Moving Practicalities Regarding Cars and Furniture

[QofQuimica]

I'm about to embark upon yet another cross-country move in a month and am mulling over two issues, neither of which was a problem for me the last two times.

First, dealing with my car. When I left FL for med school, I sold my pickup with the intention of buying a new car for med school. I never did buy that car, and when I moved again for residency, I bought a car after I had already moved. I want to keep this car and bring it back to FL with me. However, I have three days to get down to FL after working my last week here, which, of course, is on nights. (Thank you, scheduling chief 🙄) I am going to therefore need a day at the end to sleep and recover to get back to the day schedule, leaving me only two traveling days. So what I am thinking I'll do is fly down to FL, and have the car transported on a flatbed. I can have some flexibility with not having the car immediately after arriving in FL. What I'm wanting to know is, have any of you ever transported a car like that? Can I pack the car up with things I want to keep? Any thoughts or suggestions regarding getting this set up?

Second, dealing with my furniture. I brought it with me from FL to med school and med school to residency. It's now ~ten years old, was used when I got it, and doesn't owe me a thing at this point. I also don't want to pay to ship it back to FL and then have to store it for a month or two until I get an apartment. So do I donate it and get nothing financially for it (would maybe be a bit of a tax deduction for my sister, since I just take the standard deduction), or do I go through the trouble and hassle of trying to sell it? I'm leaning toward the latter even though it probably isn't the best financial deal, mainly because I just can't stomach trying to deal with garage sales and Craig's list at the same time that I'm working full time as a resident and trying to pack up the stuff I want to keep. But if anyone has any other thoughts on how I could dispose of my furniture in a way that would provide me with a little cash and not tons of hassle, I'm very open to suggestions.

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[Ryank327]

I've shipped cars from PA to CA, CA to HI and HI to MD. None of the companies allowed anything in the car and required it to be clean and free of any loose items. To give you an idea on cost the PA to CA cost a grand. Pretty much anything that crosses most of the country either east to west or north to south will be around a grand if not more.

As for the furniture, put it on Craig's list super cheap. If your area has an active Craig's list you should be able to sell most of it within 24-48 hours.

 

[DrMidlife]

What I'm wanting to know is, have any of you ever transported a car like that?

I have 4-5 classmates who used a transport service to get their west coast car to the east coast, and I seriously considered it before I did the drive.

Can I pack the car up with things I want to keep?

No, because of inspection requirements. Generally the shipping companies won't take responsibility for the unpacking and repacking of your car that can be required on state lines.

Any thoughts or suggestions regarding getting this set up?

You'll find plenty of companies who are willing to do the job, such as on uship, but look for the reviews. Typical complaints, even with the larger more reputable companies, are about schedule, where you're told it'll be 10 days and it ends up being 3 months, and damage from having your uncovered car on a trailer for a long time. What the consumer is thinking is that the truck drives directly from point A to point B, but that's not what happens - the truck driver can only make a living by filling his trailer, which means your car might go all over the country before it gets to you. (I met one of these drivers once - a high school dropout with a true gift for graph theory.)

But if anyone has any other thoughts on how I could dispose of my furniture in a way that would provide me with a little cash and not tons of hassle, I'm very open to suggestions.

The hassle of being available for potential buyers to not show up reliably and then want to haggle on price is never worth it to me. You might want to look at the pod services for what you want to keep.

Moving blows. I'm surprised it's been so long since this got discussed here. Best of luck!

 

[QofQuimica]

Thanks, helpful to know that I can't pack the car up. Would have been nice.

The issue with Craig's list is less the expense of it and more the time and hassle of it. I'll still be working full time as a resident and don't have a ton of time to hang out showing stuff to people. Even if I did, I don't want to use my time hanging out showing stuff to people.

Ryan, any car shipping company in particular that you recommend? Fortunately my move will not require transportation to or from HI.

Agree that moving blows. That's why I don't want to bring most of my furniture, esp because it isn't super nice or expensive anyway. And my family is giving me some more used items when I get back to FL, so fortunately I won't have to buy a ton of stuff on that end.

 

[Nasrudin]

I used DAS auto shipping for multiple east-west cross country moves with success. But it was on major routes--metro-to-metro. It occurs to me that DrML's comments might be more true the farther off major routes you are. Like any shipping process except perhaps with some exaggeration of effect due to it being cars.

Q, with your time frame I don't think maximizing value is possible. Were I you I'd post something at work where you trust the people coming to your house and shake down your items to essentials before your 2-3 day bolt of a move.

You might live spartan for a minute. good luck.

 

[ejw5075]

http://www.amtrak.com/auto-train

A bunch of my classmates used this option when moving from the NE to FL for med school.

 

[Quik]

Moving does blow. In fact, I just wrapped up a 13 hr school day, and am now eating a quick bite before I pack up my house and transport it tomorrow to the new place. Luckily it's only 3/4 of a mile away...

As for your issues, I'm not certain you have a good option out of the car transport, other than driving it yourself. Where are you leaving from, anyway?

For your furniture, I wouldn't wish a craigslist sale of used furniture on anyone but the buyer. While convenient for the buy side, CL is a giant PITA for the seller. If you have a tax obligation, I'd be sending it to the GW and writing off a donation at the end of the year. No, it doesn't bring you instant cash, but it does bring you instant gratification of getting rid of it and not dealing with the hassle. Maybe sell whatever is likely to bring enough cash to make it worth it? On second glance, Nasruden had a good suggestion. Donate/write off whatever doesn't go?

Good luck!

 

[Plecopotamus]

I'm about to embark upon yet another cross-country move in a month and am mulling over two issues, neither of which was a problem for me the last two times.

