Top 5 Sites to Buy Cheap & Discounted Car Parts

Buying car parts online can save you hundreds of dollars on parts. Since we often get asked, “Where can I get cheap car parts  online?” or ” Are there any websites that sell discounted car parts?” we decided to put together a list of resources where car enthusiasts buy dirt cheap car parts.

1. RockAuto

• Dirt Cheap Car Parts
• Customer Service

RockAuto is an independent website that carries thousands of auto parts. If you are a car guy, you have either bought car parts on RockAuto before or have at least heard of them.

RockAuto is like Walmart but for auto parts. RockAuto not only has every car part that you will need, but they price all their parts low. Parts ship from many different warehouses, so delivery time depends on where each part is stocked, and a single order can arrive in several boxes. Most of the catalog is new, and remanufactured parts are listed as well, so check the description before you buy.

They have reliable auto parts brands available, including Moog, Bosch, Denso, Magna, Valeo, NGK, Beck Arnley, etc. Overall, RockAuto seems to focus on quality car parts. If you have any questions, you can call their customer service at 1-608-661-1376, and within 2 to 3 minutes, you can get someone to help you buy the correct car part.

On one occasion, we ordered the wrong brake pads and called RockAuto. They sent new brake pads and didn’t even ask for the wrong pads to be sent back.

Overall, the prices on RockAuto and customer service are fantastic.

2. Car-Part.com: Best for Used Car Parts

Website: Car Parts

Buying car parts from a junkyard is a great way to find cheap ones. At a junkyard, you will find any possible part that you could not find on eBay or RockAuto.

On Car Parts, you can search the inventory of almost every wrecking yard in the United States. You don’t shop for car parts on Car Parts the typical way you do on most websites. Find the wrecking yard that has the part you are looking for and call it.

They will send you an order form to fill out and email or fax back to the seller. While most junkyards have a 30-day return policy, some do not; others may have a restocking fee.

How to Buy Used Car Parts

Car-Part.com works differently than any other website on this list.

1. Search for a car part online by make, model, and year.
2. Order results by zip code to find any wrecking yard near you with the part you are looking for. 
3. If the car part you are looking for is not available at a wrecking yard near you, follow these next few steps.
4. Check which junkyard in the United States has the lowest price. 
5. Click on the column that says US PRICE.  
6. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the page * asterisk symbol. 
7. This page will have the lowest price for the car part you want. 
8. Call a few wrecking yards on this page (phone numbers are provided) to check inventory or ask questions. You must place an order over the phone and pay the shipping charges. Most wrecking yards are honest about the shipping cost and do not overcharge. Remember, you are dealing with a business, not a random person on eBay.

3. eBay  Motors

• Most extensive Online Inventory of Used and New Car Parts
• Low prices on car parts. 

On eBay, you will find new and used car parts.

You can find almost any part, from brake pads and filters to bumpers and fenders. Even whole rebuild differentials, engines, and transmissions.

At first, you may feel overwhelmed when buying car parts on eBay. To ensure that you are ordering the correct part, it is better to search by part number. You can get the part number by looking at your old car part or calling the dealer who can look at any part by VIN.

Advantages

• eBay is one of the best sites to buy dirt-cheap car parts.
• Another advantage of buying car parts on eBay is finding any needed parts. You will find it on eBay if you want a small trim piece for the dashboard or an engine cover. Sometimes, you may only find a used part, but that is still better than other sites that don’t have such parts.
• EBay covers your purchases guaranteed. If a seller sends you a part that is broken or a radio that doesn’t work, open a case to get a refund. You get a free return shipping label when you pick Doesn’t Fit or Defective.

Disadvantages

on eBay

• On average, most eBay parts take 5 to 7 days to get delivered. If you need your details faster than that, check out RockAuto.
• Part compatibility provided by eBay is often wrong. You are responsible for determining if the part you buy will fit your vehicle. Please don’t rely on eBay’s recommended fitment, as it often is wrong.

Prices are very competitive, and some larger auto parts retailers, such as Wholesale Direct Auto, list their inventory on eBay.

