Jeez Old Toyota Parts Are Cheap

[jyl]

Wow I lead a sheltered life. I thought that what Porsche and VW and bike parts cost is normal.

Our friend gave my son her late husband's car, he will help the widow move and pack her husband's things as payment. 1995 Corolla wagon, the perfect spare car for a teen boy - and needed because the damn Vanagon is always breaking down.

The Corolla needs new headlights (almost opaque) and front turns (one broken). My son is like, dad I don't know if I can afford to replace them. (We don't exactly shower him with spending money). I'm like, go on Amazon and see what they cost. Answer: all four lights $62.

WTF that's like a headlight bulb in the German car world. I think you could pay more for a wheel's worth of lug nuts. My last bicycle tire cost more.

Man I need to get out more.

[Jims5543]

When it came time to get rid of a toy, I had a 550HP Mazda RX7 and a 1980 Porsche 911 with a 3.6 swap.

I was also a member of the Mazda Motorsports program which entitled me to 50% off many parts for my car. Which were already reasonable and were now being stolen.

Needless to say it was a no brainer to sell the 911.

Then several years later I sold the RX7 for close to what I sold the 911 for.

Oh, funny story, I was taking the 911 in for a PPI when the rear right brake caliper froze up right as I was getting to the shop. I told them to replace it and I would pay.

$600 part with $300 labor.

Never regretted selling that car, while I miss it I hated the premium paid for parts and service.

[unclebilly]

My mom left her 94 Corolla wagon to my wife and I. That thing starts at -40 when nothing else will. We just can’t seem to get rid of it.

It has a Magnus Walker sticker in the back window so it’s cool, right?

[cantdrv55]

A few years ago I had a Toyota pickup that needed a water pump. It was only $30 with tax and easy as heck to replace!

[speeder]

Originally Posted by Jims5543

When it came time to get rid of a toy, I had a 550HP Mazda RX7 and a 1980 Porsche 911 with a 3.6 swap.

I was also a member of the Mazda Motorsports program which entitled me to 50% off many parts for my car. Which were already reasonable and were now being stolen.

Needless to say it was a no brainer to sell the 911.

Then several years later I sold the RX7 for close to what I sold the 911 for.

Oh, funny story, I was taking the 911 in for a PPI when the rear right brake caliper froze up right as I was getting to the shop. I told them to replace it and I would pay.

$600 part with $300 labor.

Never regretted selling that car, while I miss it I hated the premium paid for parts and service.

If your 911SC had stock rear brakes, you got robbed a little there. That's part of the problem.

[berettafan]

I had a similar experience when I bought a suburban. had a light out in the back at inspection. I decided since I'm big time now I'd let them go ahead and replace it so I could get the inspection done and over with. didn't even ask how much. yeah, like I said...big time.

I think it was $6.

[Jims5543]

Originally Posted by speeder

If your 911SC had stock rear brakes, you got robbed a little there. That's part of the problem.

If you are saying Porsche indy shops see their customers coming and tend to rip them off, I will not disagree.

I took my car to an indy shop for a valve adjustment, that ran me over $1000, as they sold me new valve cover gaskets and an oil change too. I knew I got ripped off, except I was so busy at the time I did not have time to do it myself.

I owned the car 3 years and only have that one brake problem with it, so there was that.

[masraum]

Yeah, sheltered life. 1 You're buying aftermarket Chinese stuff on Amazon, so cheap, but that's fine. 2 They made a gazillion Corollas, so supply and demand means parts will be cheap.

[fastfredracing]

It makes playing with domestic/asian vehicles so much more fun. Now that we are living on my paycheck only , the days of 20k engine rebuilds are over for me for a bit .
Im putting a motor in an Audi TT right now for a customer . The high pressure power steering line is rusted through.
$400.00 for a power steering line . One line Freaking crazy. I can replace the pump, all the lines, and the steering box on nearly any domestic truck/car for that money .
Those crazy Germans sure are proud of their parts .
It was a real eye opener when I started messing with non euro cars again . An entire performance crate motor, for about the cost of pistons and cylinders on a 911.
You can purchase a high performance transmission for roughly the cost of a clutch for a 930.

[MBAtarga]

Originally Posted by cantdrv55

A few years ago I had a Toyota pickup that needed a water pump. It was only $30 with tax and easy as heck to replace!

But water pumps on early 911's NEVER need replacing!

[GH85Carrera]

One reason I just keep putting miles on the El Camino, cheap parts. I bought some new GM Mr Goodwrench brand in the box front brake pads. They were 12 bucks. No exchanges, no fuss.

I had to replace a water pump recently. The old one was a new manufacture water pump guaranteed for life from O'Rilley's. After 70,000 miles of so it wore out. The replacement was free. I had to do the R&R but it was just my labor. Pain on the butt on a small block, but not overly hard. "While I was in there" always hits for me of course. I did replace all the belts, and the hoses, and anti-freeze. So the "free" pump made them some money. The old belts were still serviceable, but I just can't imagine not changing them. The old hoses were not leaking, but had been on there as long as the water pump. In my book, it is stupid to leave them on. Oh, and I splurged on a new thermostat, since they are just a few bucks.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I had a 1970 Mustang project for a while, eventually sold to my father due to a lack of time (and motivation). But I was always shocked at not only how dirt cheap parts were, but how they were available EVERYWHERE. Even obscure stuff like the ignition cylinder, it was like $12 and available at the Autozone right by my house.

I've always said that I could never own a German car if I paid someone else to do the work. The delta in not only parts costs but also labor costs is pretty incredible. At the end of the day they are all just cars, and particularly older Porsches are dirt simple to work on. Why should the labor and parts be double?

[brshap]

Most Toyota parts are relatively cheap but its seems like parts for my '78 Land Cruiser keep going up and up.

[Yorkie]

Another nice aspect of Toyota ownership is the fact that you do not often need parts for them. They are, for the most part, pretty reliable. That said, the Brake MC / ABS pump combo went on my Gen 3 4Runner cost $2000 !!!!!