Parts Prices, WTF?!

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cosgig said:
I sometimes find it hard to strike a balance between riding my bike and driving one of the cars. I find that I like both as just a nice getaway from the day to day, but I think I just have too many cars. I’m getting to the point where I’m getting tired of the early A bodies, and am whittling down my running cars one by one. Parts cars too, although those are harder to say no to, they are what keeps me able to spend money on the hobby. It’s finally nice here in the Mitten, and I’ve already had the bike out once, and the roadrunner out a few times. I’ve been driving the convertible to get miles on it to sell it, and I just don’t get that “gotta drive it” feeling from it, so it needs to find someone who will feel that way about it.

We change, our interests change, and that’s ok. If we all stayed the same all the time, we would end up dying with a hoard full of parts that did us no good! Ride on, brother. Get some wind in your face and clear that head, maybe it’s time for that bike this year!
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Its funny, I'm feeling the same way. I restored an 87 jeep yj this past winter and think I'll have more fun tooling around in it with the top and doors off than driving around in my 67 barracuda. I have maybe 4k into the jeep and 25k into the cuda lol..its crazy but yea..
 
I measure my fun by smiles per miles, and giggles per gallon, and amount of hurt per dollar invested.
For me lately, less is more! But I am old!
 
barbee6043 said:
I measure my fun by smiles per miles, and giggles per gallon, and amount of hurt per dollar invested.
For me lately, less is more! But I am old!
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Same here, when I put gas in the RR I put $20 (5 gal) of Rec fuel in it, it’s 90 octane but has no ethanol in it, then I drive to the next town and put $40 (5 gal) of 110 racing fuel in it, which is leaded. People will say.....”geez, how many miles per gallon does that thing get?” My answer....”until it runs out”! $60 is the same as a fill up in my daily, so which one is more fun?.........
 
RAT ROD AL said:
I do that and she tells me "Who gave you that quote, They didn't measure it correctly " And I tell her, She did. And she says , well its this much today. View attachment 1715717299
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Yup, women can get away with it too ( being wrong mostly half the time) :)

I have been noticing the shipping adds up. I think I posted that here in this thread. I almost have to take a break from parts let the bank account "slowly" fill back up :)
 
Tim C said:
I’ve wanted a dual snorkel for one of my Dusters but ain’t no way I am coughing 6 bills for it. That’s the market, just not my market!
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Yikes! Is that what they are going for now! Time to buy two single ones and robbed the snorkel off one to put on the other, the way we would do in the 80s if we couldn’t find one.
 
jonn6464 said:
Probably gonna offend some people, but here it is...
YOU ARE NOT GOING TO RETIRE OFF SELLING MOPAR PARTS!!!
Look, I'm a really laid back guy. Like, really calm and accepting of most people. But I gotta say, I just don't get some of the posts that I'm seeing where a member is asking OUTRAGEOUS money for a car part (usually a new member, but I digress).
$400 for a grill, $500 for an air cleaner, $1000 for seats, $1500 for fenders.
There are probably 2 or 3 guys on FABO that have enough parts, that if they sold everything, they'd make $80-$100K. But, guess what, that's still not retirement level cash.
There is ZERO sense in letting these parts waste away in your garage/shop/barn/attic, when they could be used on a running & driving car.
Now, I'm not staying to give your stuff away for nothing. I'm just saying charge a reasonable price, let the buyer get the part on his/her car, and you go grab a nice steak dinner.
Yeah, yeah, I know... "these are original MOPAR parts" & "you can't find this stuff anywhere". But that just proves my point. Ma MOPAR did not produce these parts to sit on a shelf somewhere and not be on the road.
We're supposed to be a community of MOPAR lovers that help each other out, not gouge one and other over a piece of 50 year old tin. And there are some great members who sell stuff cheap. A HUGE shout out to them!
Before you roll your eyes/shake your head, I do practice what I preach. Take a look at my sales ads. I never ask a ridiculous amount for anything. As a matter of fact, I've sent out parts and only asked the buyer to cover the shipping. And when I'm done my build, I'll be hooking up members with whatever I have left over.
Listen, 2020 sucked! Let's make 2021 a great year for FABO members and get them the parts they need to get their rides on the road.
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I'm getting tired of this debate, so, let me tell it to you from my prospective. For over 30 years I traveled all over California scouting wrecking yards and yards that would let you pull your own parts. Long before Pickndrule started buying out all these little yards. The parts I collected were for Dodge pickups all years, but mostly the 61-71's and the 72-93. I didn't do all this work because I knew I was going to retire off it. I did it because I wasn't rich and knew how expensive and hard to find the parts I was collecting were.
When my 79 long bed crew cab broke it's hub, I found only one parts house that had one. $150.00 plus tax!!! The man behind the counter told me that if it were a Ford or Chevy it would be less than fifty dollars. I ended up purchasing a used one from Subway Truck for $85.00!!! WHO'S RIPPING OFF WHO!?
When I had a contracting business, I would have my taxes done every year by one accountant and every year the price went up and it started around $350.00 for a couple of hours work. When I asked him about it he replied, "Whatever the market will bare." Again, whose ripping off who?! And my tax returns weren't that difficult. I probably could have done them myself if I wanted to spend the time. I only contracted to fill the rough times when there was no work for a carpenter elsewhere.
Anyway, I am now disabled and have been trying to survive on less than $15,000 per year since 2013. I started selling off some of my saved parts just to help make ends meet. Not anywhere near enough to retire on. LOL!!
There are some guys out there that give their parts away, and for only a couple of reasons. Either ignorant as to how rare the part they are giving away is, and they just want to clean up, OR, they have good paying jobs and a wonderous retirement ahead of them, or they just want to clean up!
If you are a MOPAR fan, as I am, you should know that you are involved in a hobby where in many instances the car, truck or part you are interested in was produced in very limited numbers. Thereby, making it harder to find and more expensive when you do find it. When was the last time you tried to purchase a part from one of the other big time wrecking yards? Ha! Again, Who's ripping off who?
The best possible advice I can give to you is, GET AWAY FROM MOPAR AND GO BUY YOURSELF A FORD OR CHEVY AND QUIT COMPLAINING ABOUT THE PRICES. You folks don't even take into consideration of 1. The hard work that went into pulling that part. And the weather conditions. I worked in the hottest heat of the year to the rain and the mud. 2. The monies spent storing said part or vehicle. Even if they were able to keep said item at their home, a percentage of that mortgage or rent is a cost. 3. What if they have to pay to store it somewhere. 4. What about how many times they had to handle said item, moving it from one place to another. I had parts that I probably handled five or six times and maybe more.
 