Tips for Buying Car Parts on eBay

• You can search for parts by Year, Make, and Model.
• If you have questions about the fitment, you can email the seller to verify the fitment.
• Remember that you are dealing with various sellers, and always check the seller’s feedback.
• Don’t buy from sellers with 0 feedback scores.
• Filter results by your location, or you may buy car parts from China, which can take 1 to 2 months to be delivered.
• Don’t base fitment on the eBay application chart, as this often seems wrong.
• Check the item description provided by the seller to see if the part fits your vehicle.

If the part you receive does not fit or is defective, you can send it back for a refund. eBay has come a long way regarding seller protection in the last few years.

4. Advance Auto Parts

Buy online and pick it up at the local store. Great choice if you can’t wait. 

Advance Auto Parts is one of our favorite websites to buy cheap car parts.

If you want to buy car parts the same day or buy cheap parts near you, Advance Auto Parts will be one of the best choices. The main advantage is that you can pick up the parts from any local Advance Auto Parts store yet still take advantage of online prices.

Advance Auto Parts is cheap, but only when you use discount coupons. Otherwise, Advance Auto Parts can be higher than average if you enter one of their stores. Just order online on their website; at checkout, don’t pick deliver; instead, choose a store near you and drive to the store to pick up your parts.

Advance Auto Parts regularly offers online discount codes, often shown near the top of its website. The discount codes are displayed on most pages, just above the navigation bar. It is hard to beat the discounted parts and the same-day pickup option Advance Auto Parts offers.

Advance Auto Parts is an excellent choice if you still want to buy cheap car parts but can pick them up the same day. Even Amazon can’t deliver that fast.

How to Buy Cheap Car Parts from Advance Auto Parts

Follow these steps to learn how to buy cheap car parts from an Advance Auto Parts store.

1. Go to Advance Auto Parts
2. Look for a coupon right at the top of the page.
3. Search for the part you want to buy and apply the coupon at the checkout.
4. Make sure to pick a store near you as a delivery method instead of having the items shipped.
5. Once you get a confirmation number, print it and take it to the store you picked. They will have the parts ready for you.

5. Amazon Auto Parts

Website: Amazon Auto Parts

You probably didn’t think of Amazon, but Amazon is becoming one of the fastest-growing marketplaces for automotive parts. In many cases, Amazon offers prime shipping, which allows you to get parts the next day. Amazon is an excellent place if you are looking to buy engine oil, filters, wipers, and car maintenance supplies.

While Amazon does have parts such as brake pads, suspension components, and engine parts, their inventory for car parts is not as large as eBay Motors and even RockAuto. Still, Amazon is a great place to buy auto parts, especially for car maintenance.

What are the best car parts brands?

One concern that car owners have when buying car parts online is that they don’t know what brands are good.

To help you with that, we are listing reputable auto parts manufacturers.

• Bosch
• Bilstein
• Moog
• Motorcraft
• Timken
• FlowTech
• Bendix
• Carquest
• Mevotech
• Denso
• Magna
• Febi Bilstein
• NGK
• AC Delco
• Beck Arnley
• Centric
• Delphi
• Denso
• Dorman
• Federated
• Hella
• KYB
• Sylvania
• URO
• Wagner
• TYC
• Dayco
• K&N

These are all reputable brands that manufacture car parts. The order in this list does not indicate the order of quality. It is just for reference.

More websites to buy cheap car parts

	AutoZone New Car Parts Buy Online, Pick up at the store United States
	Partsgeek New Car Parts Online Only United States
	Carid Online Only New Car Parts
	Autopartsway Online Only United States New Car Parts
	1aauto United States Online Only New Parts
	Salvoautoparts New Car Parts United States Local Stores
	O’Reilly Auto United States New Car Parts Local Stores
	Onlinecarparts United Kingdom New Car Parts
	PepBoys United States New Car Parts Buy Online, Pick up at Store
	Todo Europen Market New Car Parts

Make sure it fits before you click buy

The money you save online disappears quickly if the part is wrong and you pay to ship it back. Order against your vehicle identification number wherever the site allows it, because manufacturers change parts partway through a model year and a listing that says it fits your model and year can still be wrong for a car built in the second half of that run.

