Where do you source parts for your car?

[thedudejudo]

I recently got my hands on a 1985 Renault 5 (some sort of sport version, I’m not sure). It was an impulse buy at the advice of a very good friend who is knowledgeable when it comes to older model cars. I initially thought about giving it to my wife, but then grew fond of it and decided to keep it to myself. It’s a small card with plenty of power and I’ve grown to like it.

However, my first service is coming up and I’ve noticed that I couldn’t get the parts for it at my usual garages or parts shops. I knew this might happen because of the car’s age, but it didn't seem like that big of a deal when I was debating whether or not to get it. I now realize I should have researched things more thoroughly, so I wanted to ask for advice here.

As you’ve undoubtedly guessed by now, I’m not a petrolhead so I’m unsure of where I can get a hold of quality parts for it. I’m also coming up on 65 years of age, so I can’t really travel too far to get everything I need. The internet remains an uncertain method for ordering parts because of aforementioned reasons. In fact, the only thing that I’ve got going for me is a significant budget thanks to my mathematics background.

How do you go about sourcing parts? Do you recommend finding a garage that would take care of maintenance for me or continuing to struggle with the parts by hand? To that point, if anyone has a reputable mechanic or garage in the Brighton area, I’d love to hear from you. Thank you, Alan