Buy used all season tires junk yard

I need some cheap summer/all season tires, there is a local junk yard that has a bunch, good or bad idea?

I suppose the answer is, it depends.... If date code on the tires is still good and they pass a visual inspection it's probably okay. I've bought tires from a used tire store in the past with good results.

Depends.

If the date and tread is good then most likely. Chances are better for more "passenger" and common size tires.

A couple years ago I pick up a set of Bridgestones on steelies for the GFs Camry. $80 for all 4 and the tires had maybe 500 miles on them. Trying to find stuff for my burban has been tougher.

Learn to read the date codes. I bought some odd sized Goodyears from a local junkyard once in 2012. They were dated 1987.

I have had decent luck on Craigslist looking for factory take offs if there is something current that would fit.

There are a number of used tire dealers in my area. Because that's all they sell, they go through tires pretty quickly so their inventory (tire store take-offs, mostly) tends to be more fresh than what's being pulled off junk cars.

If the car is a somewhat common pattern, you could also check Craigslist for takeoffs. It was cheaper to buy a takeoff set of tires and wheels for my Tahoe than it was to buy new tires.

-Rob

I have a pretty common tire/wheel size its a Mazda5, unfortunately I haven't found much local, I would have to travel a 100 miles and don't have the time right now.

I've bought on CL and from the sorta-sketchy-looking "cash only" tire places on the East side of Baltimore. Had good luck with both. Can't be too picky- I shoot for matched pairs. I will reiterate what others have said- just watch your date codes!

I recently bought some from Craigslist in one of the weirdest places I have ever been. The tires were fine, although the first set he showed me were dry rotted.

When I left, I picked the wrong door. In that room was a heavy smoke smell, a pig wearing some sort of costume walking around eating, and a couple of other things I tried not to see.

One of the tires has a very slow leak. That's fine.

tuna55 wrote: I recently bought some from Craigslist in one of the weirdest places I have ever been. The tires were fine, although the first set he showed me were dry rotted. When I left, I picked the wrong door. In that room was a heavy smoke smell, a pig wearing some sort of costume walking around eating, and a couple of other things I tried not to see. One of the tires has a very slow leak. That's fine.

Not sure if joking...

volvoclearinghouse wrote:

tuna55 wrote: I recently bought some from Craigslist in one of the weirdest places I have ever been. The tires were fine, although the first set he showed me were dry rotted. When I left, I picked the wrong door. In that room was a heavy smoke smell, a pig wearing some sort of costume walking around eating, and a couple of other things I tried not to see. One of the tires has a very slow leak. That's fine.

Not sure if joking...

Not at all. It was a very weird place.

It was at the end of the weirdest industrial park I have seen, and the building was unmarked. I contacted the dude to find out which door to walk through.

Inside the door was a pretty big warehouse full of stacks of tires. Nothing else. No equipment, no machines, no desks... just tires.

I said "Hello!?" and five heads popped up from various locations around the warehouse. Apparently the Craigslist guy also heard me and wandered over.

He had two tires laying out which I didn't like. I followed him through the maze made by the tire stacks to some other tires which were the same size, but a different brand than the first. There was no clear organization to it except one pile had a cardboard piece sitting in the front that said "20".

I paid cash, walked out with my tires, and went to the wrong door. There was another door labelled "Al's office" which was the bathroom.

The second door was the lounge with the pig in it.

The third door was the exit. I went past five guys apparently returning from lunch and drove away feeling a bit odd.

Weirdest.financial.transaction.ever.

I second Craigslist takeoffs. My '05 Scion xB sports a set of MINI Cooper 6-spoke 15's with Pirellis. I paid $150 for the set.

I never buy new tires. Like others have already stated check your local CL/Kijiji and look at the date codes before any money changes hands. I've had good luck with used batteries too. Same rules apply.

On the contrary, I've never found decent used tires that were cheap enough to be worth NOT buying new.

In reply to Duke:

Mine we right at half price all-in.

In reply to tuna55:

Dude...you could write a book. That's the funniest thing I've read today. The pig totally made it. Was this in Berea, by any chance? It totally sounds like Berea.

I amend my caution recommendation to checking the date codes AND you hootus if you go to the place Tuna did.

The Malibu has been on used/cheap tires for some time. My current snows are a set of Firestone Winterforces I got off Craigslist for $25 and my summer tires i got from a used tire guy in Washington Heights that were new cosmetically challenged Douglas tires I paid $35 each mounted. When you're not sure how much longer a car may live there is no point in buying pricey tires.

Then, too, check Walmart- occasionally they do some pretty good deals. I got a set of Hankook 195/70R14's for a 300TD over Christmas for $49 each- which included mounting and balancing. 4 new tires for a tick under $200 + tax- can't beat that.

Appleseed wrote: I amend my caution recommendation to checking the date codes AND you hootus if you go to the place Tuna did.

Hootus intact!!

volvoclearinghouse wrote: In reply to tuna55: Dude...you could write a book. That's the funniest thing I've read today. The pig totally made it. Was this in Berea, by any chance? It totally sounds like Berea.

Not Berea, although it was a bit out in the sticks