The most reliable method is to find the original equipment part number, either stamped on the old part or looked up by a dealer parts counter, then search on that number. Dealers will usually give you a part number over the phone at no charge even if you have no intention of buying from them. Cross referencing that number turns a guess into a certainty, and it also lets you see which aftermarket brands actually make the part for the manufacturer.

Read the return policy before ordering rather than after. Electrical parts are frequently non returnable once fitted, heavy items may carry a return shipping charge that exceeds the saving, and a core charge on items such as alternators, starters and calipers means part of the price is refunded only when you send the old unit back. Keep the packaging until the car is back together and running.

Parts worth paying more for

Price shopping makes complete sense for filters, brake pads and discs, suspension bushes, belts, lamps and body panels. It makes a good deal less sense in three categories.

Engine management sensors are the first. Crankshaft and camshaft position sensors, mass airflow sensors and oxygen sensors are the classic case where an unbranded copy at a third of the price produces intermittent faults that are extremely difficult to diagnose, and people end up buying the original part anyway after wasting weeks. Buy these from a recognized manufacturer such as Bosch, Denso, Delphi, Hitachi or the vehicle manufacturer itself.

Safety critical components are the second. Brake hoses, steering and suspension joints, airbag components and seat belt parts are not where to experiment with an unknown brand, and a used airbag or seat belt pretensioner from a breaker should be avoided entirely because you have no way of knowing whether it has already deployed or been stored correctly.

Control modules are the third, for a different reason. Most electronic modules on a modern vehicle are coded to the individual car, so a used unit from a breaker will often refuse to work until it is programmed with dealer level software. Check what the part requires before buying on price alone, and factor in the cost of having it coded.

Watch out for counterfeits

Marketplaces where anyone can list carry a real risk of counterfeit parts in branded packaging, and brake pads, filters, spark plugs and ignition coils are the most commonly faked. The warning signs are a price well below every other seller, a seller with little history, packaging with poor printing or spelling errors, and the absence of the holographic or scratch off authenticity labels that most major brands now use.

Buying from the brand’s own storefront or from an established retailer removes most of that risk for a few dollars more. If a part arrives and something about it looks wrong, compare it carefully against the old one before fitting it rather than after.

One last thing worth doing before you order anything at all: make sure you are replacing the right part. A great many parts are bought on the strength of a guess, and a full system scanner that reads live data as well as codes will often show that the sensor you were about to buy is reporting correctly and something else is at fault.

Conclusion

At YOUCANIC, we buy car parts from car dealers and online frequently. By purchasing car parts online, we have found that you can save up to 80% compared to dealer prices.

Two of the best online websites to buy cheap car parts are eBay Motors and RockAuto. Both sites sell new, OEM, or aftermarket parts. On eBay, you will find used car parts as well. If you are looking for hard-to-find used car parts, Car-Part.com is the best choice. 

Next time you need car parts, don’t buy from the dealer or local auto part stores. Buy car parts from RockAuto or eBay to save money.

There are rare cases when buying from dealers, such as engine sensors, is recommended. Aftermarket sensors don’t work very well, especially on high-end luxury cars. In such cases, we typically either purchase a used OEM part or buy directly from the dealer.

Also, if you do not plan on replacing the part yourself, you need to call your mechanic to ensure they install the parts the owner brings. Not all auto mechanics will install the features you get, even if they are new.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are used car parts worth buying?

For body panels, trim, mirrors and some modules, often yes. Avoid used wear parts such as brake pads, filters and belts, and match the part number exactly.

How do I make sure a part fits my car?

Use your VIN or the part number from the old part. The same model can use different parts depending on engine, trim and build date.

Is OEM always better than aftermarket?

Not always. Quality aftermarket brands can match OEM for many parts, but for sensors and electronics OEM or the original supplier is usually safer.

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