Cross Country Car Shipping, Who is cheap?

mudman · 03-03-2006, 07:22 AM

The search engine is still not working, otherwise I wouldn't bother asking.
I need to get a car from Crescent City, NV to Pontiac, MI. The car runs, and doesn't require an enclosed ship, just a cheap ship. Any suggestions? I've gotten a lot of quotes but they seem to be higher than some prices I've heard in the past.
Thanks!
-Jeremy

NICKG · 03-03-2006, 07:38 AM

DAS...cost me 685 to ship a 914 from ca to nj

mudman · 03-03-2006, 07:55 AM

WTF? I just went to their website and got quotes from $1500 to 2300. Any other suggestions? Are there any other shipping options, ie not auto carrier?
-Jeremy

NICKG · 03-03-2006, 08:14 AM

depends on the year, make and model of the car..they reqiure enclosed on some care

id10t · 03-03-2006, 08:40 AM

Greyhoud out there and drive it back yourself...or find a college kid willing to do it for costs plus $50/day (2 days at most I'd think)

mudman · 03-03-2006, 10:20 AM

3 days, in the middle of a desert, and it is an old Alfa spider, not something I'd want to try...

id10t · 03-03-2006, 10:49 AM

Ah... read it as NJ not NV... still may be able to find a college kid crazy enough though...

Noah930 · Noah930's Garage

There are "professional" companies that do just that--drive your car from one place to another. I think they may be listed as "auto transporters" or something like that. That's different than "auto shippers," who actually put your car on a truck and drive the truck across the country. Can't recall the terms exactly--it's some stupid semantics thing. And ads for those "auto transporters" are worded vaguely, so you're never quite sure what the deal is unless you call them and specifically ask. Still, the whole industry is full of schysters, so I wouldn't trust anyone any further than I could throw them. Just remember: there are no guarantees for delivery times, these guys don't really carry any insurance (despite what the ad might say), frequently you're dealing with a broker and not the owner/operator of the truck (despite whatever the ad might say), and there is no real state or federal regulation of this entire industry. So good luck.

In general, services which drive your car will be cheaper. And if you do ship your car on a transporter, you're usually dealing with a broker (even DAS doesn't always ship via their own trucks). The broker then goes to the owners/drivers of trucks, and offers them money to take the car to the destination. If you go with a cut-rate broker, obviously he won't be able to offer as much money to the truck owner, who is then less likely to take your vehicle. The broker just keeps on offering your car for that low price, hoping that some truck going in your direction just needs one more car to fill up the truck. Because there are no guarantees for delivery times, your car might sit for awhile waiting for a truck. Additionally, if any damage to your vehicle occurs, you can see that with all these various brokers and separate truck owners carting your car all over the place, pinning down financial responsibility for said damage is pretty near impossible. Realistically, expect to be on your own for any damage that occurs. Again, good luck.