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Cheap used performance parts

Michael Berenis' photo
Tampa Sports Car Examiner

Cheap performance parts are a great way to add power to any vehicle. Finding performance parts and installing them can be a very costly venture. The average performance part costs anywhere from $100 up to a couple of thousand dollars depending on which part you want. Forced induction, key engine components, and suspension are the most costly out of all  performance parts. There are ways to avoid this high cost of parts.

Tip: The only company I know selling used performance auto parts with a warranty is LKQ Corp. Recycled Auto Parts. They have all makes and models servicing local near you. They can get OEM parts which are sometimes considered performance upgrades. Turbo's, superchargers, complete engines, transmissions, you name it. They have everything for every make and model. Check out LKQ the next time you need parts!!

Where can I buy cheap used performance parts?

The cost of new performance parts is rather high, alternatively you can buy cheap performance parts when they are used. An easy way to find them used is by checking out these sources:

Ebay has the largest inventory of used and cheap performance parts out of the three, but is not always the cheapest. The cheapest out of the three ways to find inexpensive performance parts is by using Craigslist. This website has tons of listing by locality and topic for you to dig through.

Spending a couple of minutes researching used parts can save you lots of money! The best way to find used and cheap performance parts is by digging through related forums. Find the forum that is related to your vehicle, ex. "Honda Forum" and then search through it's classifieds or for sale threads. You'd be surprised at what can be found!

The good...

Examples of cheap used performance parts

  • Projector headlights MSRP $299.99, paid only $50.00
  • Skid plate MSRP $400, paid only $100.00
  • Wing risers MSRP $400, paid only $50.00
  • Aluminum radiator shield MSRP $100, paid only $25.00
  • Lateral links MSRP $1,000, paid only $179.00

If you add up the above parts, I should have paid $2199.99 for parts but I only spent $404.00. Buying used parts, expect to run into some issues along the way.

The bad...

When purchasing used parts, expect to find little quarks about each produce. It might be a paint chip, scratch, or need complete reshaping in the case of my skid plate. The skid plate I bought was damaged and needed to be bent back into form. The projector headlights had wiring issues. They needed to be rewired in order to work, but once fixed they were as good as new. The aluminum radiator shield was dirty, and had some minor scratches. The lateral links had some paint chips, and the wing risers were a shade off of my cars paint color. Nothing too bad just a few things some people might get upset about.


Summary

These are pretty insignificant negative attributes for saving as much money as I did. I made everything work by repainting, reforming, etc. The trick to finding cheap and used performance parts is to buy a vehicle that is modified by a lot of people. Most sports cars have plenty of used performance parts. Honda, Mitsubishi, Chevrolet, and Ford have the most availability of used parts online. Now you know the secret to buying performance parts, what are you waiting for! Start searching the forums

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, Tampa Sports Car Examiner

Full-time engineer turned writer, Michael brings knowledgeable articles about Tampa Bay's sports car scene. His experience in import, domestic, and exotic manufacturers ensures quality content for all readers. Michael is also a contributor at CarDomain.com and can be contacted via Streetfire.net...

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