Auto parts stores depend heavily on refurbishing cores. Only the most damaged units go to scrap. You will lose a ton of money trying to buy a 15 year supply of

Auto parts stores depend heavily on refurbishing cores. Only the most damaged units go to scrap. You will lose a ton of money trying to buy a 15 year supply of starters and keeping them in a warehouse for 20 years (remember your sales only start once a car is out of warranty/production). Car parts tend to fail in waves, so all the water pumps from 2012 Volkswagens are going to start coming in - and getting remanufactured - around the same time people are looking for them. You just buy a few from the OEM to bootstrap.