Does part scarcity concern you?

When I bought the 82 Econoline I went in thinking I would be able to get anything and everything I would ever want super easy from a catalog.  I mean, they sold MILLIONS of vans between 1975 and 1991.  What I have found is that a lot of parts, for example aftermarket rust repair panels, are not being made anymore.  So popular part numbers are done.  Want door bottoms, fab 'em up.  I thought a call to any parts supplier would have got a set delivered to my door.  When my shift collar broke I was able to make a repop for an older truck work, but if other parts of the  linkage give up the ghost I will have to decide if I want to make it, or swap to something else.  I had a hard time finding the steering column bearings because they were apparently unique part numbers to the manual column shift.   I have a feeling some of the more unique parts, like my non-blue oval grill and clear marker lights, would be a lot harder to find.  When I do see a van in the junkyard it is always a newer one.   Don't get me wrong, its still easy compared to most vehicles, but since so many were used up for work, the collector market is there but not big enough to support an aftermarket like trucks.

By comparison, I could grab a catalog and order one of everything for my CJ5 and just move the VIN tag over.

DarkMonohue said:

Steve said:

I think with the company that visits these pages, most of you are in the "cars are meant to be driven" camp. But I do think about how uncommon used parts or replacement new parts are becoming for my particular bad habit (85 MR2), and I'd be lying if it wasn't in the back of my mind when I'm out on the road around all the brodozers or saying a prayer to Gods of speed before I try and pop that piece of 80's plastic off a portion of the interior in one piece.

On one hand, I've got this appreciating, cool, 80's door wedge that is nice and cozy in the garage that I can look at every once in a while.

But on the other hand, I've got this nimble, 80's door wedge that is nice and happy out on the backroads, if not a little out of place here in the PNW.

I probably don't drive it enough as I should based on the first fact, but really wish I did based on the second. It's got agreed value coverage, but still, it's not helpful if the parts don't exist.

 

Anyways, for the people who have something even more rare, or maybe on the same level of scarcity (I hestitate to call an 80's Toyota "rare"), put my mind at ease. I'm supposed to drive this damn thing, right?

Yep. Drive it. I also have an '85 MR2 (also in the PNW, incidentally) and have been driving it daily for about 17 years. I also made my living selling MR2 parts until several years ago. Mechanical support is a non-issue, and since they are mostly shared with more common Toyotas, there's nothing especially hard to get. Most hard parts can be had either from the aftermarket or from a dealer willing to at least check availability before they tell you it doesn't exist.

Things that don't actually make the car go are another issue. Parts like c-pillar trim, weatherstrips, and interior trim parts are starting to dry up. Parts cars are a fantastic luxury. If not practical, there are several Facebook groups dedicated to the AW11 and they're decent resources for most parts you can't get through normal retail channels. Facebook is obviously it's own special headache, but unfortunately it's been many years since the two once-excellent MR2 forums have been worth a damn.

Drive it!

 

Yes it is a problem for many cars, but since they made so many MR2's, what you cannot get new, is often available on the used market. I have two AW11's and much of one more in my shed in parts and have all the interior plastics except for a good dash so if you need anything, let me know. But yes some trim items like c-pillar trim is hard to find (I need a set for the 2nd AW11). Parts cars are a good way to get what you need but understand that might not be practical for many people.  Honestly, my focus had been on British cars and we are all spoiled by all the good vendors and availability of parts. While the quality has gone down, at least you can find pretty much everything you need for the common Triumphs, MG's. etc...  And yes, the Facebook groups are a great way to find the stuff you cannot get elsewhere.

Considering I own a jellybean car(Intrepid) for a project, I never thought about acquiring parts as being that difficult. Sure some of the 'rarer' oem parts were harder to obtain when I first got it. Stuff like the thicker sway bars, or different interior pieces (shift knob with 'chrome' plastic insert) were only going to have a finite amount from the factory.

But as I have been hitting up the junkyards more often in search of the odd interior pieces to replace something I either broke or lost or just doesn't fit properly anymore, I am finding that LH chassis cars are showing up less often in junkyards, and while I still have a couple parts cars in my yard, it is in the back of my mind to be a bit more gentle with stuff. Upside is having space to store parts cars IF I come across any again, although locally, people seem to want double challenge money for a car that needs an engine or transmission or sometimes both.

I'll probably need to invest into software and a 3D printing setup for the occasional interior piece probably, cheaper than a parts car... 

In reply to DjGreggieP :

Don't forget, the same things wear out on the same cars.

Parts cars just mean you have a big pile of all the same stuff that's worn out.

frenchyd said:

In reply to DarkMonohue :

Well said.  I'm not so sure I would be as diplomatic about refuting internet nonsense.  
I can't believe how easily some people are fooled. Just because they can't get every part at their local dealership they think it's all a scam?  

I relayed a story that was told to me by 3 separate toyota dealers (where I worked), and by a guy with two (yes two) toyota 2000gts, he said he owned a toyota store at the time and used the opportunity to gain a monopoly on parts for those cars by buying up everything (no reason to doubt the credibility of someone with those cars, vintage racing one of them, probably has his E36 M3 together pretty well). That's four separate datapoints that I'm basing by information off of, not just talkin out of my ass. 
Either way, no need to treat me like I'm an imbecile for recounting my personal experiences. Maybe it is folklore, if it is, it's fairly widespread. Either way, it's not appropriate to be so condescending. 

In reply to Carbon (Forum Supporter) :

May have been something as innocuous as Toyota buying back inventory so the dealers aren't stuck with items they will never sell, as trade for items they need.  That may have been not uncommon in the days before electronic-inventoried dealer nets, where you could see that the depot was sold out but X dealership had a couple listed in stock.

Sure as hell could have used that at the bike shop where I used to work!  So much 30 year old inventory that would never move, that the previous owner sat on because "there's an ass for every seat."  As if someone would buy a 20 year old, 14" frame girl's road bike in 1996 for $400.

Carbon, I meant no disrespect. My comments are based on employment at a couple of dealerships, with reasonably frequent communication with reasonably grizzled folks at the regional parts hub.

Maybe I should have said something like, "I hope that's not true. There's a lot of speculation and unfounded rumor in a dealership environment."

I'm also not sure where you were located.  I'm on the west coast and Toyota represents themselves through Toyota Motor Sales USA here. Elsewhere in the country, Toyota is represented by privately owned distributors, holdovers from their fledgling days in this country. It's possible ad likely that those groups operate very differently than TMS USA does.

At any rate ... uh ... cars. Right. Drove my MR2 again today. It worked. Short of an untimely meeting with a phone worshipper or meth enthusiast, I'm having a hard time envisioning anything that would keep me from enjoying the car as often as possible for as long as possible.