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What used car part is good idea to buy

2K views 12 replies 9 participants last post by  75aces 
#1 ·
my local pick n pull had 40% of this weekend. I was thinking about taking the advantage.

What part is good to buy used? Interior parts? Fender? Headlights? Relays?
 
#2 ·
Take a look at the part in question and see if it's in good condition. I wouldn't get something like an O2 sensor or water pump used. Sometimes you'll find a car that just had a part replaced, and you'll be able to see that it's new. Those finds are gold (like my son's '95 Camry that had four new KYB struts right before the car got sent to the junkyard---whoever saw that car first at the junkyard could obviously see brand new, shiny KYB struts).

Another thing is to price the OE part new and compare that to what the junkyard charges. Usually, the junkyard has very low prices, but in some instances the difference is small, so in that case new is better. It really depends on the part you want.
 
#3 ·
I went to a local yard last week and they didn't have a single Toyota... Let alone a matrix of corolla... Anyone know what scrap yards to try in boston area?
Personally I wanted to look and see if I can get new bumper skirts for my xrs, maybe see if they have any other good condition cheap parts like spare wheels with snow tires...

Definitely check to make sure you have a good spare and jack in your trunk.
 
#6 ·
I've picked up at the local pick and pull.
Rear backing plates for forum member who was looking at $300 each from the dealership to pass inspection (one no longer available).
A complete interior for a 4 door Echo for $100, unavailable form Toyota, in pristine condition.
A complete evap emissions control system from the same Echo (recently replaced with OE new parts) would have cost hundreds from Toyota ($10, smiled at the lady).
Parts to rebuild a totalled Honda Civic Vx, carried them home in a Del SOL, you would have laughed if you had seen THAT. Had to take the t-tops off.
I always collect every fastener and put them in a bucket, probably $1000 just in that stuff if bought individually, I have a drawer full of light bulbs that are $4 each now and cheap chinese crap that isn't worth a dime. I'd rather have a 50 year old Japanese made bulb.
Sheet metal if you have a place to store it, you will never need it if your luck is like mine but my old Echo is irreplaceable. I need the parts to fix it when a moron hits it. They won't if I have the parts.
Common replacement items, alternator, starter, throttle body, injectors, tires and wheels, battery, anything that looks like a new OEM replacement. Once bought a BMW 2002 at a salvage auction for $300 (light rear end hit, repaired everything). It had $1200 in repair receipts in the glove box from just the last month. Isn't that when you get hit in the ass, right after spending a fortune to get her nice then WHAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hell I rebuilt a water damaged 300ZX with stuff I had stripped out of cars given to me at my old shop. It was still running fine 10 years later, thanks to tar-nex and non conductive connection preservative, for the corroded connectors I did not replace.
I love recycling.
 
#7 ·
On my Echo I bought a parts car for $200 on craigslist, slight hit in the rear. Seller told another person to contact me and that person drove 3 hours to get to my house and bought $200 in parts from me, made the rest of the car free and he was tickled. The rest of that car is in my garage or under the front porch (total of over 1000 square feet of space). Not a pick and pull buy but I have my own personal parts department. Granddaughter drives the same model so we have a community parts department
 
#10 ·
I look at parts that I may want to upgrade and modify. I can get them at the junk yard work on the modification, then once it is complete I can swap the new mod'd part out and not lose any drive time due to the car being OOC. My current outlooks are:
1)Throttle body. There is a guy who will bore out your TB and match a new butterfly valve on it for like $150 (more air more power). I can go to PNP and get a used TB for like $40 send it in and just swap it out when the mod'd one comes in.
2)Front Control Arms. You can get full polyurethane bushings from Energy suspension. The old bushings are a project in themselves just to get out. I'd rather buy a junk yard set to work on at my pace to get them right and still drive my car, and then just swap them out when I'm done.
3)Electrical components are a gamble, but you can save some serious $ on relays if they work.
 
#13 ·
If there's front damage, no. Its not a great idea to get those components. Reason is, they sit under the sun and weather beats on it. Likely won't last very long.
 
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