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Automobile Parts, Accessories, and Tools |
JC
Whitney carries the largest online selection of
parts and accessories for cars, trucks, motorcycles,
Jeeps, sport compacts, SUVs, RVs and  more. They are the oldest auto parts and accessories company in the
US. JC Whitney was the founder of the
aftermarket parts industry, starting about the same
time as the Model T. Since 1934, they have been the
undisputed industry leader in catalog sales of parts
for cars and trucks and now, 70 years later, they are
still one of the industry leaders, but now in online
sales. They have a huge selection of auto parts,
accessories, upgrades,  and custom parts for vehicles
from every era. The website is well organized,
which is good considering the number of items.
Oddly, though, their website sometimes has problems
with the vehicle choice feature which is a shame since
they offer so many custom-fit items. Some days
you may be able to not view a single part for a 2002
Honda Accord, but you can view the thousand results
for a 1928 Model A Ford! Many lines of parts
start 3 or 4 years ago and you may be able to find
only parts for a vehicle whenit is 2002 or
earlier. Other than these quirks, pricing and
availability are excellent and shipping is reasonably
priced for auto parts, with rates from $7 to $29
standard 7 day, based on the cost of the order, with
upgrades to FedEx available. |
Northern Tool & Equipment is a leading discount tool merchant for all types of tools including agricultural, mechanic, lawn and garden, hand tools, power tools, towing equipment, and even carries a line  of heavy equipment including NorTrac tractors, backhoes, front end loaders, and a bulldozer! They sometimes run free shipping promotions with a minimum purchase. Northern Tool carries hundreds of power tools bymanufacturers like Dewalt, Milwaukee, Panasonic, Makita, and the Northern Industrial discount line, among others and also an extensive array of hand tools. With such a huge selecion, it  would be nice if they allowed to select to display a large number of items per page when displaying product categories, but the thumbnail pictures they use in category displays are large and detailed, so this might add significantly to the page loading time if they did. But the yellow navigation bar is detailed and helpful and the search function works fine. Although the prices are good at Northern Tool, shipping times can be slow since many of the products ship from the manufacturer, which often means one to two week lead times to receive an item. |
4-Wheel Drive, also known as Jeep Parts,  stocks all types of parts plus soft and hard tops, and accessories for four wheel drive vehicles, primarily Jeeps. They  have been in business about 30 years, and have a large inventory, especially of the high ticket accessories such as soft tops and winches. They carry the entire line of Pro Comp Tires for a decent price. Shipping is reasonable even on large and heavy items. Website design is good to excellent, with a good search function and navigation menus. |
Just about everyone who has a TV has seen at least a part of a Little Giant Ladder infomercial. Despite this Ronco-type  advertising that gives products a bad name in some people's minds, the Little Giant pro grade ladders are actually well-made pieces of equipment suitable for professional use. Although there are other folding ladders, this is one of the lightest heavyduty ladders for the money. Although one might not realize it, Little Giant carries a large selection of ladders, most of them the multi-ladder  type, including type 1, 1A, and 1AA models, plus safety step and "skyscraper" units. They now make two models in fiberglass, too. Little Giant ladders tend to be on the expensive side, at least somewhat due to their marketing cost (it costs a lot to buy so many informercials!), but keep in mind that FedEx shipping is generally included free with the purchase and they will often throw in a free accessory with some models. Website design is fine with a good search engine, although since they carry so few products, it is really not necessary. |
Auto
Barn sells car, truck, and SUV parts and accessories.
Original  equipment quality parts aresold at an
excellent discount of around 30 to 50% off list.
Chilton and Haynes repair manuals are even
discounted. Website design is very good, with a
very easy to use vehicle selector guide. 
Although they specialize in import regular and
performance parts, they carry parts for all major
manufacturers as well as after market items such as the complete line of WeatherTech cargo liners, cargo mats, floor liners, floor mats, pet barriers, and Weatherflectors (wind deflectors which sit inside the window tract instead of glued on the outside), all highly regarded.They also stock a small  selection of mobile sound and video equipment at good prices. Auto Barn provides high resolution pictures for most items, an excellent feature for these types of products, but which can lead to slightly slower loading speeds for web pages on their site.
Shipping costs are very good (as littlr as $5 to $7) and based on
the cost of the order with free shipping on orders
over $150. The Search function is the color bar "words found together" type, a mediocre one. |
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