The classic car parts market generates over $1 billion a year. With sales like that, you’ll find lots of people selling older car parts for almost any type of car.
You just need to know where to look. Here are 7 places to search for hard to find car parts.
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Online Forums
Online forums are the original social media sites on the internet. While they pre-date Facebook and Twitter, they’re still popular, especially with car enthusiasts.
A quick Google search for “<type of car> forum” will return forums for almost any vehicle. Most of them have classified sections where people can buy and sell parts.
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Swap Meets
Swap meets are another old-school place to look for parts. You won’t always find exactly what you need but you’d be surprised at how often a swap meet seller will have the part you’re looking for.
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Third-Party Suppliers
Third-party suppliers sell parts for all kinds of cars, often long after the OEM vendor stops making them. Some sell used parts like you’ll find if you click here, while others sell third-party versions of the originals.
These third-party versions are commonly known as “knock-offs” but unless you’re restoring a collectible car that’s worth a lot of money, they’ll work just as well as the original.
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Classic Car Magazines
Magazines aren’t as popular as they once were but there are still a lot of car magazines that cater to particular brands, models, or eras of cars.
If there’s a magazine available for the type of car you drive, pick up a copy and take a look through it. You’ll find ads for companies that sell parts for those cars and most of them have a classified ads section where you can often find the parts you need.
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Salvage Yards
Salvage yards disassemble old vehicles that aren’t fit to drive anymore and sell the parts. Many parts are perfectly usable even if the car won’t run.
You can also refinish things like interior components, body panels, and chrome. Don’t worry if they’re not in perfect shape — if they’re hard to find, it will be worth the effort.
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Car Clubs
Car clubs are another great source of old car parts. If there’s a club for your type of car, get in touch to see if they can help you find the part you need.
They might be able to refer you to a supplier for the part or one of the members might have one they’re willing to sell you.
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Online Auctions and Classifieds
Online auctions and classified sites — particularly eBay and Craigslist — are also good places to look for parts. There’s an amazingly wide range of things for sale on these sites and you’ll often find exactly what you need.
You might not even have to pay much for it, especially on eBay. If it’s not a popular type of vehicle, there likely won’t be that many bidders.
Don’t Give Up On That Old Vehicle Just Yet
If you’re thinking about getting rid of your car because it needs older car parts, don’t give up on it quite yet. With a bit of time searching through the sources we’ve covered in this article, you’ll probably find exactly what you need to keep it running for years to come.
Be sure to browse through the Automotive section of our site for more helpful articles about keeping your car in good shape.
