Shipping Cars

[nymbarra]

Hey everyone,

Congrats again on the Match!

I'm moving across the country and would like any advice on shipping a car. Any companies that you would recommend?

Yes, I've checked out the other similar-themed threads, but none are by EM folks, the best movers n' shakers out there!

Thanks.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[EM2BE]

Sorry, I'm just driving mine. And stuffing it. Girls can really pack. Packed up the bf's car last year. After he unloaded it for a month and had to load it back up, it took 2 car fulls to get it to the next destination (none of my help that time).

 

[Winged Scapula]

I can't recommend any reliable companies but wasn't sure if you knew it generally costs around $1000 to ship across country.

Cheaper to drive, even with the current price of gas and you can take more stuff with you (they often will not allow you to pack the car, or they won't insure the contents if they do).

Looked into this last year...decided the money wasn't worth it for my old car, so bought a new one and drove it across the states.

 

[wadoc]

I used Prostar and was very happy (shipmycar.com). It was about 900 bucks though.

 

[GeneralVeers]

When I shipped mine from Indy to L.A. it cost about $875. I used a local company and had great service. The "national" companies tend to be much slower, usually won't guarantee a pick-up or drop-off time.

 

[awdc]

I've used DAS twice since 2005. Once from L.A. to Miami. Another time from NYC to L.A. No problems, very professional, prices were very reasonable. I wouldn't hesitate to use their services again.

 

[DrQuinn]

My cousin shipped a car from DC to CA, I think it was ~ 800. My parents shipped their car from DC to Tampa nad it was about 400, on the auto train, not sure if that includes your ticket or not.

Q

 

[docB]

I shipped a car from Philly to CA and it went well. Was about a grand like everyone says.

Are you shipping your car because your driving a UHaul? If so you can rent a car hauling trolly for <$200 and tow the car behind the UHaul.

 

[ferreed]

If you've got a little time to go get quotes you might want to post an ad on uship.com. It's sort of like eBay for freight companies-- you post what you need to ship, what your origin is, and where you want it to go and the freight companies will then bid for your business. There are some fly-by-night operations on there, but there are also some nice, reputable companies just looking to fill one last space on their car-hauler. I've not used them to ship a car, but I have used them to ship palletized lab instruments and test equipment. On those shipments, I was able to bring down our shipping costs between 30 and 50%.

 

[tv12345]

After shipping mine, I would NEVER do it again. It cost me $700 to ship from CA to OH. I used AFT Logistics. That was the first time ever that I shipped my car. When you ship, try to find out if the company themselves are shipping it, or if they are a mediator. I did not know all these things until I went through it. Turns out AFT Logistics is a "broker", and they contracted EMPIRE Transport in the Inland Empire to ship my car. The guy that came and picked up the car was really nice. The guy that dropped off the car kept changing dates and was quite a thug. He would hang up on me prematurely when I called to ask when he was coming, and usually drivers know ahead in advance where they are dropping off, and should have a GPS of some sort, and know not to turn down streets with trees...

Welll...this thug called me like 10x the morning of delivery, asked me how to get to my place (and I had just moved, so how am I supposed to know??!!)....then drove his whole rig of cars up my street (which had a bunch of trees), then blamed me for all the scratches on all the cars, and states that "my trees" caused the damage.

IF this happens to you, DO NOT PAY OR SIGN the form until you come to a compromise on compensation. I was dumb and a greenhorn at this, and went ahead and signed the form and paid cash before he unloaded the car, and when i asked about the scratches, he stated it was not his problem!! I tried to stop him from leaving, and called the cops, but by the time they arrived, he had already taken off. Turns out that all the other customers got some sort of compensation for the tree scratches.

AND...all the online companies tell you that they insure for whatever amount...I brought this back to AFT Logistics, and they stated that since my total damage was < $1000, I would have to go directly to Empire to make claims...so I called , and called....no phone calls returned.....tried to call my insurance company, but they stated that if damages were <$500, they would not cover, and if company would not pay them, I would end up covering costs myself....

To make a long story short...NO WAY AM I EVER SHIPPING MY CAR AGAIN!! If you do, go look for a local company (do not go through broker).

Just my 2 cents worth...I also have a classmate that shipped her car, and she stated she would NEVER do it ever again either. I guess the more money you are willing to pay, the better the service.

 

[xaelia]

I had a fine experience shipping my car from OH to CA. Everything was picked up on time, delivered early, even. That said, it was definitely all how professional and helpful the driver is, not so much one particular company. If you can't afford to take the time to drive cross-country, stay in hotels, pay for gas, etc. it's not a bad plan to ship. I'll be doing it again this time from CA to NC because I have to work right up 'til my start date.

 

[awdc]

The two times I've shipped my car, I've had no problems. Cost coast-to-coast was definitely under $800 both times (I opted to drop-off and pick-up my car at one of their terminals instead of the door-to-door service). Although I wouldn't be surprised if costs have gone up since 4/07 when I last had my car shipped considering gasoline prices these days. Service and phone calls were always professional.

 

[nymbarra]

Thanks for the replies, guys...

I thought about driving but it's basically about $800 for gas, food, and lodging for about 10 hrs on the road a day. My gf is moving out with me and we thought about shipping one and driving the other, but it amounts to the same total cost. The cheapest thing would be to drive both cars, but the thought of a car caravan over 2000 miles doesn't excite me.

And that's not even factoring in the 3-5 days of very precious pre-internship time lost to the drive...I would rather be on a beach somewhere.

From the quotes I've been getting as well as from this thread, it seems that the prices range from 800-1000. Companies will also give a discount if you happen to ship more than one car, but you have to ask. Cheapest I've heard for two is 1400.

TV12345, I'm sorry about your horrible experience. Definitely will take your advice on making sure they're not middlemen or brokers, but the actual shipping company.

I like the driving w/ a uHaul trailer idea...but we might also just ship our stuff through a PODS or another freight company.

I'm intrigued by uship, will place an ad to see what bids come back.

Cheers! (why isn't there a beer emoticon?)

 

[Winged Scapula]

You could always drive one, and tow the other behind (or rent a dolly, putting the car on that and towing it).

 

[misery]

Don't know where your heading to or from. But I used auto train one time, and it was really cool. May not work logistically with moving. But its nice if you need it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_Train

 

[EMIMG]

When you factor in pricing for driving you need to not only consider gas and tolls, but also the mileage it depreciates the care. THe IRS allows over 50 cents a mile to deduct for travel. So, if it is 2000 miles driving, it is actually 1000 dollars. Yes, your car may get 25 miles a gallon so that means 80 gallons and at over 3 dollars a gallon, it is over 240 dollars, but then there is the oil change you will need, the wear on the breaks, etc. So, it is a lot more than the tolls and gas.

 

[nymbarra]

I ended up shipping two cars from Los Angeles to Atlanta using DAS.

It was terminal-to-terminal, and I waived their insurance since Geico covered it.

They assign you a moving specialist who communicates with you pretty reliably via email. Every DAS employee I interacted with was friendly and professional.

Each trailer has GPS, so you can track your car online via their website.

One car got there in 4 days! Didn't have to pay any storage costs for the ten days it sat there because it was unanticipated and it sat in a DAS terminal.

For some reason or another, the other car did not ship out for two weeks, but got there within a week after it shipped...so total 3 weeks for that one.

Total price for both was $1230...and that included a free car wash so you pick up a shiny car on the other end.

 

[ferreed]

Total price for both was $1230...and that included a free car wash so you pick up a shiny car on the other end.

Wow! I'd say you did great.