Parts for foreign cars: where to buy?

In the first months, sometimes even years, after buying a foreign car, its happy owner rarely gives much thought to the fact that sooner or later they'll need to change parts. That's when the natural question comes up: where's the best place to get parts for a foreign car? This problem is especially pressing in cities like Saint Petersburg and Moscow, where the number of owners of pricey foreign cars is much higher than in other Russian cities. So, if you're planning to buy parts for a foreign car, Saint Petersburg or Moscow can offer you the following options:

A car-parts market. It's no secret that a car-parts market doesn't promise the highest quality of goods. It's hardly worth the risk of buying parts for an expensive car at a market for the sake of a slightly lower price. A car-parts shop can offer better-quality parts for your car. But here you run into the problem of tracking down exactly the part you need.

At a salvage yard you can find the parts you need, but most of them have already been in use, which makes them a less-than-ideal alternative to the part you're planning to replace. What's more, if the part is rare, its price at a salvage yard will end up close to the price of a new one. An official dealer is probably the best option overall: the right part, reliability, a quality guarantee — all of that is covered. But there's a catch here too: if the part you need isn't in stock at the dealer's warehouse, you'll have to order it. And since official dealers work directly with the manufacturer, the wait can be quite long.

An alternative to all of the above can be an online shop offering a wide selection of car parts for your foreign car. It seems convenient enough: the parts are listed on the site's pages, you can order without leaving home, and prices are usually lower than in brick-and-mortar shops. But this route comes with plenty of problems of its own: how can you be sure you'll actually get your part after paying? That it will fully match the description?

Whatever you decide, the choice of where to buy the parts you need is up to you. But before you head out to make a purchase, it makes sense to check the information on several online shops' sites first. That way you can find out about pricing, warranty periods, quality, buyer reviews and other questions that matter to you, which will help you choose a seller.