| rts, just like cars keep going up and up in price. Just | | | | and in the movies. I've even seen celebrity cars for |
| look at any recent bill for service for your car. $69 is | | | | sale on their and parts autographed by Nascar drivers |
| not uncommon for an oil change if you have a | | | | like Jeff Gordon, Rusty Wallace, Dale Earnhardt, Dale |
| Mercedes or BMW at your local dealer. $600 for | | | | Jr., etc. Even if you don't end up buying on Ebay, it is |
| headlights (not including installation), $700 water | | | | generally a wholesale marketplace and will give you a |
| pump, $200 per tire - or more for certain cars. It just | | | | feel for the value and true pricing of certain parts. It |
| gets ridiculous. It has been estimated that if one | | | | will also show you the huge difference between the |
| were to try and buy all the parts for a car through | | | | actual value and what a dealer charges. Just |
| their local dealer it would cost 300-500,000 for all the | | | | remember this - "Dealer bad, Ebay good." You can |
| parts on the average car. someone is getting rich | | | | even buy your car on Ebay and save a mint - no |
| here and it isn't us. There is a better way. Start by | | | | bogus processing fees, lies by salesmen and their |
| looking online. There are junk yards that have the | | | | managers whose only job is to squeeze every penny |
| parts you need. And just because they are referred | | | | they can out of you - especially the finance manager |
| to as junkyards, doesn't mean they only sell junk. | | | | (they get you just hen you think you are done - and |
| Lots of their inventory is from cars that are less than | | | | many times they get you for thousands of dollars in |
| 1 year old. What do you think happens to the | | | | profit). Bogus dealer processing fees totalled more |
| perfectly good tires on a new BMW that was junked | | | | than $50 billion in 2005 - no wonder dealers are |
| do to rear accident. Some wiley person buys them at | | | | getting richer, playing more golf, etc... But due to |
| a great discount for their own car. Junk or salvage | | | | lawyers and tax strategies the average dealer pays |
| yards turnover millions of dollars in car parts every | | | | less in taxes than most americans (average dealer |
| year. The best site to use is car-parts. They will | | | | tax rate is less than 1%) - go figure. So there you |
| research thousands of salvage dealers and display | | | | have it get online and use salvage yards and Ebay to |
| the prices in order from cheapest and newest and | | | | get a great deal on all your car part needs. For |
| colors, etc... You enter your part needs and then | | | | instructions on installing any part just look it up on |
| they will find your parts for you. It is not uncommon | | | | Google. There are thousands of great forums and |
| to get basically brand new or similar items for less | | | | blogs that for free will give great pictures and step |
| than 20% of the price a dealer charges or less. | | | | by step explanations on everything from changing a |
| Another great place is Ebay and Ebay Motors. There | | | | tire to a camshaft, bleeding brakes, fan belt |
| are lots of car parts on there for just about every | | | | replacement, etc... Do not use your dealer unless you |
| make year and model of car. Everything from a hood | | | | like getting fleeced on a daily basis - as that is what |
| to a door, interior carpet, radios, speakers, wheels - | | | | they will do. |
| even spinners so you can pimp your ride like on tv | | | | |