Steve Fraser said:
I'm getting tired of this debate, so, let me tell it to you from my prospective. For over 30 years I traveled all over California scouting wrecking yards and yards that would let you pull your own parts. Long before Pickndrule started buying out all these little yards. The parts I collected were for Dodge pickups all years, but mostly the 61-71's and the 72-93. I didn't do all this work because I knew I was going to retire off it. I did it because I wasn't rich and knew how expensive and hard to find the parts I was collecting were.
When my 79 long bed crew cab broke it's hub, I found only one parts house that had one. $150.00 plus tax!!! The man behind the counter told me that if it were a Ford or Chevy it would be less than fifty dollars. I ended up purchasing a used one from Subway Truck for $85.00!!! WHO'S RIPPING OFF WHO!?
When I had a contracting business, I would have my taxes done every year by one accountant and every year the price went up and it started around $350.00 for a couple of hours work. When I asked him about it he replied, "Whatever the market will bare." Again, whose ripping off who?! And my tax returns weren't that difficult. I probably could have done them myself if I wanted to spend the time. I only contracted to fill the rough times when there was no work for a carpenter elsewhere.
Anyway, I am now disabled and have been trying to survive on less than $15,000 per year since 2013. I started selling off some of my saved parts just to help make ends meet. Not anywhere near enough to retire on. LOL!!
There are some guys out there that give their parts away, and for only a couple of reasons. Either ignorant as to how rare the part they are giving away is, and they just want to clean up, OR, they have good paying jobs and a wonderous retirement ahead of them, or they just want to clean up!
If you are a MOPAR fan, as I am, you should know that you are involved in a hobby where in many instances the car, truck or part you are interested in was produced in very limited numbers. Thereby, making it harder to find and more expensive when you do find it. When was the last time you tried to purchase a part from one of the other big time wrecking yards? Ha! Again, Who's ripping off who?
The best possible advice I can give to you is, GET AWAY FROM MOPAR AND GO BUY YOURSELF A FORD OR CHEVY AND QUIT COMPLAINING ABOUT THE PRICES. You folks don't even take into consideration of 1. The hard work that went into pulling that part. And the weather conditions. I worked in the hottest heat of the year to the rain and the mud. 2. The monies spent storing said part or vehicle. Even if they were able to keep said item at their home, a percentage of that mortgage or rent is a cost. 3. What if they have to pay to store it somewhere. 4. What about how many times they had to handle said item, moving it from one place to another. I had parts that I probably handled five or six times and maybe more.
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I don't understand your response.
You are mad at corporations or corporate parts yards for charging you too much, but want to justify charging another guy an arm and a leg for some part that you pulled?
And, no, the time it took you to pull a part is not going to factor into what I feel is a fair price. There are guys out there that move like molasses in January. Takes them 1.5 hours to pull a 20 minute part. I'm not paying you extra for that.
You want to claim storage as an expense? Anything in your home, garage, shop, barn, shed, dog house, or yard does not command a storage fee. You made the choice to bring it home. And if you need to pay for a monthly storage space for car parts, then there's a whole other issue you need to deal with.

