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I got a good scare when I brought my 85 Toyota Supra to my mechanic for some bushings/bearings, and he told me, true or false, he found one place in NJ that had 4 left, in the whole country! Makes me wonder how much longer I'll be able to keep this car running! My brother, a mechanic, tells me that rockauto.com is a good place to look for parts for older cars. I'll have to check it out.
I know someone who has a 92 Buick and he gave up finding parts to repair the heater in his car. And a neighbor of mine, with a old early 50's truck, has to order his tires from Germany. With my car, they don't make 15 inch tires anymore, except Cooper still has them in stock.
Anyone ever have an older car, couldn't find parts anymore, and had to give it up for dead?
Perhaps I should consider being proactive, and buying/banking parts for future use. Is that what others do?
A 1985 is pushing your luck on finding parts. I have a 1997 that I think is borderline too old but it's in great shape. Rockauto is an awesome website I order from them usually every time i need parts. I'm also close to salvage yards.
While parts for these two cars you mention may not be "on the shelf" at your local auto parts store these days ...
they are readily available through many sources.
It's just not that hard to find parts for them, and there's multiple suppliers still making new parts for them to cover just about anything you could need to keep one on the road. Especially for the Buick ... there were so many common parts in the GM lines that were used for multiple models and years in that era and so many of those cars still on the road ....
Thanks for the encouragement! I love this car, have had it for 12 years, and I do not, do not, do not want to buy a new car, even though I could afford one.
Quick scan on Rockauto and they don't even list a Toyota Supra for 1985 Sounds like you are going to have lots of trouble for parts. If RockAuto doesn't have it then I doubt you'll easily find parts.
My mechanic assured me I've have the last of the 4 parts available, I prepaid for the parts, and he said it would be 7-10 days before they arrived, $489 for labor and parts.
I'm guessing that if you found a mechanic who was multi-lingual, you'd be able to find parts in other foreign countries on foreign websites. No?
My mechanic assured me I've have the last of the 4 parts available, I prepaid for the parts, and he said it would be 7-10 days before they arrived, $489 for labor and parts.
I'm guessing that if you found a mechanic who was multi-lingual, you'd be able to find parts in other foreign countries on foreign websites. No?
I'm guessing that your "mechanic" is blowing smoke up your a**.
a 30 second search online reveals:
1) a support group: celicasupra.com
2) numerous parts suppliers for everything from body/suspension/engine hard parts/brakes/interior/hoses/belts ... essentially, everything you need to keep this car on the road with standard and upgraded parts. Try Andy'sAutoSport, NOPI.com, or paeco.com ... just for starters.
Additionally, Toyota dealers still support these cars ....
At the price point you mention, I'd be guessin' that you're looking at suspension type bushings, right?
Several manufacturers make all the parts, readily available and catalogued by the aftermarket suppliers ...
Whiteline, Prothane, Energy Suspension, Cusco ...
suspension bushings, tie rod ends, links ... you name it, they've got it. Brand New, probably better than factory original design and manufacture, too!
I didn't even try to locate parts through my wholesale to-the-trade only suppliers that specialize in import car parts ... these were retail sources found on-line that anybody could locate and do business with. If I can find such sources in seconds, it tells me a lot about your "mechanic" being a BS artist re parts for your car.
All my cars are 70-88 models. I have no problem finding parts at Autozone, O'reilly's, etc., etc. There are even companies that reproduce parts for my cars. But none of mine are foreign, only domestic. My cars (mainly 70's Maverick's) are gaining in popularity so more and more parts will be re-popped in the future. BUT, junk yards crush most cars of this vintage as quickly as they get them, so body parts are hard to find. Luckily for me I have some disposable income and have bought many parts cars over the years so I have a good selection. And some older foreign cars such as Volkswagon's, Porsche's, MG's, Triumph's, etc., etc. also have no parts supply issues. But I'm afraid Toyota's from 85 are not going to be one's many people keep and so there's no rush to cater to them. That's the one bad thing about common Japanese cars like Toyota's and Datsun's. They may have had (or at least the public thinks so) better quality than domestic cars, but nobody (except for a very few) are going to keep and restore them to any great extent. They were and still are (again only my opinion) considered disposable as soon as they wear out.
For body parts, you might try a place like KSI. I don't know how extensive their line is, but they are all after-market parts produced in Asia. I know that for cars like Mustang, they have a good selection of parts.
For me, I'm staying away from all the new cars. Motorcycles don't have all the damned electronics yet. And, if I need the cargo room, I can pull a trailer. Considering the fact that some 90%+ repairs are electronic failures, not mechanical, they are not reliable enough for the application. Until they straighten that out, I refuse to buy a car. Not at all unusual for me to come home with a trailer-load of groceries from the store.
For my 1988 Mazda rx7, when I rebuilt the engine there were supporting system parts that I could not find. And when I checked the auto grave yards I had no luck. So for some parts - those like vacuum line filters, I just found the performance specifications and looked for industrial components that matched performance if not size and shape.
Some other parts can be sourced from other car companies... For example, the wheels on the 88 convertible use a central locking hub cover. The wrench for that cover can also be found at BMW and Buick I think for their similar style wheels.
Lastly, some parts cannot be found so I have copies made by a local machinist.
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Makes me wonder how much longer I'll be able to keep this car running! My brother, a mechanic, tells me that rockauto.com is a good place to look for parts for older cars. I'll have to check it out.
Sounds like you are going to have lots of trouble for parts. If RockAuto doesn't have it then I doubt you'll easily find parts.
