need feedback on auto parts stores in U.S.

[Buzzman]

Hey folks, Canuck here.

I'm getting ready for a long (six week) trip to Florida from Canada, and plan to shop around and buy some car parts for my 2 vehicles.
Standard stuff like brake parts, spark plugs, etc.
I have no idea where to shop for this stuff. I am not familiar with American auto parts stores or chains.

If a few of you have some ideas where I should shop, that would be great.
The usual criteria of course: quality parts at reasonable prices.

Thanks in advance.

[Kompresshun]

Advance Auto Parts and O'Reilly Auto Parts are the two I use the most. There are others but they're not going to have reasonable prices. Avoid Autozone like the plague if you want quality parts.

Advance Auto Parts also has a lot of online coupons too so you can save some extra money if you plan ahead. You can shop on their website, look for a coupon code on retailmenot.com and then find a local store that has the parts in stock and place the order online to pick them up in store. I've saved a ton of money doing that myself.

[Jesda]

Advance, Oreilly, Schucks/Checker/Kraegen, NAPA, Autozone.

Autozone is prolific but their house brand parts suck.

I'm a fan of OReilly and NAPA. Carquest is fine but they mostly cater to shops.

[Ace2cool]

What Jesda said. NAPA tends to have the most knowledgeable "old car guys" in the business.

[lne937s]

I have typically used O'Reilly, Autozone, etc. ... You may also save some time by looking at the websites for national chains before visiting the stores, as pricing is the same but some parts may be out of stock at specific locations.

If you want to go online, RockAuto is usually less expensive for the same part. Of course, Jegs, Summit Racing, etc., have more specialized performance parts, if that is what you are looking for.

[Buzzman]

Thanks for the help guys.
I'm looking for basic parts as opposed to performance parts.
My Altima needs new brakes for example, so I want to look for rotors, pads etc.
It's also due for new spark plugs, and possibly an IACV and/or a MAF sensor (wandering idle issue).
Cheers.