Businesses are going to rip you off. They also have overhead expenses, staff payroll, taxes, etc to pay. When was the last time you paid tax on a part you sold? It's okay, I already know the answer.

Some guy who bought a Thermoquad in 1975 for $50 and never put it on his car (because he was too busy drinking beer and smoking green stuff) has no reason to now ask $500 for that piece.

Yes, I agree with you that MOPAR carries a higher price tag. My point was that MOPAR guys should not be gouging each other for parts that are just going to sit on a shelf somewhere.

And if you feel justified in doing that, then I feel justified to tell you to pound sand. You're not "one of us".
 
It’s tough and I empathize with a lot of the post’s here. I have Mopar “friends” who will hose me(I’m Canadian, that’s what we say ) on something because it’s “rare”, but won’t pay anything when it comes to buying something, including the same part they overcharged you on!
 
If you sell parts ask what ever you wish. If no body bites it's a part that no one wants or needs, it is a piece of junk, or you want way too much for it. Or it could be all the above. If you are a buyer don't ***** if you think it is too much, just don't buy it and walk on by! Simple as that.
 
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toolmanmike said:
If you sell parts ask what ever you wish. If no body bites it's a part that no one wants or needs, it is a piece of junk, or you want way too much for it. Or it could be all the above. If you are a buyer don't ***** if you think it is too much, just don't buy it and walk on by! Somple as that.
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Very simple, and well said
 
toolmanmike said:
If you sell parts ask what ever you wish. If no body bites it's a part that no one wants or needs, it is a piece of junk, or you want way too much for it. Or it could be all the above. If you are a buyer don't ***** if you think it is too much, just don't buy it and walk on by! Simple as that.
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You know and with that statement it says it all! Simple and to the point!
 
toolmanmike said:
If you sell parts ask what ever you wish. If no body bites it's a part that no one wants or needs, it is a piece of junk, or you want way too much for it. Or it could be all the above. If you are a buyer don't ***** if you think it is too much, just don't buy it and walk on by! Simple as that.
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toolmanmike, you are 100% correct.
If you don't like the price, find it somewhere else.
That has never been in dispute. I think a lot of people are missing the point of my original post, which was, simply to shed some light on the fact that there are people out there in MOPAR land who think that some old part in the back of their garage is like a lottery ticket.
Ask a fair price for the part and let somebody else use it on their car, so they can enjoy their car, and the world can enjoy seeing the old car that reminds them of the special times they had with their Grandpa or their Dad.
 
jonn6464 said:
toolmanmike, you are 100% correct.
If you don't like the price, find it somewhere else.
That has never been in dispute. I think a lot of people are missing the point of my original post, which was, simply to shed some light on the fact that there are people out there in MOPAR land who think that some old part in the back of their garage is like a lottery ticket.
Ask a fair price for the part and let somebody else use it on their car, so they can enjoy their car, and the world can enjoy seeing the old car that reminds them of the special times they had with their Grandpa or their Dad.
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Your repeating the same issue. It's all about the price. Bottom line buy it, or keep scrolling by.
 
jonn6464 said:
Ok Roy, will do. Thanks for setting me straight.
BTW, I've seen your For Sale ads, and I certainly know what side of this argument you're on
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It's only an argument because your making it one. It's simple, you have two choices, buy, or keep looking. What's the problem.
 
I see the same Mopar stuff on our local craigslist month after month. Priced 4X what its worth compared to this boards price history...It doesn't sell.
 
Its an expensive hobby. I just talked to an old friend who didn't retire but decided not to work anymore after getting fired from a job.

He looks at my cars and says "gee must be nice"

Yea, well, it isn't so nice when I am getting up at 4 a.m. and coming home late because I took a bunch of overtime to support my Mopar habit, or when I was out in the cold delivering newspapers as a side hustle before my regular job to hustle up some more mopar money.

Its worth it, we are the few and privileged to be able to have an old car and work on it.
 
