NAPA vs. Autozone vs. O'Reilly... price and quality? (2023 Update)

I think this bad boy would look OK with a little sawzall treatment, whaddaya think?

nate

I would like to find a good old Studebaker to fix up.I like the ones that had the venetian blinds in the rear window. cuhulin

Let me know when you get serious, I can help. (seriously.)

start by checking out the SDC forums...

nate

I'm looking for an A/C condenser on my 2004 Chrysler Sebring. AutoZone for $162 O'Reilly's for $172 Napa for $241 Which is my best bet?

Rockauto.com

Who are the mfg's and where are they made?

r $162 O'Reilly's for $172 Napa for $241 Which is my best bet?

Your best bet is to buy all three, compare them, keep the best one, and ret urn the others. You might want to also buy the condenser from the dealer an d also a $60 part from eBay. My guess is that they'll be pretty much the sa me. Please be the guinea pig and find out if this is really true.

Were I you, I'd opt for the DENSO 4770835 at Rock Auto for $75.89 plus shipping. Bought lots from them, only ever one issue which for which they made right and absorbed all costs.

Because you didn't provide sufficient particulars, I'm guessing a mite, just be sure to check the catalog for your exact application.

Or get it from PartsGeek

I just ant to say that it is very important. Would you buy cheap parts on ebay?

Maybe. It depends on the part, part mfg, price, shipping cost, and rating of the seller.

snipped-for-privacy@webtv.net wrote: "their back yard.Two of those vehicles, the Chevrolet and the Jeep have been sitting there for about a year, or more.Sooner or later, the city is going to haul those vehicles off to the impound yard.I think the"

And just WHERE is this - some communist country?? Vehicles sitting in their BACK yard might be towed off by the city?

Yes, USA is now a communist country.

My employee's father has an RV in my parking lot (with current tags) after he was threatened with a tow from his own driveway as 'abandoned vehicle'.

The problem is that really none of them tend to have consistently good quality. I try and work with locally-owned shops whenever possible.

I will say that the top tier parts from NAPA tend to be better than the top tier products from the other chains... but the lower tier ones are just as bad as the lower tier ones from the other chains.

And yes, I'd buy parts on ebay. Sometimes that's the only way to find some things for older cars.

--scott

The City gave us static about "too many vehicles" -- all of which were either currently registered or in official non-op status. That's why we sold the 55 Chevy for $500 and the 58 Chevy pickup for $100.

Before that I had vaguely thought that zoning regs were OK. Not any more. If it's intrusive or none, I pick none.

I've used Pep Boys for decades. Their 'lifetime' parts really are -- when I took a water pump (or something) from the used car we just bought to make sure I got the right replacement they said "That's one of ours" and gave me a new one. Even brake pads were lifetime.

I've never bought car parts from ebay, but I've never had any problems with any of the electronics I've bought. Some trivial things have disappeared in the mail or been bad at birth, and the companies made good on those. I'd worry about buying expensive stuff, but so far so good.

What is in my back yard now? I am Glad you asked. My old trailer that I enc losed a few years ago with pressure treated two by fours and pressure treat ed plywood and no nails, I hand twisted every one of those screws in there, my 1914 Ford Model T is inside my trailer. Near my trailer sits my 1948 Wi llys Jeep. Maybe I ought to build a shed around my Jeep.Other stuff in my b ack yard, my old metal trailer steps I use when I wash the top of my van in my driveway and my two wheels yard cart. And my sweet 13 years old Austral ian Blue Heeler Cattle Dog that died of cancer last September, I buried her self in my back yard. Rest in Peace, Blueberry doggy.

As a owner of two German autos,I use Ebay,or Ebay.de solely. They don't ha ve the high prices mark up as chain stores.I use TRW and Moog parts,as they are good,some German parts are high,and they also now outsource.My experin ce with Communist China parts is they last 30 days.

This may be a little off-topic, but I went through something vaguely simila r when buying parts for a front brake job on a Mazda 2.

One afternoon I went to three local shops: Pep Boys, Advance Auto, and O'Re illy, in roughly that order.

Only two had the front rotors, and wanted about $50 each.

All three had pads, which varied from $50 to $60 a set (unless I misunderst ood, and that was for only *one* wheel).

None of those had as much markup as the mechanic: he wanted to use "premium " rotors at $88 each (ouch!) and a brake pad set priced at $83. I know mec hanics have overhead costs, but the labor cost is already sky-high, so this markup seems just silly. I don't think you have to pay "premium" prices t o get a decent set of rotors, do you? Further incentive to learn how to do the brakes myself.

Meanwhile, I found a front brake rotor & pads kit (including ceramic pads), at least claming to be original equipment quality rotors, on Rockauto.com for $88 and change.

It doesn't have quite the convenience of going into a retail store, but if you plan ahead, you can save a whole lot of money.