When it is time to make a big move, you may want to consider whether it makes the most sense to ship your car rather than trying to drive it along with you. The process does take a bit of work but can take a bit off your plate while you work on the move.
There are some reliable and inexpensive ways for you to transport your car, as long as you know how to choose the right company. Rather than trying to bring the car with you and worrying about all those extra miles of wear and tear on the vehicle, take some of the following steps to make sure your car is shipped affordably with ease.
1. Knowing Your Shipping Options
Most car owners are going to have two basic choices when it comes to shipping a car. These can include:
- Terminal to terminal services. With this one, the vehicle is going to arrive and depart from a designated area. It will be consolidated along with other vehicles and then shipped to a terminal close to your new location.
- Door-to-door service. This one does cost a bit more, but it allows someone else to pick up the car from the area you choose. They will then drop it off as close to the new location as possible.
The terminal to terminal services will be less expensive and can still get the car where you need it to be. Just remember that you will have to drive it to the terminal and then go pick it up at the new location.
2. Pick The Carrier Type
The carrier you use will help determine the final cost that you will spend and can determine how much work will go into shipping a car. The two main options to go with are open auto shipping or enclosed auto shipping.
For the lowest cost, you will need to go with open shipping. These just have the cars on a carrier and they are exposed to the elements. It does make it more likely that there will be damage to the car, but the risks are still low and these can be the cheapest and least expensive method to ship the car.
Car owners can also choose to work with enclosed transport. These will carry the car to a new location in a soft or hard carrier. They are not able to carry as many cars at a time so the costs will be considerably higher.
3. Look At The Prices
There are a variety of factors that will come into the pricing for shipping your car. Each shipping company will have its own idea of how much to charge and it can depend on their routes and some of the services that they offer.
Some of the different variables that will determine how much you will pay to ship your car include:
- The weight and the type of car you would like to ship.
- Whether the car is functional or not
- The time of year. You will often find it is less expensive to ship in the winter if you have a choice.
- How far you plan to ship the car
- Whether you use door-to-door shipping or terminal to terminal shipping.
There can be a lot of variances when it comes to how much you will spend on shipping your car. You can look at the online calculators for each shipping company or call them directly to see how much it is going to cost.
One example is to send a functional Ford Fiesta door to door from San Diego, CA to Miami Florida. This could cost about $1000 if you used an open trailer. If you use a more specialized car, it can cost more. To do the same with a BMW 745 and you put it in enclosed transport, the cost will go up to $1500. That is just one example of the cost.
Rates that are charged by the services that you use will also be based on the availability of the truck and whether you are sticking close to their routes or not. Shipping from large cities rather than trying to get it to a small town can help you to save money on the move.
4. Prepare The Car
You should also take the time to prepare your car before you take it to the shipping company. This may include emptying it out of all the items that are inside of the car before you take it in. If you leave a lot of extra items inside of the car and then try to ship it, this can add to the overall weight of the car and will increase the price you pay.
Try not to put too much gas in the car either. Having a little bit to help with transporting is fine, but there is no reason to have a full tank when you drop it off. The car will barely use any of that gas and this can add to the overall cost of the vehicle, adding more money to what you need to pay. Keeping it at a fourth of a tank or less is usually enough.
Make sure that your insurance is up to date ahead of time as well. The auto shipper will need to have insurance, but this may not cover everything about the car. It is best to have your own insurance in place. Walk around the car with the shipping company before they load it up to make sure the car is fine before and after the drive.
5. Finding A Reputable Shipping Company
One of the best things that you can do to make sure that shipping your car is as simple as possible is to find a reputable company to work with in the first place. They understand shipping needs and will work with you to make the process easier and more affordable. Remember when searching for long distance movers on MovingFeedback.com or any other reputable shipping company to always have your details ready to ensure an accurate quote and that there won’t be any last-minute changes or surprises. Add that to following the tips above and you are certain to enjoy a very smooth experience!
