What are the Costs Involved With a Long-Distance Car Move?
By Dermound Becker
Special to CarMovers.com
Ever wonder how a car is transported long distances? How did the new car arrive at the dealership from the manufacturer, and how does this affect the price? Maybe you need a car moved to another state, and are wondering about the most inexpensive way to accomplish this. Well, there are many car movers that provide this service, both for the manufacturer of new cars and for individuals in need of having a car moved from point A to point B. There are several factors that go into the pricing for just such a service. Some are: car location to point of delivery, will the car be moved from terminal-to-terminal or from door-to-door, is the car operational or not, do you want open or closed transport.
Distance is one of the biggest costs. One of the biggest costs when shipping a car is the distance between the pick-up point and where it will be delivered to. Obviously, it is cheaper to ship a car within a state than it will be to ship it across the country. Interestingly enough, time of year also figures into the cost and it are cheaper to ship a car during the winter months than it is to ship it during the summer.
Taking cars to the terminal will save money. Most auto transportation companies have terminals where they load cars from. If you are willing to take your vehicle to this terminal, it will save you money. The aggravation of having to maneuver a huge vehicle onto residential streets will cost you if you require door-to-door service. The company might also have to pay for a special permit to drive on residential streets, and this will also cost you. So it would be much more cost-effective to take your car to them if possible. Obviously, if the car is not running, that could be a problem. You must let the car shipping vendor know ahead of time that your car is not running, because this requires special equipment to get the car onto the transport.
Consider the size, weight and model of the car. The larger and heavier the vehicle is, the more it will cost to move it. Thus, a fully-loaded SUV is going to be more expensive to ship than a tiny compact will be. Also, the more exotic the vehicle, the higher the shipping cost. If you are transporting a high-end sports car or a collectable car, the cost is going to be much higher than it would be to ship a regular domestic car.
Talk about insurance. Insurance against damage during shipping is a very important issue that you will want to discuss with the transport company before you ever enter into a contract with them. The shipping company should provide full coverage on your vehicle during transport, but you will want to check this very carefully. Ask them for a copy of their insurance policy and check it carefully. You will also want to check with your auto insurance company to see if they cover your car during shipping. You would be well served to take photos of your car, inside and out, right before it is shipped. You also do not want to have personal items in the car while it is shipped because they will most likely not be covered by insurance should something happen. Remember, if something does happen to your car, you will only be reimbursed for the low blue book value of your car.
Enclosed transport will cost more. The other major issue that can affect the cost of shipping is if you want your vehicle shipped in an enclosed transport, or if an open one is fine. Having your vehicle in an enclosed transport will keep it safe from the elements, but it will also cost a lot more than just having it shipped in the classic open car transport vehicle we have all seen on the highway.
If you do your homework, and get estimates from several auto transport companies, you should have a favorable experience. Shop around, take your time and choose the best one for you. Cheapest price may not always be the best option.