johnceggleston Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 (edited) this is just an observation, but it has been my experience that parts prices from online subaru dealers are 20% less than retail at your local dealer; which is great. but then they charge 10% for shipping. so in the end i save 10% off of retail. my local dealer will give me his ''wholesale'' price if i just ask. actually i have to tell them that i ''buy, repair and sell'' them. so i try to buy locally if it can. my dealer isn't next door, but not 10 miles away either. saving 10% is not a whole lot when spending $20 - $30 but if spending 200$, and/or over the life of the car, it adds up. as you all know, shipping and handling is the mystery, hidden, cost of online shopping. buying aftermarket parts online is another story all together. some parts do not need to be suabru quality and can be had for 50% - 70% off retail prices or more. great! and there are of course some parts manufacturers who make and sell quality parts for less than subaru. but there are lots of aftermarket parts that are cheaper because they are ''cheaper'' parts. they don't fit as well, work as well or last as well, but they will bolt on and get you back on the road. the trick is knowing which parts can be after market and which need to be oem. and then finding that part for a good price. even if that price is only 10% of of retail. i heard a story about electronic component parts costs for some circuit board. you can buy a $0.05 part , a $0.50 part, a $5.00 part, or maybe even a $50.00 part. which one do you want controlling the airplane your family is flying on. just a thought. Edited May 13, 2012 by johnceggleston Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forester2002s Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 i heard a story about electronic component parts costs for some circuit board. you can buy a $0.05 part , a $0.50 part, a $5.00 part, or maybe even a $50.00 part. which one do you want controlling the airplane your family is flying on. I share your confusion about buying parts for my Subaru. But who's to say, in your example above, that the $50 part will be any better than the $0.05 part? They might both be exactly the same part, from the same factory. Or the cheaper part might actually be better. Who knows? In the absence of any other info, I suggest that the cheaper price is the way to go. On the other hand, if there are some concrete data about the merits of the parts, then by all means use that to figure out which part might be the best. I've noticed the occasional anecdotal remark on the forum, about not wanting to buy 'Chinese' parts. My same logic applies. Unless I know something about the parts, why would the part made in China, be any different that one made in Japan, USA etc? I don't have any facts about the relative merits of a particular factory's ability to make quality goods. So, for me, low price is usually the determining factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattocs Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 I try and find parts others recommended. I'm going to put some EMPI axles on my car. I know cheap aftermarket Subaru axles are generally a no-no, but at $55 each shipped for NEW ones, I'll take the risk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 Researching the brands you buy beforehand will often get you a better quality part. I just bought a set of Megan motor and transmission mounts because I read some reviews about them and they appear to be the same quality as Subaru OE parts, just under a different name. One review said they had a set installed by Cobb Tuning, and the installer noted that the Megan parts even had the same identification numbers stamped in them as Subaru OE parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulpicard Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 (edited) The thing to remember here is, if I'm building/repairing an airplane, I want absolute guarantees that the part has been manufactured AND inspected to insure it meets the required specifications. But since my car isn't likely to fall from the sky if a part fails, I can be a little more flexible in my standards. A part that won't hurt me or others by it's failure can arguably be a rational substitute for the costlier OEM item. Example: the knock sensor I was asking about in another post. Ten bucks vs. $100 is a huge difference, and the failure of the part won't kill anyone. Also, we need to be a little careful nowadays about referring to cheap stuff as "Chinese". Boeing buys sub-assemblies for the 787 and Cessna has a complete aircraft (model 162) built in China. You older guys (including me) might remember referring to "cheap Jap junk" but that was eons ago. In fact, Subaru actually advertises the fact that their car is "Built in Japan" as opposed to built in the US or Canada. Parts built in China may be "cheaper" but that doesn't necessarily mean they are lower quality. Edited May 13, 2012 by paulpicard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricearu Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 I buy my parts through Renton's Walker Subaru aka http://www.1stsubaruparts.com . Some parts can be substituted with other brands, but others cannot be. Do research first. On anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattocs Posted May 13, 2012 Share Posted May 13, 2012 I've been using Lancaster County Motors Subaru parts website. http://lancastercountysubaruparts.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatnom Posted May 14, 2012 Share Posted May 14, 2012 Mattocs: How fast do you usually recieve your parts from LCS? Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 a lot of it does depend on what part you looking for, IMHO. Price is not the only thing to look at, obviously - but part number/manufacturer as well the 5 cent piece might be the exact same part number/manufacturer as the $5 piece... One "dealer" may buy in larger quantities and pass the savings to the customer... just sayin... case in point: my 90 Legacy wagon has developed 2 exhaust leaks. 1 at the Y pipe - left tube to converter junction is failing, the other is the junction at the midpipe to rear (rusted out & blown donut). I have another Y-pipe section with lower miles in very good condition for it's age here that will go on the car to fix that one. for the midpipe - the spare I have turns out to not be in as good of shape as I was hoping for once I started to remove the old donut gasket, so went in search of a replacement. Advance Auto has the Bosal replacement midpipe for $91.99 (add to that the fact that I would have to pay shipping costs to get the part shipped - even to my local store...) the PartsBin.com has the exact same Bosal piece for $46.96 - add shipping/handling and the total comes to $51.88 (shipped directly to me) Which one would you buy? Me - I am going with the $40 + savings. (in either case I have to wait for the part to be shipped, so that has no bearing on my decision) The other half has used The PartsBin.com for several other things, including new rotors for his '04 Mercury Sable, and a new hub assembly for the '95 Dodge Ram 4x4 - both times excellent quality parts that fit perfectly and at a fraction of buying thru the "normal" parts houses... So while price (including shipping/handling charges) may be a factor, it is not the only factor to look at. Oh, just as an FYI on the shipping thing - when looking for the gaskets for my upcoming exhaust repair - rockauto.com had great prices on the gaskets themselves, but they wanted to charge me over $35 for shipping 2 measly gaskets!! Always, always, ALWAYS, check shipping costs before commiting to buying!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnW Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Its a really tough market. If I can help somebody let me know. How do they ship a midpipe for $5?!?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Its a really tough market. If I can help somebody let me know. How do they ship a midpipe for $5?!?! its only about 2 feet long? the little short section between the cat and resonator on a 1st gen... ooops, my mistake - total is $55.81, what can I say - a little dyslexlic today? part = $46.96 shipping = $7.14 handling = $1.71 total = $55.81 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durania Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Myself and several friends have been using Jackie @ Annapolis Subaru. Tell her you saw them on nasioc gets the wholesale pricing bracket. The nearest dealer is 45 minutes from me and it is cheapest for me to order and pay the ~$8.00 shipping fee. I love my local dealer but money talks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulpicard Posted May 16, 2012 Share Posted May 16, 2012 Its a really tough market. If I can help somebody let me know. How do they ship a midpipe for $5?!?! Via Canada Post, I bet! I paid $11.79 to ship a used computer mouse (170 grams) to my friend in the next town (130 kms) Yet I got a used dash clock last year from Indiana, sent to my PO Box, for $5 something. Same weight, same size package more or less. Go figure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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