It does not much matter what type of vehicle that you own and drive; it will only be as good as the sum of its components. This means everything, from engine, through transmission to wheels and tires; plus bodywork and electrical systems (and, these days, electronic computerized controllers and diagnostics). All of these will require regular preventative maintenance by way of check up type servicing; the cost of which will be largely for the labor involved.
Even Good Preventative Maintenance Does Not Completely Stop Failures
Components do wear out and will eventually break down in one way or another. When this happens, they have to be replaced if the vehicle is to continue to be functional (and safe to drive). Costs then move into the labor plus materials bracket. Unfortunately, some of these components can be somewhat pricey and, for older cars, they may be difficult (if not impossible) to obtain.
Official Components
When you buy a new car from the manufacturer’s dealership; it comes with a warranty and, usually, that warranty will be invalidated should you use any replacement components that are not sourced from the original maker. This applies even when the maker of your car did not actually manufacture a component themselves. All the time that your vehicle is under warranty; you are being held to ransom and must purchase the higher priced components.
Aftermarket Components
This is a term given to perfectly acceptable components that are not purchased through the car maker’s distribution network. However, they are all 100% correct to that maker’s specifications. They might even be made by the company that supplied the originals to the car maker. Obviously, when you cut out the car maker and buy direct from the component maker; the cost should be lower.
Used Auto Parts
Some of the components that you might need to replace will be totally broken and irreparable – light bulbs for example. Others might simply require dismantling and renovating –such as a starter motor.
On the one hand, you could have your malfunctioning part renovated; but, this might be too time-consuming for your needs. A quicker solution would be to look around and seek out an already renovated, identical, part that came off of another vehicle similar to yours.
It does not matter if the vehicle it came from was undergoing similar maintenance as yours; or, if that vehicle had become a total write off. Just so long as the component in question was expertly repaired and renovated; used auto parts will be a lower cost, thoroughly reliable option for your vehicle.