I need to replace a front fender on my '96, and I'm going to start with wrecking yards. Are all 4th gen fenders interchangeable, or do I have to get the same year?

 

I believe all 4th gens use the same fender. I also believe they have different bumpers in case you need that too

 

its all the same....

 

You're better off with a new aftermarket part. ~$60 bucks.

 

^^^^ I was thinking about aftermarket, but I thought it would be expensive to have painted (at least one place wanted $150 for that), plus I thought the paint on a wrecked replacement would match mine better (because of fading). Can I get a reasonable paint match with new paint for a decent price?

 

that estimate most likely included matching. If you get a new bumper and paint it, it will look out of place for a month or so, since it is all polished and shiny. after that, you wont even notice, i had my entire rear-end and left-side repaired and repainted, after a few month you could barely tell. (of course depends on climate and your ability to take care of the paint job)

 

^^^thats a good price for paint matching, but remember its not going to match to the tee. color would either be off (tone wise) and/or shinier than the rest of the car. if you want the paint to match i'll would go with your theory of faded color matching fenders from the junkyard