Just picked up a 99 Black GTS and need to have it shipped from Houston to Seattle. Anyone have recommendations for a good auto shipper? Is it worth it to spend the extra money for enclosed shipping? How much should I expect to spend? The dealer I bought it from said he could ship it for $1500 enclosed.

 

I'm a "budget buyer". so keep thast in mind wheb you read my post.

Unless you really love the car and aren't going to drive it on the road after you get it, $1500 for that distance is too much. If you do open trailer it will be exposed to the elements for a fews days, pretty much like it's sitting in a driveway or a parking lot at work, but you should save about $800 or more. For comparison, the last car I had shipped was non running FD(extra charge to winch it on and off) and I had it shipped 360 miles for $300, but that was a super good deal.

I've had couple cars shipped on car haulers and basically the way it works is that most of the companies that advertise on line are just brokers that take the order in and then post it on an industry board that the drivers use to find cars to fill up their haulers to make runs.

The companies advertise different prices for shipping. based on their expected profit and how quickly they want to fill the order. If you want it faster then you will usually pay more. You pay the brokers their fee and then pay the driver thier fee when they drop off the car.

I'd recommend you go on line and start to read up, there is a website for consumers to rate the companies, so you can see how they compare.

 

Just don't let that Jarrett guy from 'Shipping Wars' ship it...lol! That dude is a wreck, man.

 

I used this company to ship my FD

http://yousetthecost.com/

Just like ncaudio said its a broker so someone signs up to pick up your car. You will need to specify low profile vehicle, if it drives etc. I paid $375 to ship from Reno to Vegas. If you want more details on my experience let me know. I shipped with this company four times and my car never got damaged. My car doesnt have perfect paint so it my have picked up rock chips or something that I didnt notice.

 

It is really a up to you about enclosed or not. The only thing I would be asking for is not to put the car under another one. The first time I shipped a car I did think about that. The car that was on top was leaking something on it and messed the paint.

 

Talk to allrotor, I used a company he recommended when I bought my FD from him. It was $600 from NC to Chicago open, loaded Friday afternoon and got here Sunday afternoon. There were only 3 cars on the trailer so nothings on top of them, and mine was in the middle.

 

Bryan, I used Horseless Carriage to ship my RX from AZ to FL and it cost $1300. My brother regularly ships high end vehicles and uses that entity, Reliable and Exotic. All three carriers use closed trailers which is absolutely the way to transport. All three carriers are insured. Your dealer's pricing seems reasonable but make sure it is insured. However, get pricing estimates from all three carriers as the prices can vary significantly. Also, don't forget to tip your transport driver.

 

why not drive it? when i bought my FD I drove it from Dallas to Detroit

 

Bryan,

I just had a car shipped car from Garden Grove, CA to Seattle, WA with Domestice Auto Transport (DomesticAutoTransport.com - 800-516-5044 Shipping Quotes from Domestic US Auto Transport Companies).
They are an auto broker. One of the best one I have use. They pick up the car on Wednesday, and get to me on Saturday. They updated me the day before the car got pick up, the day they pick up the car and on the truck. The driver call me the day before the drop off. And call me the morning (couple hours) before drop off.

I use enclosed trailer. They put the car on top.
Since they are a broker. I paid total of $860 for enclose trailer. $160 to the broker, and $700 to the driver.

PM me if you need any more info.

I though you are in either NY or Florida. Are you in Seattle now?

 

Thank you everyone for their replies, I appreciate it, there are way too many transport companies.

Jeff you are alive! I appreciate the advice, I will look into Reliable and Exotic...How much did you tip?

Houston to Seattle is roughly 2400 miles and a 36 hour drive. If you have never been in a Viper's interior, it is not a place you want to spend 36 hours in. Nor do I want the miles on it, car only has 19,000 miles.

Excellent, I will look into them too, thank you. I was previously in Florida, been in NY the last 3 years and I permamently move to Seattle next month (got promoted at work). We should go for a cruise some time, I don't know anyone out there. Trying to decide wether to live in downtown Seattle or downtown Bellevue.

 

Depend on where is your work place. I would pick downtown Bellevue, if I can. Downtown Seattle area and road is not car friendly.

 

Bryan, I ship supercars back and forth for many years - I use Exotic exclusively. I have had great service, they've provided great care for the vehicles (knowledgeable on how to handle,load and unload a supercar/exotic). Shop around a bit, get a few quotes to see who’s in the ball park and who just wants to take your money.

As far as shipping it enclosed or open trailer, the way I look at it, ya you could save some money shipping it open trailer but in transit if anything was to fly up and hit the car or skip across the car and put a scratch in it and or a ding, how much are you saving now? The damage WILL cost WAY more than a few hundred bucks to repair it correctly. (Not to mention the inconvenience and the disappointment that your baby just got damaged). That’s just my opinion, my two cents if you will.
BTW, have fun with your GTS! Oh one other thing, do tip your driver.

 

When I bought my Rx7, I had it shipped open trailer from Wisconson to North Carolina (~900mi IIRC).

A few things to note:

You cannot ship a car open trailer with a cover on it, for liability reasons.

I used United Road to ship it. Their timeline was on point, the car arrived a day early. The only negative thing about it was that the logistics of picking the car up were not as clean as I could have hoped (as far as scheduling convenience for the seller). Having said that, they gave us a timeframe, and stuck to it.

It was about $750. I had been quoted less, by companies with less stellar reputations, and decided it was worth a little bit extra for peace of mind. some of the cheaper options had reputations for hidden fees, overbilling, poor communication, late deliveries, etc.

No damage was done to my Rx7 being on an open trailer, or in the shipping process.

 

May I suggest JP Logistics?
Why the move to Seattle from NYC?

Downtown Seattle is not car freindly but i would say it has more charm than downtown Bellvue.
If you live in downtown Seattle you wont need to drive much, plus downtown area has free buses.

 

How about I fly to Houston and drive the car to you and then fly home. The flights are free you pay me and gas. I'll drive safely. pm me.

 

I recently shipped my new 9,000 mile FD from Costa Mesa to Jacksonville with Reliable. Tally was $1,900. No problems at all. You can get a quote from their website. It was hauled in an enclosed trailer.
Reliable Carriers, Inc. | Vehicles Taken Seriously.

 

Indeed. I bought my 10k mile Black R1 in Detroit and drove it to the NYC area, passing through Pittsburgh to see an old buddy

 

I think both these are good reasons not to drive it.