Buying parts for your vehicle can be expensive, but you do have at least one option that can save you some big bucks. Used parts can cost a fraction of what new parts do and you can find them at a vehicle salvage yard.

A salvage yard is the place where many vehicles end up after they have been totaled out in an accident. It’s hard to imagine that a totaled out vehicle would be valuable to anybody, but a salvage yard can turn that crash into cash.

Even though a crashed vehicle might be heavily damaged in one area, there are usually a lot of parts that were completely undamaged in the accident. All of those undamaged parts will be removed from the vehicle at the salvage yard, bar coded and put into inventory.

The parts of the vehicle that are not put into inventory by the salvage yard are sent to be recycled for their raw materials.

Parts that are available at salvage yards include large assemblies such as front clips, aluminum and steel wheels for just about every type of vehicle, parts of the driveline such as engines and transmissions, all kinds of lighting from headlights to taillights, doors, fenders and other sheet metal, and on and on and on.

Just about any part you need can be found at a salvage yard. By the way, salvage yards should not be confused with junk yards from the old days. They are big business.

Their staff uses computer systems to inventory and manage not only their own parts, but also parts from other salvage yards across the country. And don’t think that you have to be a mechanic to be able to buy parts from a salvage yard. They are open to the public as well, so give them a shot!

You can find used parts online and try to find a great deal, but the downside is that if there is a problem with the part once you get it, you have to mess with trying to ship it back and get a refund. But in most cases, online used part purchases are a legitimate option.

If you have an older vehicle, sometimes the higher tech salvage yards won’t stock the part that you need. But there are some salvage yards out there with older parts and they sometimes require you to go in the lot and take it off yourself. These types of yards might not be as high tech, but they can be a source for older parts if you’re willing to get your hands a little dirty.