dgc333
Well-Known Member
IMHO, the problem is not with the Autozone's, Advance's, Pep Boys, etc. it's with anyone going into one of these stores expecting them to have knowledge of a 40 year car. I am continuely amazed at how much stuff I can get for my 68 Barracuda when probally 99% of their business is for 90 and newer vehicles.
I have a (2) NAPA's and an Allied Auto Parts within a couple miles of my house. One of the NAPAs is just like Autozone and the other I have been doing business with since I was a teenager 40 years ago. That NAPA does not stock any parts except tune-up parts for my car and when the order a part it takes about 4 days to get (Autozone and Advance two days). The Allied Auto Parts (been doing business there for 40 year too) stocks even less but if you order it before 9:00am Monday - Friday they will have by mid afternoon the same day. Both the old time NAPA and Allied close at 5:00pm and aren't open on Sunday's, thank god for Advance and Autozone.
There is also a parts store about 10 miles away that specializes in 1980 an older US mad vehicles only, great place and they have most everything for your 60's mopar that is still made any many that aren't. BUT, you will pay twice what you would off the internet, just got king pins and upper/lower suspension bushings from them for my wifes uncles 41 Olds, cost just shy of $300, Kanter had them for $150 but we had the car up on the lift and a part and my uncle opted to get it done then.
Back 40 years ago the folks working in parts stores only need to know about Ford, GM and Chrysler products and things didn't change very often it was easy to be knowledgeable enough for someone not know what you needed with out looking it up. Back then if you had a foreign car you had to go to a parts store that specialized in them, your corner store would laught at you and send you packing. With cars like the Camry topping the new car sales list and the speed at which things dramatically change from model year to model year it is impossible to know about every brand, thank good for the computer systems availble that allow you or them to quickly look up parts by year, brand, model, engine, etc.
Instead of bitching about what used to be why not embrace what you have and work the system. I never walk into Autozone or Advance cold. I always look the parts up on line (they even have pictures to look at), verify if they have the stock online and with Autozone send a pick list to the store so the parts are waiting on the counter when I get there. Light years better than the old days of calling around to every part store in the area looking for a part or standing and waiting while they spend 10-15 minutes flipping through parts books to finally tell they have to order or can't get it.
I have a (2) NAPA's and an Allied Auto Parts within a couple miles of my house. One of the NAPAs is just like Autozone and the other I have been doing business with since I was a teenager 40 years ago. That NAPA does not stock any parts except tune-up parts for my car and when the order a part it takes about 4 days to get (Autozone and Advance two days). The Allied Auto Parts (been doing business there for 40 year too) stocks even less but if you order it before 9:00am Monday - Friday they will have by mid afternoon the same day. Both the old time NAPA and Allied close at 5:00pm and aren't open on Sunday's, thank god for Advance and Autozone.
There is also a parts store about 10 miles away that specializes in 1980 an older US mad vehicles only, great place and they have most everything for your 60's mopar that is still made any many that aren't. BUT, you will pay twice what you would off the internet, just got king pins and upper/lower suspension bushings from them for my wifes uncles 41 Olds, cost just shy of $300, Kanter had them for $150 but we had the car up on the lift and a part and my uncle opted to get it done then.
Back 40 years ago the folks working in parts stores only need to know about Ford, GM and Chrysler products and things didn't change very often it was easy to be knowledgeable enough for someone not know what you needed with out looking it up. Back then if you had a foreign car you had to go to a parts store that specialized in them, your corner store would laught at you and send you packing. With cars like the Camry topping the new car sales list and the speed at which things dramatically change from model year to model year it is impossible to know about every brand, thank good for the computer systems availble that allow you or them to quickly look up parts by year, brand, model, engine, etc.
Instead of bitching about what used to be why not embrace what you have and work the system. I never walk into Autozone or Advance cold. I always look the parts up on line (they even have pictures to look at), verify if they have the stock online and with Autozone send a pick list to the store so the parts are waiting on the counter when I get there. Light years better than the old days of calling around to every part store in the area looking for a part or standing and waiting while they spend 10-15 minutes flipping through parts books to finally tell they have to order or can't get it.
