Everyone in the racing world knows that it is an expensive hobby. Depending on the class you race, parts can cost a fortune! It is great to be able to have spares in case you need them at the track or get in a wreck but how do you build your parts inventory? We try to replace common things during the off-season, or “rebuild period”. Up North, this is usually from November to early March. While we have been heading South for some races the past few years during the “off” season, we basically take this time to scour for deals on parts and re-skin the car. There are some costs you just can’t get around or find a deal on but often times I can save a bundle on those just by waiting for free shipping. Here are some tips we use when shopping for race car parts.

1. Take Advantage of Free Shipping

This one tip can save you HUNDREDS of dollars, I’m not kidding! There are some parts you order that have astronomical shipping fees, nose/tail piece, tubular bumpers, rims, etc. just to name a few. In some cases, the shipping for these can be as much as and even MORE than the cost of the part because they are very heavy or over-sized. For example, adding a Monte Carlo Street Stock nose piece to my cart for $35 is bad enough but continuing all the way through my cart to see the shipping makes me cringe! Some companies charge ore than $200 just to ship ONE nose piece, because it is over-sized. I CAN’T, correction, I WON’T pay that, but some people do because they think there is no other option. Free shipping deals are your best friend for items like these. Some places offer free shipping over a certain dollar amount and some will offer you a free shipping code just for signing up for their email list! We have also gotten in the habit of checking Amazon, you could get lucky on finding a small part you need, that wouldn’t hit the minimum purchase at bigger racing websites, and have it be available for free shipping with Amazon Prime. Another favorite of ours for saving on shipping these days is eBay. We actually found that a lot of the catalogs we shop from have started eBay stores, and offer free shipping on eBay for lots of things.

2. Shop Around

We have five racing catalogs we typically shop from. Whenever we are in need of parts, we check the price on them in each catalog, then factor in any shipping costs, to see who has the best deal. Some places offer flat rate shipping on any order, excluding the larger items we talked about in #1. Some catalogs calculate shipping at checkout. Sometimes I will even try Googling the manufacturer part number. Amazon is constantly adding to its inventory and you would be surprised how many racing items are available there. If you have Amazon Prime and a part you need is on it, it can save you from shipping costs at the very least. Even if the part costs slightly more on Amazon, it still may be worth it after adding the cost of shipping to the part somewhere else.

3. Racing Classifieds

There are a TON of racing classified websites out there and even more now on social media. You can post want ads if you need a particular set of gears or a race body or you can browse the ads for what you need. We tend to browse the ads ALL the time, because you never know when a great deal may come along that lets you build up your part inventory. Some parts can be right in your back yard and others might require a drive, the choice is yours to decide if the price is worth the drive.  Some people are willing to ship to you but be aware this will add to the cost, then you have to weigh that cost against what you would pay for a new one. Remember, just because someone has a price listed, doesn’t mean it is set in stone. Feel free to make an offer or ask their bottom dollar price, you never know how much you could save. We recently picked up a spare transmission that was listed for $200, after some back and forth, the seller realized it just wasn’t worth what he was asking. We got the transmission for $60 AND he delivered it to us. There is always a risk when buying used parts so try to do your homework and go see whatever you are buying if it has a higher price tag.

4. Check Your Local Store Deals

We have many parts store options in our area, again it usually comes down to the deal. Check you local auto parts stores for specials, sales, and coupons. A lot of stores offer buy online, pick up in store, which saves the shipping cost and a quick trip to Google could reveal a nice coupon code to use online. We have one parts store in our area that offers an EXTRA 10% off orders that are placed online for in-store pickup, that is on top of any other coupon codes you find to apply. Some in-store coupons can be printed at home or even sent to your mobile phone to scan at the store. If you are in a store trying to score your deal but can’t find what you need, don’t be afraid to ask the store employees. We have one store here that often has most of it’s inventory in a warehouse about 30 miles away, if they don’t have it in the store, they can usually have it there for me in an hour. They even offer to get inventory from one of their other stores by the following day if I want it. Keep in mind if you have a store that does this, it helps if you can call ahead, it can save you an extra trip and have everything ready for you when you get there.

5. Use Social Media

A LOT of people have things laying around their garage or basement, us included. Sometimes people don’t think it is worth the trouble to list it for sale and other times, they don’t think anyone would even want or need it. We belong to a lot of racing groups on Facebook and have a lot of friends that are also racers. A simple post for what you need could save you a TON! We have had things given to us just because people want it out of the way and we have struck of some great deals and friendships just openly posting our need for certain parts. One responder even had several garages full of parts and tools, it was just too much trouble to start listing it all but when he saw our post he reached out and we were able to find a great deal on what we needed AND pick up several other things at a great price. It is also a great resource we can tap if we are looking for more things in the future and we can send other people his way because we have an idea of what he has to sell.

So there you have it, 5 tips to help you save on your race car parts that have been real game changers for us. When you are racing on a budget, every little bit helps, what ways have you found to save on parts? Share your parts deal tips in the comments!