The Right Or Left Trail - Junk Or Treasure

By putting in a little extra effort you can make a little more cash. What used car dealers and car salvage companies do is to farm used and salvaged cars for parts. It is normally repaired and sold for a profit, or your car will be dismantled and the good parts be used to spruce up other cars that have damaged or defective parts. So why not do the deed yourself and make a little more cash with a little effort. Get a mechanic to check the car for parts and get an estimate of the value of the parts based on the condition.

Make a chart of the names and phone numbers of each auto parts store in your area. Call and get prices. It does not take long to get prices. Most of the stores will get you a price on the parts you need within minutes. Make sure you are comparing the auto parts properly. In other words, compare the same quality. I like to buy USA made parts as much as possible. It pays to get good quality when it comes to fixing your vehicle.

One of the best methods that you can use when shopping for deals in auto parts is to check out all of your local government car auction and salvage yards. This type of business discounts the prices of these products drastically - mostly because of the fact that the parts are used, and they have so many to offer to the consumer in need of them. Generally, you can elect to have the parts that you need pulled, or you can save a few extra bucks by pulling the items needed yourself. For example, at one point, my radiator cracked and I needed a new one. The local parts stores average price was right around $75.00. However, I went to a local junkyard, had them pull the part for me, and paid only $15.00. In addition to the radiator, the salvage yard also threw in the hoses. Now, how is that for savings?

Obviously buying used can have a huge cost benefit. Unless you have a rare or high-end luxury or sports car, a salvage yard special will be between $25 and $50. Not bad compared to the cost of a new cooling system from your local dealer.

Now, if your car is older than 10 to 12 years, you may find it just a little bit difficult to find what you need in one place. In this case, you might want to try approaching those companies that specialize in auto parts. You may also want to try searching for the parts you need on eBay or JC Whitney. These sites are well known for having some of the best finds when it comes to spare parts. What is more important is that these sites can also offer you good bargains.

Car covers become an extremely essential accessory, if one's car is an antique. With such cars, covering the various parts of the car is as important as covering the car itself.