Where to Buy OEM Parts?

[spectre6000]

I'm not used to having the ability to just go out and buy original OEM parts from a store (my newest car prior to my recent acquisition of my '99 4Runner turned 50 this past Friday), and I've been sorely disappointed so far in my experiences. I went to the nearest Toyota dealer to my house for some touchup paint (I was pretty excited about this). The guy said it would have to be ordered, would cost $12, and would be in Tuesday of that week. "Groovy!" I thought... Tuesday rolls around and it's not in, the NEXT Tuesday rolls around and still no love. At this point, I call the dealership closest to my office and they tell me $9! WTF? Turns out full retail is something like $11, and the first guy wasn't just raping my wallet, he didn't even have the decency to buy it dinner first! The second guy was probably still pretty high given today's experience...

I sold my running boards yesterday for $100, so I went in this morning to the second dealer to see about getting a set of mud guards. I wasn't as excited with my newfound abilities this time around, so I knew ahead of time to expect about $30 each. He wanted $50! I told him why I was there, and why that wouldn't fly, and he didn't want to play. That really sucks. As a small business owner, I try to support local businesses when and where I can, and I will pay a little more for that, but not a 60% premium for an identical product!

Diatribe aside, what's the best website (or Denver area parts house) to buy OEM Toyota parts for 3rd Gen 4Runners? OEM is OEM is OEM, so price and customer service are the deciding factors.

 

[spectre6000]

Has anyone ever bought from www.onlinetoyotaparts.com? They're pretty local, and if they'll let me pick up parts in person instead of shipping and they have decent customer service, I'd really like to know. I'll be calling them some time this next week (it's a really busy week at the office).

 

[Nashvegas34]

I get that you want to buy local (which is admirable), but either of these sites are great for OEM parts at below list price:
Toyota Parts - Genuine OEM Toyota Auto Parts and Accessories (allows you to enter your VIN for your specific parts)
ToyotaPartSales.com

 

[LittleCaesar]

I have never used Genuine Toyota Parts at Discount - OEM Toyota Replacement Parts but their prices are in line with other discounters. Where you will save is just being able to pick them up without shipping costs to incur.

My closest dealer has a 150% mark up on the PCV valve, so the outrageous prices are not surprising.

 

[Stick Figure]

The bay area dealers are crazy overpriced too, I went back to using Carson Toyota Parts: Toyota TRD Parts, Replacement Parts and accessories from Carson Toyota but Vandergriff has been pretty good to me as well on some past orders. I'm getting pretty tired of these dealers being so damn greedy.

 

[mmml4]

I here this is a good vendor, ask for Dan aka Cruiserdan on IH8MUD. If you are a member on MUD you get a 25% discount IIRC.
Larry H. Miller American Toyota Albuquerque | New and Used Car Truck SUV Dealer Serving Santa Fe, Los Lunas, Rio Rancho

 

[spectre6000]

I called that particular dealer this afternoon to see if they had a storefront and/or were cool with me coming in and picking parts up instead of having them shipped... Turns out, it's dealer #1! If you physically come into the store, they charge you out the ass. If you are nothing more than a credit card number, you get preferential treatment... How does this work? How is it even conscionable? The guy I talked to on the phone was cordial enough and seemed willing to work with me, but I'm fairly certain he's the exact same guy that wanted $12 for a $9 can of touchup paint... He said they do internet sales to be able to compete on price, but he can't give anyone the internet price unless they purchase parts online... I'm at a bit of a loss. I disagree with these business practices in a very fundamental, but I don't have any truly palatable options... The dealership near my office seems like they might be in more or less the same camp, I just haven't found their discount website yet...

 

[TheDurk]

I called that particular dealer this afternoon to see if they had a storefront and/or were cool with me coming in and picking parts up instead of having them shipped... Turns out, it's dealer #1! If you physically come into the store, they charge you out the ass. If you are nothing more than a credit card number, you get preferential treatment... How does this work? How is it even conscionable? The guy I talked to on the phone was cordial enough and seemed willing to work with me, but I'm fairly certain he's the exact same guy that wanted $12 for a $9 can of touchup paint... He said they do internet sales to be able to compete on price, but he can't give anyone the internet price unless they purchase parts online... I'm at a bit of a loss. I disagree with these business practices in a very fundamental, but I don't have any truly palatable options... The dealership near my office seems like they might be in more or less the same camp, I just haven't found their discount website yet...

I just bought an A/C retrofit kit for my son's 2008 Hyundai Accent. I walked into to my local dealer with a printout of his website quoting $1150 shipped 4 miles and a dealer in Spokane who would ship it to NJ for $1050 all-in. Over the counter, he quoted me $1200. I showed him the on-line quotes and told him I was buying from Spokane unless he did better; match and I'll buy right now. He took my printouts and talked to his boss; he came back and sold it to me for $1050 local pick-up. YMMV, of course, but face-to-face, ready-to-buy, with the evidence in hand works wonders.