UNCJD

Got a hole in my AC condenser, and my speed sensor decided to go off its meds--so I'm going to be replacing both of these soon. Autozone wants a hundred seventy bucks for a condenser and around 80-90 for a speed sensor.
But on eBay, they're much cheaper. Condensers are on there for as low as sixty, and speed sensors can be had for forty or fifty. My questions is...what gives? In your experience, are these el cheapo parts of such an inferior quality that I'm better off going with Autozone? This is going to be, if I ever finish it, a backup car and not something I intend to keep for the next twenty years. My beautiful CFO is getting a little tired of my new hobby, so price is important. But sometimes going to cheap ends up being more expensive in the long run. I don't know what to do here.
I was thinking about the salvage yard route, but the only LS I've been able to find at a place that doesn't require me to pick the part myself (all these places are only open during work hours!) was wrecked from the front and therefore the condenser is useless. Also, I made the mistake of installing a junkyard PS pump which turned out to be a leaker, which in turn required me to pull it out and get a new one.
What would you do?

AandSC

In my experience buying from eBay has saved me some money and I've never had an issue. I've also installed a junkyard CV axle with no issues. I would go the eBay route.

python

iTrader: (4)

buying quality parts from the guy on the street corner or elsewhere makes no difference except when warranty comes into play. if u can get a denso or oem part from ebay then ok..but if ur buying a spectre condensor or some other chinese made POS..dont bother

RA051823

eBay parts are hit and miss kinda like Harbor Freight Tools. If the part you're replacing is labor intensive i recommend going with a known brand name -- trust me it will be cheaper in the long run. I have you also checked RockAuto?

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

brand name matters more than the seller. If it's a denso/bosch part, and the seller is authorized you'll be fine. If not, good luck with warranty support, but at least with the known brand it's less likely to prematurely fail.

Rockauto has similar pricing to ebay a lot of the time. If you have amazon prime, that' a great place to look too.

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

I have not had any problem with Ebay parts. I get most stuff from Amazon or Ebay. I go to Lexus of South Atanta if I can't find it anywhere else. Rockauto is ok but sometimes the shipping gets you though.

SonicMotor

iTrader: (19)

We sell a lot of TYC / Vision branded AC condensors etc here at the shop, which are the ones you normally see on ebay. We don't have many returns on any of the products from these companies (We also do OEM lamps, radiators, etc from these companies) and have run their parts in our shop cars / personals. Never had any issues!

UNCJD

Ordered one from Radiator Classic on eBay. Can't imagine it's that good, but The Emperor still needs new tires and a windshield, so budget matters right now. Also, this is my backup car I bought for $500 on Craigslist in July.
$55 bucks for this thing. If this were my only ride, I would have run screaming from an item like that. But I figure under the circumstances--nonessential system, not expensive, DIY repair so no labor cost, can afford to have it out of commission while I replace it again--I can go ahead with the experiment. I'll let you guys know.

AandSC

My bet is that it'll work fine. You've done an awesome job obtaining and maintaining a very low cost vehicle.

dicer

This day and age you get junk parts no matter where you buy them. Most all after market automotive parts are made in either China, Mexico, Taiwan. There are a few from Japan, and Us.

UNCJD

Keep a vehicle long enough and you can own a Chinese car.