Thanks Cres (HKPRO5) for the info. It's greatly appreciated, mate!
And as far as hardware goes, it depends on the situation for the hardware. In this case, I need suspension bolts/nuts. One for the front and one for the rear. Yes, they are epxensive (~$8 for a bolt!) but it's worth the piece of mind knowing I won't need to make an extra run to HomeDepot/Lowes if I get the wrong size. Ordering the bolts from OnlineMazdaParts with the Mazda part number is nice because there is no guess work. And I don't monkey around when it comes to the important bits and pieces like suspension. Or my tranny bolts to mate the block. Those buggers were $2.74 a piece x7. But I knew they were going to fit and work right.
My work has an account with McMaster-Carr so I usually order hardware from them then give my boss the cash for it. Score.