Fed Emission Cat - New Aftermarket vs. Used OEM

Hi all,

I am hopeful the 3rd gen T4R community here can help guide my decision on a catalytic converter replacement.

I have a 2000 SR5 V6 4x4 w/ the federal emissions system. Unfortunately, I was recently a victim of catalytic converter theft.

In my efforts to get my truck fixed, I was able to pinpoint the federal emissions catalytic converter number as "17401-62050". However, much to my dismay - this part has been discontinued. Calls to multiple Toyota parts departments have confirmed this, and also the fact that there is no leftover stock. New OEM cats of this style are essentially non-existent.

So I am left w/ the following decision: a new aftermarket cat or a used oem one.

The reviews on aftermarket have been mixed, but generally trend toward negative. It seems my best bet is the direct-fit Magnaflow version.

I generally am a fan of OEM parts out of principal, and I was able to track one down from a donor car w/ 140k miles. I think given the age of the 3rd gens, this is one of the lower mileage ones I'll be able to find.

All of this leads to my question: Am I any better off purchasing a used OEM cat than I am purchasing a new aftermarket one?

 

First off, welcome to the forum, I would get the used one if the price was right.

 

Thank you for the response & advice. The used OEM one I found is going to be about $800 shipped to my door. Magnaflow is ~$650.

 

At these prices I would choose the Magnaflow, does the Magnaflow have a warranty?

 

I would be weary of the used one. The newest factory used pipe will be from a 2002. Unless proven to have been replaced recently. I would try for the best aftermarket I could find, or an exhaust specialist shop may be able to weld a universal cat in. Either sourced by you or one they have in stock.

 

Thanks all for the feedback.

The Magnaflow was the direction I was leaning from the start, but wanted to get a few opinions.

It does come with a 5 year / 50k mile warranty. But, talking with my local shop, Magnaflow will do anything they can to avoid honoring that. They’ll go as far as requesting a diagnosis and if anything is off (ex. Fuel trims) they will point to that as reason for failure - rather than manufacturing defect.

But in the end, the used OEM is an $800 gamble with no warranty whatsoever, so it probably makes sense to go with a new aftermarket product.