There is no fixed price list for used parts. Two of the same part off two different vehicles can be worth quite different money, and it is not arbitrary. These are the things that move it.
What actually sets the price
- How many are left on the road. A part for a vehicle that sold in thousands and is still being driven is worth more than the same part for something rare, because more people need it.
- How the part usually fails. Parts that fail often and cost a lot new hold their value used. Parts that almost never fail are cheap second hand, because nobody is looking for one.
- How much life is left in it. A part off a 60,000 km vehicle is worth more than the same part off one that has done 400,000. Kilometres matter far more on moving parts than on panels.
- Whether it was tested. Anything we could run before we pulled it is worth more than the same thing off a vehicle that would not start, and our tags say which it is.
- Colour, for panels. A door in your colour saves you a paint job, and it is priced accordingly.
Roughly what to expect
As a rule of thumb, a good used part sits somewhere between a quarter and a half of what the genuine new one costs. Engines, gearboxes and diffs are the big lines and can be more; small electrical parts are usually a lot less.
When new is the better buy
We will tell you this on the phone rather than sell you something you should not buy. Buy new when:
- The part is a wear item that is cheap new: belts, filters, hoses, bushes, brake pads.
- It is buried behind a day of labour. Paying twice to fit a part twice costs far more than the part.
- A good aftermarket one exists for close to our price, with a warranty on it.
Used is the right buy for panels, glass, lights, interior trim, looms, engines, gearboxes, diffs and anything the manufacturer no longer makes.
Haggling
Ask. If a part has been on the shelf a while, or you are taking several things at once, there is usually something in it. What we will not do is drop the price by not telling you about a fault.