I've always flown and driven cars home, but we have an opportunity to buy a vehicle that is too far for us to travel and get with the time off we have available. I've never purchased a vehicle and had it shipped. I know lots of folks here have had it done. So for those of you who've gone through the process in the last year or two - what is your preffered sytem?
I had a 67 mustang shipped from Illinois to Oregon last summer while it was taken apart. I didnt have to arrange the shipping for it but I did call a couple different transport companies to compare pricing. They will want to know the year/make/model, whether it's driving or not, and whether or not it has steering and brakes. Some companies won't even give a bid if it doesn't meet their requirements because of liability. Something you should be prepared for is having enough room for the truck to park during offloading. I suggest getting the drivers number so you can communicate with them directly. Have a pickup location and time agreed upon by all three parties as well as when the time comes a drop off location and time that works for you. For my purchase I used a wire transfer, but you should be able to use paypal as well (depending on the amount, make sure it's traceable). Make sure you get lots of before pictures of the vehicle, and have all paperwork sent immediately after payment (or before depending on the deal you make). Also make sure you ask for specific pictures (or a video) so you know they have the vehicle in their possession.... for example you can ask for a picture of the trunk hinges, or up underneath the dash. I asked for pictures of the gas tank and windshield. If you are dealing with a company selling the vehicle you can look at their reviews and judge based on that. Try reaching out to people who reviewed them and ask about their experience dealing with the company. Shipping for me took about a week and cost $1200.... shorter distance should be less but make sure to call around for different bids and details about the process. You could ask for price breakdown too. Hope this helps!
I have had several cars shipped. Here is how one can save money: 1. Have car dropped off by the seller at a drop off/storage location instead of being picked up at the seller's house. 2. Have the car dropped off at a drop-off/storage location instead of being dropped off at YOUR house. You then have to go pick it up. 3. Opt for the slowest time line available. If you want it in 3-days it will cost you more. 3 weeks will save you money. 4. Cars that can run and drive (even just a little bit) are way cheaper to ship than non-running cars. I had a car shipped from Oklahoma to me using the above scenario. Seller took car about a half hour down the road and dropped it off. I picked up the car about two hours away from my house. It took two weeks to get from point A to point B. In two weeks, it was regularly being picked up and dropped off at various locations on it's journey. Probably was dropped off and picked up everyday by different trucks and trailers. I could track it all on the internet. I used Dependable Auto Shippers.