First, dealing with my car. When I left FL for med school, I sold my pickup with the intention of buying a new car for med school. I never did buy that car, and when I moved again for residency, I bought a car after I had already moved. I want to keep this car and bring it back to FL with me. However, I have three days to get down to FL after working my last week here, which, of course, is on nights. (Thank you, scheduling chief 🙄) I am going to therefore need a day at the end to sleep and recover to get back to the day schedule, leaving me only two traveling days. So what I am thinking I'll do is fly down to FL, and have the car transported on a flatbed. I can have some flexibility with not having the car immediately after arriving in FL. What I'm wanting to know is, have any of you ever transported a car like that? Can I pack the car up with things I want to keep? Any thoughts or suggestions regarding getting this set up?

Second, dealing with my furniture. I brought it with me from FL to med school and med school to residency. It's now ~ten years old, was used when I got it, and doesn't owe me a thing at this point. I also don't want to pay to ship it back to FL and then have to store it for a month or two until I get an apartment. So do I donate it and get nothing financially for it (would maybe be a bit of a tax deduction for my sister, since I just take the standard deduction), or do I go through the trouble and hassle of trying to sell it? I'm leaning toward the latter even though it probably isn't the best financial deal, mainly because I just can't stomach trying to deal with garage sales and Craig's list at the same time that I'm working full time as a resident and trying to pack up the stuff I want to keep. But if anyone has any other thoughts on how I could dispose of my furniture in a way that would provide me with a little cash and not tons of hassle, I'm very open to suggestions.

what state are you in now?

 

[cabinbuilder]

I had my car shipped from Alaska to PA in 2001. Has to be empty.

You can take your furniture to good will. They will give you a slip of paper with value on it for your tax accountant. That is probably the easiest.

You can always just put your stuff in a PODS and have them transport the container to you (be sure they go to where you are moving) I had a problem with them in Colorado, wouldn't deliver my container to my house. Had to rent truck and unload my POD onto the truck and drive to my house myself. That sucked.

Or you can put your stuff and car in a storage unit and come retrieve it later when you aren't as rushed.

 

[katiemaude]

I hear you, Q. I am looking at some of these issues myself, moving from the northeast to FL.

Unless you think you can get $500+ for your furniture, forget the hassle of selling it on Craigslist. It is most useful for selling big furniture (or even giving it away) because someone comes and takes your heavy things for you, so you are trading one hassle for another. It's not worth it at all for small stuff. Yard sales are great if you live in an area conducive to one. One evening of sorting + one morning of selling and the rest goes to Goodwill.

 

[abn632]

Furniture: since making money off of the furniture isn't that big of a deal, do a one-day garage sale (advertised on Craigslist). Have a friend/your sister run it for you and she gets to keep a percentage of the money. Whatever doesn't sell gets donated to Goodwill for the tax deduction.

The car: I have a buddy who is chronically unemployed and has a lot of free time on his hands. If you have a similar kind of friend, you can have her drive it to FL for you and you pay for the gas, food, plus an airline ticket back home. I'd only do this if it was cheaper than shipping it. Plus, when you get to FL, your friend is there to help you unpack, find a place to live and keep you from being lonely in your new place.

P.S. If you're an adcom, I'll buy all of your furniture and drive your car for free 🙂

 

[Crow T. Robot]

If you have a house (or the like), I had a friend pack up all the items they planned on keeping and stored them at their family's house, then advertised an "estate-like" sale for one day. They sold everything directly out of the house and scheduled the Salvation Army to come pick up the leftovers the next day. Saved them the hassle of craigslist or a yard sale, as they didn't price anything- they let their family members verbally state prices and help them sell all the stuff. He seemed pretty happy with it.

 

[ummasiya]

You could try a consignment shop.

 

[Goro]

This is very common. Just make sure your insurance is up to snuff.

What I'm wanting to know is, have any of you ever transported a car like that? Can I pack the car up with things I want to keep? Any thoughts or suggestions regarding getting this set up?

You could post pics of your stuff at your worksite with a price list, and see if anyone bites? A computer desk for 5-10 bucks should get some nibbles. Otherwise, life is short, so donate it all and start afresh. Good luck! (and send me some good pre-meds).

Second, dealing with my furniture. I brought it with me from FL to med school and med school to residency. It's now ~ten years old, was used when I got it, and doesn't owe me a thing at this point. I also don't want to pay to ship it back to FL and then have to store it for a month or two until I get an apartment. So do I donate it and get nothing financially for it (would maybe be a bit of a tax deduction for my sister, since I just take the standard deduction), or do I go through the trouble and hassle of trying to sell it? I'm leaning toward the latter even though it probably isn't the best financial deal, mainly because I just can't stomach trying to deal with garage sales and Craig's list at the same time that I'm working full time as a resident and trying to pack up the stuff I want to keep. But if anyone has any other thoughts on how I could dispose of my furniture in a way that would provide me with a little cash and not tons of hassle, I'm very open to suggestions.[/QUOTE]

 

[QofQuimica]

Thanks for your help, everyone. I'm going to just donate the furniture and send the car down empty.

P.S. If you're an adcom, I'll buy all of your furniture and drive your car for free 🙂

If I'm a former adcom, will you do it all for half price? I'll give you the furniture if you transport the car.

Good luck! (and send me some good pre-meds).

You do realize that this would be a tremendous conflict of interest since my university has its own med school.

 

[wholeheartedly]

Thanks for your help, everyone. I'm going to just donate the furniture and send the car down empty.


If I'm a former adcom, will you do it all for half price? I'll give you the furniture if you transport the car.


You do realize that this would be a tremendous conflict of interest since my university has its own med school.

If you would have asked me three weeks ago, I would have taken off work and driven your car for you just to escape the damn arctic tundra.