[OFB Cafe] car parts on-line?

[Donald R Spoon]

Rick Bowers wrote:
>    I  need  to  purchase  several  parts for my car. I've been doing some
>    on-line searching and it seems all the places I've found have received
>    very poor ratings according to:
>    [1]http://www.resellerratings.com/store/
>    Here are some places I've looked at:
>    [2]http://www.thepartsbin.com/
>    [3]http://www.autopartswarehouse.com
>    [4]http://www.truckperformance.com/
>    [5]http://www.carpartswholesale.com
>    [6]http://www.car-stuff.com/
>    I  also tried [7]http://www.JCWhitney.Com but they don't seem to carry
>    stock parts as much as they do custom parts.
>    One  of  the  items  I  need  is a muffler. I've looked at Walker (for
>    replacement), FlowMaster and MagnaFlow. I would prefer a quieter sound
>    but  don't  mind  a  bit  of  throatiness.  For  the price, FlowMaster
>    40-series  looks  good  as  does  Walker.  I don't know much about the
>    various makes.
>    I'm looking for recommendations for a muffler and a reputable place to
>    buy  my  parts inexpensively. Has anyone used the places listed above?
>    Was you experience good or bad?
>    For my Dodge Durango, 5.9L, at a minimum, I need:
>    - Rear muffler
>    - Tail pipe
>    - Fan clutch
>    -  Left  front  bearing/hub assembly (too bad I can't just replace the
>    bearings)
>    Thanks, all.
>    ~Rick
>
> References
>
>    1. http://www.resellerratings.com/store/
>    2. http://www.thepartsbin.com/
>    3. http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/
>    4. http://www.truckperformance.com/
>    5. http://www.carpartswholesale.com/
>    6. http://www.car-stuff.com/
>    7. http://www.jcwhitney.com
>   
I used JCWhitney once back in the 70's to get a replacement soft top for 
my '66 MGB.  It was about the only site that I could find that offered 
what I needed (OEM replacement).  The product shipped was great and on 
time.  I know this info is dated, but I would still go there to look for 
hard-to-find parts.  Lately, it has been a disappointment in their 
selection.

Look on EBay and Craig's list.  Sometimes you can find some good deals 
on the strangest things!  Everything we have ordered from EBay recently 
(since Jan 08) has been delivered on-time and pretty much as 
advertised.  We only had one minor problem with a seller NOT packaging a 
pillow for shipping correctly.  The box arrived in horrible condition, 
but the pillow was not harmed.  It is a bit more risky than an 
established dealer, but usually you can get a track record  on EBay by 
reviewing the buyer's feedback for that seller.  It is published... 
warts and all.

-Don Spoon-