. Auto transport companies? Suggestions?

[admin]

I've got a buddy who may be looking to transport a car from the southwest to the east coast.

My question is about car transport companies. Does anyone have any they've used and would recommend? (or not recommend?) Any tips or things to avoid? I've never had to use one so have no advice for him. I'd like to get some opinions, not just on price but also what he might need to know about using such a service.

Thanks!

 

[Midnight Special]

I will always use Intercity Lines. For more options, here's the thread from a couple of years ago.

http://californiaspecial.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4864&highlight=intercity+lines

 

[green56]

I had our car shipped from florida to Wisconsin it was in a inclosed trailer the driver and the owner went over car to find any markes or dents on car before it was shipped this driver is the owner of the company when he delivered the car he sent over the car to point out what he found. The cost at that time was $95.00 to $1,095.00 the name of company is UNITED AUTO SHIPPERS 1-866-428-5453 the person I talked to was LINDA so good luck TOM from Wisconsin

 

[Mosesatm]

Be sure to find out if any company you're talking to is just a broker.

Many of the less expensive 'shippers' are nothing more than a guy with a phone who farms out the work to the lowest bidders.

 

[JohnnyQuest515]

BEWARE! MOST ARE BROKERS!

I have horror stories about the transport business. Intercity is the best, you get what you pay for. If you are shipping just a regular car an open transport is okay. Just try to find a real transport company not a broker!

Get firm price and firm pickup/delivery. Last two times they screwed me on both.

Randy

 

[Doug]

Someone once told me that Fed Ex also ships cars.

 

[390cs68rcode]

I have used Fedex Custom Critical a couple of times. All are enclosed and they ship quick. Not the cheapest but the service is top notch.

 

[BroadwayBlue]

I've used FedEx aka Passport from a recommendation by Jason and have been very happy with their service and their price is very competitive - one of the cheapest I found at the time.

I know of others that used them with no problem as well.

If you have Hagerty as your insurance company you get some kind of discount from them.

 

[PonyGal]

At Tim's suggestion, I used Intercity Lines and I was amazed at how well the driver kept in contact with me the whole way out from Kansas City. When I took possession of the car, he mentioned that he had gone over it to make note of any marks on the car, and asked that I look it over carefully to make sure that there were no additional marks after delivery. The car was shipped in an enclosed trailer, and in addition, it was covered with a soft cover for the whole trip. Overall, I was extreamly satisfied with the company!!

 

[PFSlim]

At Tim's suggestion, I used Intercity Lines and I was amazed at how well the driver kept in contact with me the whole way out from Kansas City. When I took possession of the car, he mentioned that he had gone over it to make note of any marks on the car, and asked that I look it over carefully to make sure that there were no additional marks after delivery. The car was shipped in an enclosed trailer, and in addition, it was covered with a soft cover for the whole trip. Overall, I was extreamly satisfied with the company!!

I will echo Renee's remarks. I was very impressed with this company. I had never dealt with a transportation company but they made it very easy. They communicated great on the front end to let me know when they would be arriving. They worked within my schedule so I could be here on load day. The driver was professional. The cars already on the trailer were high end cars. The driver did a great job of looking over the car before he took delivery and put it away in the trailer.

In my opinion and with nothing to compare it to, it was a first class deal.

Paul

 

[JohnnyQuest515]

They are the best!

Watch Barrett Jackson in October and look who is the main transport company!

Randy

 

[admin]

Thanks everyone for the recommendations. That will help a lot.

In researching the subject it seems that it's pretty typical to have a wide open window for pickup and delivery dates. They tend to give you a range of several days, not give exact dates. Has that been everyone's experience? Or do the higher end companies have tighter deadlines?

It just seems if you're going to buy a car from someone you don't know it makes it very hard to not have a set pickup date. It puts the seller at an inconvenience and if they miss the pickup date for whatever reason then you're kind of stuck paying more money for a second pickup attempt.

Just trying to figure out the logistics now rather then the trial and error method. :wink:

Again, thanks for all the great responses!

 

[Midnight Special]

Jon, you're largely correct. The two companies I've dealt with (Intercity best by far) orbit the country and establish their routes based on whatever requests they receive to keep their trucks as full as possible. We're indeed bound by their schedules. What I liked about Intercity was their professionalism, care and constant communication. I think an (only) other option may be to hire an individual to trailer the (one) car based on your schedule, but to what expectation?

Indeed, I waited 1 week to receive a car from Oregon and 3-weeks & 4-weeks respectively to receive two from Colorado...in the dead of winter with road conditions over the Sierras such that I was very glad I chose the best.

As far as logistics, all you have to do is be there with the car. They do all the rest. You only need to sign the driver's inspection papers. Payment can be arranged on-line with a credit card in advance or on site...

 

[di81977]

Jon,

How do the advertisments work at the top of the thread. Looks like there are 3 transport companies listed. Since you are asking for a recommendation, I assume they are not "prefered vendors." Hope at least these are tied to some advertising revenue back to you.

 

[admin]

How do the advertisments work at the top of the thread. Looks like there are 3 transport companies listed. Since you are asking for a recommendation, I assume they are not "prefered vendors." Hope at least these are tied to some advertising revenue back to you.

No, those ads aren't "preferred vendors" and aren't selected by me. They are generated by Google. They read the text on the page and cater the ads to the subject being discussed; in this case transport companies. Yes, there's some ad revenue from them. Some months enough to pay for web hosting...some not. :smile:

 

[admin]

As far as logistics, all you have to do is be there with the car. They do all the rest. You only need to sign the driver's inspection papers.

I guess that's the part I'm trying to work out in a situation where you're buying from a private party...and not someone you know. Ideally you'd fly out to be there when the transport truck arrives, but if the time frame is a span of days it doesn't seem like this would work. You typically can't just fly out and hang for a week waiting on the driver.

So if you can't be there then you're relying on the seller, someone you probably don't know, to be there when the car is picked up and sign off on inspection.

I'm just trying to work out the best way to handle this. Thanks!

 

[Mosesatm]

I guess that's the part I'm trying to work out in a situation where you're buying from a private party...and not someone you know. Ideally you'd fly out to be there when the transport truck arrives, but if the time frame is a span of days it doesn't seem like this would work. You typically can't just fly out and hang for a week waiting on the driver.

So if you can't be there then you're relying on the seller, someone you probably don't know, to be there when the car is picked up and sign off on inspection.

I'm just trying to work out the best way to handle this. Thanks!

One of us may be able to watch it load if it's nearby.

 

[Midnight Special]

Jon, all of my purchases using transport were private party and someone I previously didn't know. There is no need for you to fly out and be there for the truck. Typically it went like this:

1) Purchased car on e-bay.
2) Called transport company with contact info of seller to arrange pick up.
3) Transport company calls seller to schedule pick up.
4) Once car is picked up, payment is made to transport company via CC.
5) Transport company calls you 24-48 hour in advance of delivery, then again about an hour before arrival. In my case, I met them at a freeway overpass for convenient drop off.
6) Car is unloaded, inspected and signed off.

Granted, you need good dialog and trust with the seller. There were a number of other e-bay cars I was looking to buy, but didn't because there wasn't good enough dialog and disclosure. You should never have to fly out there to oversee loading.

'Hope this helps Jon.

P,S. I can see where I confused you. The seller has to be there with the car, not the buyer. 'Sorry Jon.