Moving 911 From Az To Ohio

MORGANR770 · 08-17-2006, 03:51 PM

Just moved back to the buckeye state and I need to move my old 911 out here from AZ. My old Carrera has 205,000 miles and I'm a little leery about driving it on a 2000 mile trek across the country. Does anyone have a line on a reliable and reasonable transport service? My plan (and budget) was set to haul it on a U-haul trailer. However I am told it will not fit on any of the rental trailers available. I did a search of this site and found that seems to be more or less true.

I'd like hear from other Pelican's on this subject.

Thanks,

Ron Morgan

ZLP · ZLP's Garage

It will fit on one, we did it with our 1970....

89911 · 08-17-2006, 04:19 PM

It may fit, but you will need one extremely long set of ramps to get it in, and then you will need to do some gymnastics to get out since you can't open the door. You can alway rent a car hauler and a truck, but it might be cheaper just to ship it.

cnielsen · 08-17-2006, 04:36 PM

You can do it... U-Haul rents an auto transport carrier and it works great for a 911. The fenders even fold over the outer side of the trailer wheels so you can open the doors. If your car is really low you may need to lay down some planks of wood so your approach angle is less when you drive the car up on the trailer. I have towed many 911s this way and it works great.

A good transport company is probably going to charge you $1500 and the trailer may cost you $200... Just depends on how big your pocket book is and what you are going to be towing with... if it is up to the task.

Good luck... glad I had to move west... not east!

bell · bell's Garage

drive it..........take the essential tools and spare parts, extra bulbs, etc.....
it'd be a fun drive as ohio doesn't have the vastness like the western states do.
do it solo, take a sleeping bag, "survival" items, a cell phone, credit card.
if it breaks along the way rent a u-haul for the remainder of the trip

Icemaster · Icemaster's Garage

What part of the state did you land in?

cygtoad · cygtoad's Garage

Driving that distance would probably be good for the car. I don't think you should be concerned about the amount of miles it has.

What it really boils down to is; do you really want to drive the car accross country? It is a long dull trip without creature comforts. However, the idea does have some romantic appeal.

I would rather run my 911 through selected twistys than put it on a long highway trip. Ironically I drove my Carrera to Ohio from New Hampshire and back. That was 500 miles each way. I was pretty much ready to get out of the drivers seat at the end of the trip.

I went with my girlfriend who is now my wife, and although it makes for a great story, it wasn't all that fun to do. Not horrible, but not fun. I woudn't do it again unless I had to.

In your case the car has to be moved, so it really boils down to what you want to do. The car isn't a limitation.

flmont · 08-17-2006, 08:15 PM

I have a lowerd 77'...and it fir great on a Penske trailer,Just load it slow....FM

MORGANR770 · 08-18-2006, 05:09 AM

Really appreciate the great input from everyone....it sounds like I have options. It wouldn't take too much more encouragement for me to drive the thing. I'll have my son following me in a U-haul with all of my tools, jacks and some spares. And as Bell suggest if it breaks I could rent a trailer for the rest of the trip. The car is running great I just have this picture in my mind of being out on the side of the road with a major failure. I do all of my own work and maybe that's why I'm afraid to drive it too far! To mitigate the risk I may take it in for a trip check and valve adjustment before.

wcc · 08-18-2006, 05:32 AM

I'd drive it. I have about 210000 miles on my '85 and we are thinking about driving it down to NC for the Pelican meet. I wouldn't hesitate driving that car anywhere.

silvercar00 · 08-18-2006, 08:24 AM

Id ship it. You're generally not saving any money after fuel and wear and tear ( especillyif you encountr a problem) . I love driving my car, but I bought it to put "fun" miles on it. !-90 for 450 miles of Nebraska is NOT fun in a 911 compared to twisties in the country in a perfect day. Cargo space is limited ans the suspension in these cars is not a help on a long , boring freeway haul in the rain. after 3K miles ( and $500 worth of gas) I'm guessing you'll wiind up wishing you'd shipped it. It'd orobably make the trip like a champ, though..

MORGANR770 · 08-18-2006, 10:39 AM

silvercar00 you make some good points. The gas costs are going to come to be about $230.00 (1900 miles/25mpg/$3 per gal). The trip check and valve adjustment (assuming all is well) is going to be $200. So that's $430 against $1000+ for shipping. Not sure how to calcualte wear and tear but for sure there is the risk of something else going wrong. The 500-600 in savings will likely be more than chewed up in dealing with that in some 1 horse town.

But the most logical approach I can come up with is to go ahead with the trip check - valve adjustment. If all seems ok I will probably drive it. If there are concerns then I'll probably ship it.

TargaFlorio · 08-18-2006, 10:46 AM

Mate, drive it!

I just bought a 1968 911T in Sioux Falls and drove it to Las Vegas without a hitch.

Said Vic Elford: "[In the 1966 Tour of Corsica], the Porsche 911 arrived in a trailer behind a van...the van was full of only wheels and tyres. I said to director Huschke von Hanstein 'Where are the spare parts? And he said: 'We don't have spare parts...Porsches don't break."...and he was absolutely right!" -

Cheers,
n.

http://www.nicolashunziker.com

AZ964 · 08-18-2006, 11:14 AM

As the other half of this voyage tandem, I need to add a few of key pieces of information.

The 911 in question is at, or near, stock ride height. Based on the information provided, it sounds like trailer options are available. Thanks for the info that has been provided.

The car has been driven cross country (AL to AZ) at about the 190k mile mark without significant issue.

Additionally, there is a large moving van component to this voyage. That likely detracts from some of the romanticism of a cross country voyage, but it still far better than driving a moving truck across the country.

MORGANR770 · 08-18-2006, 11:23 AM

So AZ964 are you for driving or trailering?

BTW, I guess you forgot .....the move from AL to AZ in 2004 was aboard a moving van. The car did make the trip from AZ to AL in 1995 under its own power....... at the time with about 180K on the clock.

Patton · 08-18-2006, 03:16 PM

I'd drive it. Switch off with your son. Take pic's and have fun. BTW, I'm from Middletown OH.

MORGANR770 · 08-21-2006, 04:20 AM

Thanks Patton...leaning in that direction. I'd like to see (hear) that 930 one of these days!

Erik Mckenna · 08-21-2006, 04:42 AM

Xenia OH... Well I guess I'll be seeing you around as you'll only be about 10 minutes away from where I live.
You'll have a great time here there is a very large Porsche crowd here...
See ya around.

EM

MORGANR770 · 08-21-2006, 04:49 AM

Thanks Erik, yes I'm looking forward to getting involved with the local club and joining in on the Taj Kreuzers fun.

Ron

azasadny · azasadny's Garage

Ron,
My mechanic (Tab Tanner) is in Findlay, Ohio and he's a great person to contact after you arrive. His shop is called Autnbahn Garage and he knows his Porsches! I drive 75 miles each way to have him work on my car, that's how good he is!