If you need a part for last year’s Ford Focus, it’s not hard to find. Any Ford dealer and some independent mechanics probably have them on their shelves waiting to pop them under your hood.
But if the love of your automotive life is a 1966 Mustang or your father’s 1986 Cadillac, the part you are looking for is lost in a maze of grease-lined storage boxes in someone’s warehouse. In that case, finding the right part for your car isn’t just mechanics, it’s art. The internet has taken that art and made it accessible to mechanics and car collectors with its vast collection of databases, car club forums, and dealer web carriers.
Everything Old Is Still Available
Car part shopping for older model cars is made for the internet. Searchable databases allow you to specify year, make, model and special designation so the right part for your car can be found no matter how old the vehicle may be. No more frustrating days of hearing the mechanic say, “They don’t make that gasket anymore.” Now a car part not acquired in a local store can be searched for and found in the storage houses, junkyards, or garages of...