vehicles you are interested in. This is when you can pop the hood and start the vehicles.
I am not going to say all but most repairable salvage cars will not take a lot to get them back on the road. Just fix the minor stuff and have the car inspected and registered and you back in business.
With a piece of paper and tape measure in hand, measure the distance between all the bolts. Start from the center of the bolt, and measure across to the center of the opposite one. Keep a diagram on your paper and put down the measurements on the lines. Next, measure the distance to the bolt directly next to it. If you do the diagram to scale, you can punch the holes out and lay the diagram over the spare tires you're shopping for.
Looking at all the vintage car parts in catalogues can be really exciting but how can you be sure that what you are paying for is genuine? As with vintage cars, these parts are expensive as well. Check up on the dealer's credentials if possible.