Save money on car repairs at the junkyard

If you can assemble IKEA furniture, you have the skills to save yourself a lot of money on car maintenance. One strategy to maximize your savings on car parts is to visit your local junkyard.

How much can you save? I talked with David Edison, president of Edison Automotive, a large yard in Columbus, Ohio. He told me that his customers pay $35 for an alternator that might cost $125-$175 new or rebuilt from a parts store. An air compressor that he sells for $15 might cost $200 elsewhere. During my visit, I found a replacement for the missing hubcap on my 1995 Dodge Caravan for $5. The same from eBay motors would have cost me $30 with shipping.

Who uses junkyards? Edison said his customers are typically people who fixed their own cars, rather than car repair shops. These people drive cars 8-15 years old, the approximate age of the cars in his yard. If you have a newer car, you won't find parts here. However, as Edison said, "A driver with a 2005 Jag can afford to pay to have it maintained." Demand is highest for Japanese cars and pickup trucks.