Suggestions on car transport

[pb4uski]

DS is moving to Austin, TX and looking to have his Honda HR-V shipped from New England to Austin. If it saves him some dough we are willing to meet the carrier in Albany, NY or Boston, MA or Hartford, CT.

Does anybody have any recommendations on who to use? Any tips or advice? Any recent experience on cost? Total distance is about 2,000 miles.

He'll be leaving the vehicle with the carrier just before accompanying us on a month long cross country camping trip so time is not of the essence. DD/DSIL will be available for delivery or to pick up in Austin.

It looks like terminal-to-terminal might be less expensive but is out of favor these days compared to door-to-door. We could do either terminal-to-terminal or door-to-door and are look for good value.

 

[marinauser]

We had friends that yearly shipped a car between Billings MT and southern California. If you ship only to a terminal, don't put anything in the car that could entice theives. The one time they did that, the car was broken into at the terminal in California.

 

[Kork13]

If you're interested in saving money on the cross-country move.... Why does he not just drive it himself?

Shipping it 2k miles is likely to cost between $1200-$1500. By contrast, driving it would only cost around $300 in gas. Lodging/food costs of the drive are negligible, since you're already planning to camp along the way. So the only downside of driving it himself is the trouble of driving a second car, and some wear/tear of a long road trip.... He'll just need a tire rotation & oil change sooner than normal.

 

[Car-Guy]

Never use them myself but you might want to check this out from Forbes.


https://www.forbes.com/advisor/home-improvement/best-car-shipping-companies/

 

[38Chevy454]

Open hauler will be less than enclosed. Beware of brokers, they just shop your haul out to lowest bidder and it may end up under several haulers before you receive it. Which one caused potential damage? With price of diesel being high still, I would guess that it will be minimum $1/mile on open trailer, and that will be being flexible. Probably double for enclosed.

It is easier to ship, but lowest cost is just driving yourself. Put in long days and keep the wheels rolling.

 

[Koolau]

Hire a nephew/niece/child of family-friend college-student who needs pizza money to drive it for you $150/day plus cost of gas plus, cheap motel, return airfare. Door to door service - no pick up at terminal.

Alternately, trailer it yourself if you are driving another car.

Good luck.

 

[savory]

MANY years ago, DW and I drove a car from MI to SC. The client purchased it mail order and we drove it there for a location move. We were happy to have free transportation to our new home.

A quick look suggests similar programs are happening for snow birds but not for free. It may offer another approach. A quick look on line at a service like this might be an alternative https://personaldrivingservices.com/long-distance-driving/

 

[SecondAttempt]

Beware of brokers, they just shop your haul out to lowest bidder and it may end up under several haulers before you receive it. Which one caused potential damage?
It is easier to ship, but lowest cost is just driving yourself. Put in long days and keep the wheels rolling.

+1 on brokers. I have shipped numerous cars to and from Hawaii. I always arranged it through the ocean shipping company (Matson or Pasha) because they get better rates and make all the arrangements. Not an option for you of course. But I called quite a few brokers. They are a real nuissance and major liars. There are all kinds of horror stories out there.

An option you might also consider is hiring a college student to drive it. I bet you can get someone to do it for $500 plus expenses. Just check driving record andd verify with your insurance company that this is allowed. I drove a car from Arizona to Boston for a friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend once when I was in college and it was a great opportunity. Try an ad in the local student newspaper.

 

[SecondAttempt]

It looks like terminal-to-terminal might be less expensive but is out of favor these days compared to door-to-door. We could do either terminal-to-terminal or door-to-door and are look for good value.

When I did it, it was door-to-terminal or terminal-to-door but that may be because it was Hawaii. At a terminal they usually give you a short window to pick up or drop off. I had to drop off at terminal going back to mainland only between certain hours and only the day before shipment. Pick had a 3 day window before they start charging a pretty high storage fee. They wer also very picky about fuel tank level and that NOTHING be inside the car that did not come with it from the factory. They also wanted it freshly washed. I think the fuel tank level was because of ocean shipping rules but the rest were for other reasons.

 

[skyking1]

Apples to Oranges, but I just got a quote from Portland OR to Long Island of 1750 at a broker.~3000 miles.

 

[Koolau]

When I did it, it was door-to-terminal or terminal-to-door but that may be because it was Hawaii. At a terminal they usually give you a short window to pick up or drop off. I had to drop off at terminal going back to mainland only between certain hours and only the day before shipment. Pick had a 3 day window before they start charging a pretty high storage fee. They wer also very picky about fuel tank level and that NOTHING be inside the car that did not come with it from the factory. They also wanted it freshly washed. I think the fuel tank level was because of ocean shipping rules but the rest were for other reasons.

Shipping an EV has the advantage of no fuel-level problem. Dear son shipped Tesla 3 both ways, though I don't know what he paid. It was a lot, I'm sure. YMMV

 

[Scuba]

My biggest concern in this situation would be potential damages. While hiring a student is probably cheap, not sure that’s the safest way to get it there. I would either drive it myself or pay a carrier who would take responsibility from soup to nuts. Unfortunately accidents do happen, even with reputable carriers. I remember someone I worked with moved with one of the major companies and the truck was in an accident. My friend’s Porsche was in the truck, along with his personal belongings. The Porsche was totaled in the accident. Fortunately it was fully covered by the carrier. I’ve heard many other less serious stories such as bad scratches that weren’t there before being there upon delivery.

 

[SecondAttempt]

Shipping an EV has the advantage of no fuel-level problem. Dear son shipped Tesla 3 both ways, though I don't know what he paid. It was a lot, I'm sure. YMMV

I think Long Beach to Hilo (i.e. drive myself to LB) would have been about $1200 and Tucson to Hilo was about $1600. So they were charging me $400 to take the car 500 miles from Tucson to Long Beach, so less than $1 per mile. If I had to get a hotel and pay for a flight back to Tucson it probably would have been nearly break even.

The brokers I contacted quoted me about $2200 then told me a bunch of lies including that I had to pay a $250 port inspection fee and that local delivery in Hawaii was required, that port security would not let me pick up at the port. Now, there may have been a port inspection fee but it was included in the Matson quote. The brokers said it was extra. They also told me I had to pay a cleaning fee to have the car washed in Long Beach. Lots of stories online of additional charges added upon delivery.

 

[SecondAttempt]

My biggest concern in this situation would be potential damages. While hiring a student is probably cheap, not sure that’s the safest way to get it there. I would either drive it myself or pay a carrier who would take responsibility from soup to nuts. Unfortunately accidents do happen, even with reputable carriers. I remember someone I worked with moved with one of the major companies and the truck was in an accident. My friend’s Porsche was in the truck, along with his personal belongings. The Porsche was totaled in the accident. Fortunately it was fully covered by the carrier. I’ve heard many other less serious stories such as bad scratches that weren’t there before being there upon delivery.

Yeah, I agree. That's why I said check driving record and run it by insurance agent.