Hammer Time: Shopping
The good old days of 2007. A time when I could visit a parts store and walk away with hundreds of dollars in free stuff. I remember O’Reillys giving me 24 quarts of synthetic oil for about $8.00 in taxes. Advance Auto Parts seemed to have access to every cheap Chinese tool set ever made with mail-in coupon in tow. As for Autozone? They gave me 12 free batteries when I established a commercial account there. I used them all that winter and made money on the cores. Ahh, those were good times! They’re no more. But you can still pick up a good deal here and there.
Coolant is cheap! $5.00 a gallon for the store brand 50/50 at Advance is as low as I’ve seen, and I bought six gallons this afternoon. Then there were quarts of leftover Ford Motorcraft® oil for 95 cents each. That will work quite well with the AC Delco filters I use for $4. Of course you can get the store brand filters for $1.50. But you have to specifically ask for it and the help doesn’t advertise that product. Not much profit. Filters that cheap also make me uncomfortable. I despise cheap cardboard so I usually stick with a brand name even if it doesn’t make much sense beyond the label.
Wal-Mart tends to have the cheapest batteries and synthetic oil. If you’re not into shopping specials they usually have the cheapest dino juice as well. As for tires? Pep Boys may have the $60 special for the ultra-cheap set of 4 on most early-1990s subcompacts. But I’m willing to have Tire Rack help figure that one out.
Lifetime warranties on parts? Yes, if the part is easy to get to or if you’re handy. But never on motor oil. With gentle driving and 5,000 mile changes most rides should outlast most Buick owners. Insurance can also be slashed quite a bit if you shop around once speeding tickets and accidents pass the three year mark. Enjoy asking for any discount that may be remotely possible. I especially like low mileage discounts (5,000 miles a year) and all the doo-dad discounts that have to do with safety. I just wish they offered one for those who hate cats.
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Thanks for reminding me, this is the cheap season for anti-freeze traditionally
@Superbad75 Ask what the “lifetime warranty” means. During my Freshman year at college I worked at my local AutoZone. The term "Lifetime Warranty" meant that you could replace whatever you wanted for as long as you wanted just as long as it was under warranty and you had a receipt or if your contact/warranty information was in the system. If you bought the store brand (Duralast) brake pads with the Lifetime Warranty, you could replace them basically whenever they wore out, even if they weren't damaged. I remember people that would walk into the store with their used brake pads in one hand and a receipt in the other, sometimes you didn't even need a receipt. I'd take the receipt, run it thought the system, pull out the new brake pads, swap them with the used ones, tag the box and give the customer the new pads for free. There were people that did this 6,7,8,9... times per car. The same went for alternators, starters, light bulbs, spark plug wires etc. As long as you had the worn/defective part, the receipt, and you were under the warranty period, you would most likely get a new replacement. @Robert As for Autozone? They gave me 12 free batteries when I established a commercial account there. During my time at "The Zone" I remember the commercial guys at the back counter giving some crazy deals for garage/commercial accounts. Giving away 12 battery's is not out of the ordinary. I remember the commercial accounts manager once loaned out 6 swamp coolers to his top 6 garages for the summer time. Or selling $55+ dollar brake rotors for $12 a piece. And then the garages would charge them for list of like $59.99. There are a lot of deals to be had out there, you just gotta look.