At Home Mechanic

The Internet is the best thing or the worst thing to happen to shoppers, depending upon your point of view. In a moment of boredom I can turn to my faithful computer and do some shopping online. I can spend my hard earned money as quick as I make it and some months I spend it faster than I can earn it.

Before the Internet, an auto enthusiast was limited to the local auto parts store to get his parts. If the local shop did not have what you wanted, maybe a part could be ordered from a catalog. But today everything the At Home Mechanic could hope for (and a few things you never knew existed) are available online. All it takes is a credit card or a Paypal account and you can start ordering.

But there is a lag, a delay, a wait for your order to arrive. Some online sellers are particularly quick; Summit Racing has a warehouse in Reno, Nevada, which allows quick shipment to the important California market. But some sellers online do not hold any stock inventory so they do not order your part from the manufacturer until you make your purchase online. And some eBay sellers can be as slow as a weekend spent with your in-laws.

And so the wait begins. If you are lucky the seller will give you a tracking number and you can follow the progress of your package online. "It left Evanston Illinois on the 3rd, it reached Denver on the 4th, it made it to Los Angles late on the 6th and it went out on delivery to me on the 7th. Too bad I needed that part on the 3rd."

And sometimes orders are so slow you have forgotten what you ordered. A mysterious package arrives on your doorstep and you have no idea what it could contain. It is like celebrating Christmas in July!

But whenever you parts arrive and whether or not you were expecting them, it is always fun to receive a package with something just for you (and your car) inside.