What's your philosophy on how you choose which parts & supplies to purchase?

For example, many people purchase by name brand marketing; plenty buy whatever the seller recommends; just as many others make the "you get what you pay for" decision based almost purely on price; some make that purchasing decision based on word of mouth recommendations or those on the online product reviews; and some make the decisions of what to buy based on the known specs (not all of which are ever fully known).

I'm sure there are other ways, but the fact there are so many "what motor oil" threads, and "what coolant" or "which tires" or "which rotors" or "which gasoline" or "which brake pads" threads makes me wonder how people make decisions since, for me, those choices are so supremely simple that there's no reason to even ask the question.

Which brings up the philosophical question that I do ask (to which there is no right or wrong answer - just different ways to go about it) of....

How do you go about making most of your Toyota parts & supplies purchasing decisions?

I think there are many inputs to a purchasing decision. First, I think with certain items, sticking with Toyota is a safe bet. For example, I got aftermarket coilpacks for my 5vz-fe and they were garbage, I should have gotten OEM. My problem is that I am a cheap bastard, but I learned my lesson on that one. Spark plugs is another OEM must. I did get aftermarket blinker lens and that was fine. As for fluids, that seems to be a passionate discussion on these forums to which way too much energy is put into. I think the most important part is to change them regularly and go by mfg specs, ie if it calls for 5W30 then put 5W30! In the end, getting from the stealership is always the safest bet but an expensive one. I have gotten aftermarket and been burned so it is a crapshoot. Buyer beware!

The cheapest thing you’ll ever do to a vehicle is maintain it properly. OEM oil filters, quality name brand oil and other lubricants, quality name brand shocks, tires etc. Buy once, cry once. I’ve never regretted buying quality anything, but just about every time I’ve bought something because it was the cheapest, I’ve regretted it.

Remember the old saying not to skip on anything between you and the ground? Ie mattress, shoes, etc. I would imagine tires and car components apply here too! You spend so much to get a car so keeping it nice only makes sense.

For me it's mostly about maintaining reliability. I'm not in the 'career' section of my life yet, since I'm currently in college and working part-time. With that being said, loads of money isn't exactly at my fingertips.

I'll admit there are purchases that I've made on my truck just for the sake of it being badass. E.g. the Oracle halo kit and the aftermarket headlights and tail lights. However, most purchases are based on: Can I afford it? ("barely" is an acceptable option) Will it increase reliability? Could it pay itself off in gas mileage?

Most of the big purchases I've made on my truck have been a combination of repairs AND upgrades. For example, my manifolds were cracked and one catalytic converter was bad so I bought Doug Thorley headers. I did some math before and determined that, even with minimal increase in gas mileage, the headers could pay themselves off in gas in merely 2 years if I kept paying the same price for gas and drove 20k mi/yr. Another example could be the lift kit.. my shocks were going out and my truck had started to sag, which was something that needed repair, so I upgraded it with a lift kit at the same time.

There should be absolutely no skipping out on replacing bad parts. If you're going to do it, do it right. If you really need it and can't afford it, work a little harder for a little longer. The last thing you want is to settle for a cheap part only for it to screw you over later. That, in my mind, is the only way that my T4R still runs like it's brand new at 271k on the odo.

Edit: Forgot to mention driving experience! Personally I LOVE driving my 4Runner; if you're not enjoying it, you won't feel motivated to take care of it. That's what justifies the cosmetic upgrades like head unit and subwoofer for me.

For after market stuff, I try to find locally sourced items, then I look at surrounding states, and then I'll consider foreign stuff, even Chinese if I have no alternatives.

For example, I bought a Wescott ladder for my rear hatch - they are local to me (Phoenix), they were comparable on quality and price with several other options. Being from AZ made them the choice.

my fog lights was a tough one, as KC highlights are an AZ company. I ended up going with Diode Dynamics because of the price / performance, plus they manufacture in the USA.

That's my purchasing philosophy once I've decided to buy something.

deciding to buy things? that's a lot harder.

I went in this order: suspension, roof rack, sliders, ladder, fog lights, ram mounts.

next will be ditch lights and an Spod or equivalent, followed by a light bar and then scene lighting around the vehicle.

The Internets are a wonderful thing when it comes to research...

so i find out what are the top 3-5 things being supplied; whether by name brand, customer satisfaction, price, etc. then i research it as best i can before buying. and even then, i may not come out ready to buy the top top, due to cost, availability, or whatever other reason, but ill look to buy the #2, 3, or 4.

Going cheap works only if the cheapest is still in the top 3-5 being recommended by the research i have done.

In a word, I look for value. For example, I live in metro Atlanta and Cobb County Toyota's establishment of an online parts store was a game-changer. I can get OEM parts and supplies at competitive prices, and sometimes even lower, than aftermarket. Order online, pick up at the dealer, which is reasonably convenient to my workplace in Marietta. So that's value. (I pass Cherokee County Toyota all the time but unfortunately, they're still stuck in the "dealer parts priced like medical services" model).

An aftermarket instance was my rock sliders. Looked around, weighed price, quality, reviews, etc., narrowed the list, then ordered from 4X Innovations because their price and shipping - a significant cost for an item like sliders - were both very reasonable. In fact, I posted at the time asking if anyone knew why their shipping was half, and for some even a third, of what competitors charged. Found a local welder through a FB 4R group and the sliders are outstanding.

Ah, fluids. Using oil as an example, I firmly believe that any brand is fine as long as it meets the specs for your engine. Supertech full syn, Mobil 1, whatever. Are they different? Probably. I'll even go sure, they're different. But are they significantly different, such that performance is improved or wear reduced to the point the average person will notice? Nope. But...I have to laugh at myself because I still don't buy Supertech, I use whatever "name brand" is the best value at the time. That's been Havoline Full Synthetic in the 6-quart cardboard box for the last several years.