Problem is, I hate it when I have to pull my car apart to fix something, and I hate it even more when the car can't be relied on to start 100% of the time.
I've taken risks with 2nd hand alternators etc in my old car and found it to be an absolute nightmare when they crapped themselves a couple of weeks later and i had to replace them again.
So really, my options are to try and find a second hand one out of a low kms car, or pay $$$ for a brand new/reco'd one (whichever is cheaper).