Best places to buy parts in Portland area
 

My experience is this:

Used parts - Tony's Ford and Portland Auto Wrecking. No other junk yard seems to have much for Ford tucks and vans and if they do the part is so trashed it is useless. I do almost all my junkyard hunting at those 2 places. And then there are swap meats. I have never been to one, but people I talk to say that there are some good finds and that it is a hit and miss kind of thing. Sometimes you find what you want and sometimes you don't.

New parts - Baxter Auto Parts and NAPA. Some NAPAs are better than others and some Baxters are better than others. It all depends on who works there, how knowledgable they are and how many girls work there. Now I am not sexist, but chicks just don't do well in parts stores. Places to stay away from: Thrifty, Schucks, Knechts and GI Joes. These places suck if you ask me. Do not buy things like reman starters and alternators and sensors from parts stores. Only buy new aftermarket stuff.

Some specialized places that are good to deal with: Benz Spring for leaf springs, Pro Steering for steering gears and pumps, Transmission Exchange for transmission stuff, Bearing Service Company for engine rebuilding and machining and JS Alternators for alternators and starters. I am sure there are other good specialized places out there, but I have not dealt with them. Stay away from American West Chrome, American Metal Products, Star Oil and Start-Mart. These places are a joke. I have plenty of stories to tell about each of them.

Aftermarket stores have their place as do junk yards, but there are times where the dealer is a must and when thats the case Northside Ford is the place to go. They have the best prices, the best hours and the best staff. Their prices are flexible, they have a swing shift and their parts guys know what they are doing. Places like Gresham Ford, Landmark Ford, Sandy Ford and many others bend you over and stick it to you hard. They want FULL MSRP for EVERYTHING. Northside is not that way.

I would like input from other people in the area as far as where to go, where not to go, any horror stories about certain places or maybe good reviews of certain places etc.

Great list! This is good info to know. I have one to add.

Oregon Spring is another good specialized shop. I bought new u-bolts for my lift there, and I paid half as much as NAPA was trying to charge me. Plus, they were brand new bolts custom made for me. Speaking of NAPA, I live in Salem, and I will never go to the NAPA on Commercial ever again. The parts are fine, but they charge way too much, and they have horrible customer service.