Online Automotive Parts
With over 4,300 businesses in the industry, the online auto parts space is incredibly fragmented with a few large players and thousands of smaller companies. Trying to compare websites and prices can be time consuming, and that’s where Parts Comparer comes in. Our goal is to help streamline the part buying process and make sure you get the best price for the best part.
Where to Get Started
The best and fastest way to look and see how readily available parts will be for your car or new project is to look at the major auto part retailers.
O’Reilly, Advance, and AutoZone are most likely going to be the best (and only) option if you need something the same day. They will have a broader array of parts available for new models, think 5-10 years old, and in my experience they also have a better selection for American makes than Asian or European.
Because they can only carry a limited amount of things in store, their selection is better if your looking for something that would fit a wide array of makes and models. Things like: batteries, bulbs, oil filters, air filters, belts, etc.
If your looking for a specific part for a specific model, particularly an older car though, you will probably be out of luck.
Rock auto is one of the best places to buy parts, hands down. I have used them for all types of makes and models and they consistently have good prices.
Everything can’t be perfect however and they often don’t have the highest quality parts available. They also never offer free shipping which can sometimes mean they are no longer the cheapest.
In my opinion, Rock Auto is great to get a general feel for prices and buy general parts. But then look at more specialized retailers for higher end and one off parts.
Specialized Retailers
This is where Parts Comparer comes in, instead of looking at five different websites and comparing prices and shipping cost, parts availability and coupon codes. Parts Comparer looks at all of them at once to make sure you’re not missing a good deal or a great website you would like to buy from in the future.
Used Parts
Whether it be at a swap meet, through Facebook Markplace, or a group; buying used parts can be a great option for hard to find, out of stock, or really expensive items. The major downside is you are usually limited to your area for large and heavy parts and it can be a bit of a gamble buying used parts from someone on FB marketplace you don’t know. For some hard to find parts though, its sometimes a gamble worth taking.