Yes parts astronomically high.
I was lucky. I spent sometimes hours shopping for cheaper parts. What really helped was the recession it was not uncommon to find new stuff 40-60 percent off. The other great thing is FABO
And the tremendous body of knowledge here. Stuff I got here all in good shape or new:
Mp distributor set with the curve I wanted $60
4 new drums $40
8 3/4 rear 323 gears $250
MSD 6 al $100
Completely reman 92 360 mag long block $350
340 exhaust manifolds $100
391 chunk sure grip needed clutches $250
Alum radiator $100
Used pwr steering pump and brackets $35
New b & m pro shifter $225
Good 904 tranny with 3500 converter $200
Cheetah reverse valve body $65
Etc etc
Thanks FABO, especially Roy/aka Sg Barracuda
 
Bluecuda74 said:
It’s tough and I empathize with a lot of the post’s here. I have Mopar “friends” who will hose me(I’m Canadian, that’s what we say ) on something because it’s “rare”, but won’t pay anything when it comes to buying something, including the same part they overcharged you on!
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Most on here !^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
toolmanmike said:
If you sell parts ask what ever you wish. If no body bites it's a part that no one wants or needs, it is a piece of junk, or you want way too much for it. Or it could be all the above. If you are a buyer don't ***** if you think it is too much, just don't buy it and walk on by! Simple as that.
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Exactly what I did building my basket case , ''always '' found parts cheaper than on here !
 
A
Princess Valiant said:
Its an expensive hobby. I just talked to an old friend who didn't retire but decided not to work anymore after getting fired from a job.

He looks at my cars and says "gee must be nice"

Yea, well, it isn't so nice when I am getting up at 4 a.m. and coming home late because I took a bunch of overtime to support my Mopar habit, or when I was out in the cold delivering newspapers as a side hustle before my regular job to hustle up some more mopar money.
Its worth it, we are the few and privileged to be able to have an old car and work on it.
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Agree , while most everyone was eating their thanksgiving and Christmas leftovers , I was out in the winter weather for yrs doing side job plumbing
top outs and rough ins , to get what I wanted for my hotrods . --- ''gee, must be nice '' , from fellow workers that took 4 days off and smoked their extra $$ up in weed .
 
I think this is funny. I signed up for this sight to help a fellow once looking for a car. I keep getting updates from the site. So this is my real first post. I am not into Mopars but like all cars. I am into American Motors and the post relates.

Brothers u want to hear gouging in the hobby? The minimal NOS parts that survive in the AMC world are very few. Those in the know in the 1980's were the ones saving them. Now are the ones trying to retire. $1000. for a 71-74 Javelin hood molding? $2500 for a 1970 AMX grille? We have the issues too. When Ma bought the company in 1986 the first order of business was to go through the warehouses with a loader and **** can everything from 1979 down. No one had a chance to save anything. Trying to restore a Pacer? Good luck.

Chrysler did a limited run of 68/69 AMX Grilles and Javelin/AMX door sill plates years ago but are differences. There are few in the hobby that deal full time making and sourcing parts from China but AMC is a limited market. No 1-800 build a car catalogs unless one wants carpet and seat covers.

That leaves the assholes who were powerbuying all these years and continue to do so. Not so much in a specific brand there are those on ebay that have nothing but air cleaners that they glass bead and paint and add stickers. Call them restored and ask $1500. There are Hurst Shifter jocks that . I need a shifter for my 71 Javelin but not paying $1000 for one. I will just run my knuckel in the dash with my incorrect 1970 Hurst in there now. I am not funding anyones lifestyle. I have guys I help out and we help each other. I gave away a 70 Javelin body away yesterday.

A favor is worth more than money.
 
78 Aspen grille? Anybody have a clean one for $100? Yeah didn't think so. Seen them for 750+ when they do show up. It's just what the market will bear type deal.

I've given and sold lots of stuff cheap to guys that have helped me out or others. 68-70 340 exh manifolds for 250ish... type of deals. Problem is that if you spend the hours searching the stuff out, that isn't cheap to find, catalog and sell. Some of us pay for our own stuff by selling of the items we find in a bulk purchase to keep those items. Nature of the beast and been that way since the 80's for me. Buy 2 426 hemis for 3500, sell one for 3500... that type of stuff cause they we worth 3500 each at the time.

As Roy mentioned, scan and move on. The parts DO NOT belong to you and it's no different than the guy that wants to buy a car from you and you spout off some outrageous price so they either pony up or leave you alone. Move on and don't sweat the stuff you can't control. I chuckle all the time at some of the prices of things I see on this and other sites.
 
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Try building a 1 year car like the 66 Barracuda. I just watched a left hand NOS grille sell for over 1100 dollars on ebay but if that is what someone paid then that is the going rate. If it is made of unobtainum and the part you need pay the price or walk on. Dont cry boo hoo that is the only new left grille I have seen in the last 20 year and he is a jerk for not selling it to me for the price it was when sold new. Reality is a Road Runner sold new for 2450 and if you had one in mint condition today you would never sell it for that price.
 
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