What is the most inexpensive way to ship a car without driving it?

[frog1]

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Hi:

I am relocating from south to the northeast for my residency. The only thing I want to keep is my car, however the 1800-mile distance is too much for me to drive alone.

What is the most inexpensive way to ship my car?

Thanks for your input.

 

[DrBowtie]

Hi:

I am relocating from south to the northeast for my residency. The only thing I want to keep is my car, however the 1800-mile distance is too much for me to drive alone.

What is the most inexpensive way to ship my car?

Thanks for your input.

Space the trip out over like 2-3 days. Make fun stops.
Sorry I can't recommend a shipper.

 

[highball]

There are three that are used most often. Check out movingscam.com

DAS, TNT, Coast to Coast. Sounds like Coast to Coast has the best reviews lately, but they don't hit the entire US. I am using Coast to Coast from Texas to Seattle in June. I'll post back with my impression.

 

[EctopicFetus]

I was thinking of shipping the fetus mobile (non-suv) from chicago to tucson about 2000 miles and got a ton of quotes. Most were around $800 Another site for reviews... http://www.transportreviews.com/

Important things to ask about
1) how often is the car loaded and unloaded.
2) Should be door to door service
3) No gas surcharges or any other BS the quotes should be all inclusive
4) How long will it take I got anywhere from 4 days to 10 days

The two that seemed most competent to me were

a2zreliabletransport.com

Wheelershipping.com

Keep in mind that I did NOT ship my car and it looks like me and mrs fetus will be taking a long slow drive out west. Also, most of these guys are just contractors who then subcontract so your car goes the same way no matter what. Cost si the biggest concern. Best of luck to you!..

 

[skypilot]

I think there are services that will drive your car for you.

What I would do is leave at 4 am with a friend and do the whole trip in two days. Then buy a plane ticket for your friend to fly back.

 

[Lizard1]

i used intercity couple of years ago to ship a couple of cars up to atlanta from houston. very dependable and professional but pricey. worth it though - covered trailer and they do not drive your car, it's loaded via pulley, ramp etc

 

[Blade28]

I think I used AAA (not affiliated with the insurance company). Cost around $900 to go from coast to coast.

 

[cchoukal]

I agree with skypilot. Take a couple days, bring a date, fly him/her home. WAY more fun and probably cheaper. You'll never forget a great road trip.

 

[surg]

I used DAS to get a car cross country. I think it was about $800 or so.
If you think about it though: 1800 mi/20-30mpg = 60-90 gallons of gas at >$3/gal that's already $180-300, add in 1 night of hotel (assuming that you can do 900 mi/day!), and food and you can easily get your bill up to about $450 for the cheapest to have someone drive it. More if they can't do 15 hr/day of driving!

I remember in college, that some students would occasionally drive cars to FL to NY or MI and back for the snow birds for money. Have you considered checking with the local college or either someone that would be willing to share a ride or drive it for you?

 

[NinerNiner999]

If you have a car dealership you can trust (or even know someone who is affiliated with a car dealership) they can help you out sometimes...

 

[fomites]

look online or in the yellow pages. If you're in a major city, you should be able to find a shipping company pretty easily. I paid $500 to have my car shipped cross country. Some companies will let you load up your car too (at your own risk, of course). I stuffed lots of books, clothes, furniture in my car. My car arrived in 4 days! The trucking company I went with had aggressive drivers who liked to make lots of runs (more trips = more money). Typically it takes about 7-10 days to go coast to coast. Call around and get a few bids. Also, consider driving to a relatively close major city near you and having the car shipped from there....might be less $.

 

[Idiopathic]

I bought a car on ebay and had it shipped with Dependable Auto Shippers. They were just that and it cost ~600 to go about 1200 miles from Jersey to Oklahoma. Took about 10 days, I think, but they had it on the same truck the whole way through.

 

[zambo]

fomites check your PM.

 

[ekydrd]

I think there are services that will drive your car for you.

What I would do is leave at 4 am with a friend and do the whole trip in two days. Then buy a plane ticket for your friend to fly back.

This is basically how I moved my car. I actually had my son drive one car, I drove the other, and the significant other drove the moving truck. I sent my son back home on the bus (hey, that's what he asked me to do... I offered the plane ticket, but he wanted the time away from his dad).

 

[percywilkins]

i think you should stop being such a ***** and drive the damn thing

 

[abcxyz0123]

i think you should stop being such a ***** and drive the damn thing

aaaahahahaha

 

[GoPistons]

i read an article in the nytimes last week about websites where people will drive your car for free if you'll let them use it for some extra time... that way, it's a vacation for them... and you get your car where you need it without paying a dime... sounds like a win-win... the nytimes article had three websites that do this... forgot them tho...

 

[f_w]

i read an article in the nytimes last week about websites where people will drive your car for free if you'll let them use it for some extra time...

LoL just don't be suprised if you enjoy the full peagentry of a 'felony stop' by a random police department afterwards (you know, the show with 3-4 cop cars, and the bullhorn 'walk backwards in the direction of the sound of my voice').

Handing your car to someone 'from the internet' trusting that they will give it back to you at the other end of the country sounds like an all around bad idea. I don't even know where to begin. Potential criminal activity, insurance and liability issues, crappy drivers....

If you don't have what it takes to drive a car for a slightly longer distance (e.g. 18 hours), ship it. But with a bonded insured company. Not with 'Joe&his platform trailer' and please not with a random deadbeat from the internet.

 

[Bobblehead]

One other thing to consider is if you drive yourself, you have the ability to take your most precious possessions with you instead of entrusting them to your movers. You also can bring some start-up materials with you in case your moving truck is delayed. You could take some of the following with you:

laptop
photo albums
financial records
jewelry
musical instruments
plants
CDs/DVDs
basic cooking utensils (think camping supplies)
several basic changes of clothes including work appropriate attire
one lamp (one of the most depressing things has to be sitting in a brand new apartment/house after the sun goes down with no light)

Also keep in mind you'll have continuous use of your car DURING the move. That helps you preserve sanity by deciding to go out to eat at some favorite places the last few nights before your move, visit friends/places to kill time, etc. Also you can immediately upon arrival begin shopping for stuff to outfit your new apartment, get groceries, get household consumables from Target, etc. Just think how annoying it would be if your car were delayed by days to weeks for whatever reason..

 

[frog1]

Hi Fomite: Could you please tell me which company you used? I live in a major city too (Houston) but I have not had any luck finding a company like yours. Thank you.

 

[julestx]

Hi Fomite: Could you please tell me which company you used? I live in a major city too (Houston) but I have not had any luck finding a company like yours. Thank you.

We are using www.uship.com right now and having a ball checking up on the various bids. Some have been great. You dont have to accept them at all if you dont want to. I would suggest you put in your info there, and sit back and watch for a few days, you'll be amazed. Its by far the cheapest we've found, and you can research the people/companies who place bids to transport your car. Its the 'Ebay' of shipping/moving...