Thinking of buying a car located in San Diego CA and would need to be shipped to south central PA. Open carrier would be fine. Very flexible on timing. Any guess as to what the cost might be?

2k

I think Jim is very close. Possibly a little less but without flexibility maybe not unless it's far off. Have you ever used uship.com? You can get quotes from several shippers without obligation.

Back in 06 I shipped a car from PA to CA and it cost $900. What I leaned was if you want a car shipped immediately, or on a specific date it costs a lot more. I think back then it was 2k. If you are very flexible it is a lot cheaper. I think when I had my car shipped it was a 2 month window.

Road trip! Fly in and drive it home? Its always an adventure, sometimes just a little more adventure then other times. Gene

Thanks for the replies. I put it out for bids on uShip per Larry's suggestion, we'll see what happens.

Gene, if I wasn't so busy with work right now, I'd seriously consider a fly out and drive home!

I just shipped a car from Texas to Michigan. $1,300. I thought it was quite reasonable. A few months ago I tried and it was 2k.
KID

I’ve priced a few cross country runs and it’s been 2k-2500. Enclosed. Saying a few weeks out. Found one today saying ten days and was cheaper than others.

In 2004 it cost me $2000 by enclosed trailer, to ship my racecar from California to Pa.

UShip is another auto transport broker board.

I still have an account but I haven’t made an offer
to transport a vehicle there in many years.

Few vehicles are worth transporting across the country
in a manner so they arrive in the condition they left in.

Out of necessity - auto transport is usually indirect - involving
multiple transfers and outside storage between trailers
in yards with other vehicles - the goal is to keep trailers
full headed in the general direction a vehicle needs to go.

If you buy a vehicle that runs & drives - put the money
into it instead of paying someone to haul it - then drive
it home if possible - if that won’t work then go after it
yourself with a truck & trailer - hiring someone to do
the transport should be a last resort …. ✅

I will be available next to transport from Anacortes, Washington
in about a week - unless I get eaten by Spiders first … 🕷


Jim

Let the offers come in for a few days. The big guys monitor it and will flood you with bids. The smaller guys are on the road driving. Takes awhile for them to see it.IIve had good luck with U ship from cars to lawn equipment to dirt bikes.

I shipped a Dodge Stratus in 2018 from Washington State to North Carolina, it cost me $800.00. Of course I paid the first company and they kept saying they couldn't get a driver by to get it. After 1-1/2 months I found a different company and got my money back from the 1st. The second company had it delivered in about 10 days.

It cost me $1200 to get my RR from PA to Houston TX last October in an enclosed. My shipper friend tells me that prices are up though do to the current events.

People suggest driving cars home instead of shipping. To me it has never been worth trying to take the time off work, the risk of the car breaking down, the wear and tear on the car, the logistics, and by time I spend on gas, food and airfare the savings is minimal. My time is worth something too. It sounds easy until you are the one doing it.

Yeah this here. The journey always sounds like a great time. But you better know how to wrench. You better have enough money put back to fuel the car as if it got 10 mpg. Whats air fare 1 way? What will you stock the trunk with for emergency breakdown needs? Where will you eat along the way? Is it just gonna be you or do you have a tag along? What places are you ok with spending the night in- how much will that be along the way? No disrespect to all the ladies, but back to tag alongs- many women will need to stop multiple times for restroom, pictures, trinkets, let's not forget the "its only an hour out of our way" stops that wind up costing you(I begrudgingly say its usually worth it too, but don't tell).

The wear and tear on the car itself statement lacks any ground to me. Its a car, you drive them. If you have the means to pay for everything, and are up to the challenges, the car should be driven.

I counted. I've shipped 10 cars. I would not have felt comfortable driving them on a long road trip without at least changing the oil, flushing coolant, and possibly trans fluid and filter change along with diffy oil change. Several there would be no way I would because they had been sitting a very long period. I'm almost always shipping old cars in need of work and I think that's the case with all of us. That would be another thing I have to throw into the mix. Find a shop to do this AND one I can trust. I certainly can't do it myself on the road. And how about cars with 4.10 gear set?

Folks can fly out or drive out and pick up a vehicle
that is roadworthy to make the trip if they have
the inclination - time - skill set to do it.


Jim

If you don't know how to wrench, maybe an old car isn't for you?



What about them? Drove from Memphis to San Diego with 4.10 gears. Not really a problem, imo.

Roundabout a buck per mile enclosed.
Some great private guys out there, and a lot of the Russian/whatever guys that couldn't care less about your car; been there.
Driveable car, highway gears, in good condition, done that and it was fun - because nothing broke and I had company.
Last car I bought, a buddy & I towed an enclosed trailer 1200 miles east, picked up the car, & got home in 5 days, staying in motels and eating well.
Cost me less than hiring it out, and we had control over pretty much everything but the weather.
I also wanted to see the car & do the transaction in person.

