After we showed you how to waste an afternoon screwing around with a project car, more than a couple commenters asked “why I use Auto Parts Store X” as opposed to some other one. Does it really make a difference? Tell us if you have a favorite auto parts store, and why!
Barring access to Harbor Freight, the cheapest place to get tools is, uh, “the Internet.” But when you’re in the middle of a job and you dropped your last 10mm socket, sometimes you just gotta run down the street and pick up a piece.
In the last few years I’ve spent the most time at AutoZone, Advance Auto Parts, and Pep Boys in that order. But only because of proximity to my house.
Back when I lived in the Boston ‘burbs it was another story. J&T Auto Parts in South Hamilton, a relic that took up roots before gentrification and online ordering, was my go-to spot. You wouldn’t have much luck finding something in inventory, their shop’s about the size of a Chinese takeout place, but those guys could (and presumably still can!) get any car part in 48 hours or less... sometimes before the end of the day.
The best part of that place was the fact that the guy behind the counter, and any old timer milling around the isles, would always be happy to talk about why your old Scout, motorcycle, or lawnmower wouldn’t start and offer advice.
So who else has a special kind of friendship with their parts supplier?
Image via Eddie S/Flickr
Contact the author at andrew@jalopnik.com.