The Cheap vs Good rule applies to transport, but if the car's a project, cheap may be better.
At least CA-PA is a common & main route, I wouldn't expect much of a delay.

So people who have a good mechanic but can't fix their own maybe shouldn't own old cars? That's silly.

And what would you do if you if you ate up your ring and pinion on the road? That would not be something you can realistically install roadside. Just sayin. And I'm pretty sure you understood what I meant with the 4.10 gear set and what trans that would be relevant with.

" The risk of the car breaking down" A new to you vehicle is an unknown. Pay a transport service and relax knowing on such and such date it will arrive at your home.

I don't mind giving out my shipping charges, they are $1.75 per loaded mile for an open trailer and $2.25 per loaded mile for enclosed plus 50 cents a mile for deadheading. Of course this is the pie in the sky number if you want it done ASAP and will always be cheaper if I have something coming or going close to where the pick-up and the drop-off is. If either is less than 200 miles from either then I don't charge for deadheading..

I went to caronatruck.com when I bought the '67 Fury back in 2006. Ventura, CA, to Glen Burnie, MD, open trailer, non-runner, $1095.

And what were the fuel prices and cost of living back then, let alone wear and tear and maintenance costs? Anyone who thinks they can get the same deal they got 20 years ago has another think coming...

https://zbesttransport.com/

I've used this company over 20 times. He's a broker and get's your car picked up quickly usually the last car on a load. Quickest he's ever had a driver to the door is 4 hours. Be sure everything is ready and give them a call, decent rates and you pay the driver at delivery, no up front money.

No kidding. That 1095 might make it to a west texas/oklahoma on an open single trailer nowdays.

Buddy is talking about going to Gainesville next month. 1750 miles. Figures a grand in fuel. Diesel is ignorant.

Passport Transport hauled mine in Oct 2020 and was $1850 Cincinatti Ohio, to Tucson Az.

Booked it on a Thursday, they picked it up the following Tuesday morning and I had it at my place that Sunday afternoon.

I just booked a transport from Sacremento area to W PA for $1350. This is for a commuter car that is low mile and rust free from my mothers estate. The only reason I'm bringing it here is because you can't buy anything around here for that and the daughter needs a car.

About right if going on a rolling parking lot. 8 car hauler.

and rust free to boot !
tell your daughter to keep it rust free by oiling the underneath and in the doors yearly, and it will stay rust free for years.

I saw a youtube video recently, which unfortunately i can't find, but the guy had shipped a car out east and was pointing out some shady practices by the brokers. Like they will agree to one price with you, schedule it, then when it's close to pick up time they call and say the driver will not do it for the previous amount so they need more money.

I don't have any personal experience, but given that, I'd tend to look to cut out the middleman as much as possible.

I used them exclusively until a customers car going to Pa disappeared for 2 WEEKS and showed up with problems it did not leave here with Short version, I believe the driver was PO'd as i complained about his inspection ( an employee took the car to meet them). They had been purchased by fed ex at that time (2010) don't know if they still are
I have since used Reliable with no issues

if i needed something transported, i think i would have RHINO do it, provided i didn't get a "transmission surcharge" on the bill............

You know how bad it is around here. I usually warn people to get their cars oiled before they bring them across the Mississippi!

Hard to gage the cost with that kind of distance without actually getting an estimate. Most shippers will quote you so it's pretty easy to compare prices with different companies. I'm sure that distance won't be cheap, but a few phone calls should give you a pretty good idea of what you're looking at. I've only shipped a couple times, but I used this company https://www.a1autotransport.com/ as they were the cheapest I could find at the time. No complaints about the service I've received from them.

When I bought my 2015 Ram 2500 5.7 gas I got the lifetime powertrain warranty. 280K on the first transmission, $200 deductible for a rebuild from Chrysler installed. At 340K the engine had a valve get stuck, another $200 deductible for a factory rebuilt unit, back on the road again! I sure wish they would sell those again, the best $1500 I ever spent...

I paid $1.50 per mile this past December.

I shipped a vehicle only a few states away and used uship. No broker just me and the transporter. Another option is have the transporter drive the vehicle using a dealer tag. This was one of the options when i was getting quotes.

OP here. I truly appreciate all the replies. This post originated in August 2021. The potential deal never worked out, but I did learn a lot from everyone who replied. Thanks again.

Recently had to ship my car from California all the way to Pennsylvania, and I have to say, it was a breeze. I went with this car transportation service called A1 Auto Transport. The whole process was smooth and hassle-free. As for the cost, it came out to around $800, but keep in mind that it can vary depending on the size and type of your car. If you're interested, you should check out their website at https://www.a1autotransport.com/car-transportation-services/. Let's keep sharing the recs.