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I need to ship a car from Tucson to Durham and I am baffled by the bidding process. In checking out the reviews of different transport companies there are all kinds of warnings and it's very confusing. Can anyone recommend a car shipping company that they've used? I would really appreciate the help. Thanks!
Can anyone recommend a car shipping company that they've used?
It doesn't really matter. They're all brokers who will "relay" the shipment to NC
using whichever of the other carriers that has space going your way.
They're all also insured and ICC regulated. Go for price.
On that point... unless the car is really nice don't pay extra for covered carriers.
But if the car isn't really nice you're probably better off selling it in AZ and replacing it in NC.
iow: save the shipping money.
^^^^^This^^^
When we shipped our car when we moved here, it was given to the highest bidder, and we didnt even know we were going through a broker who quoted us a rate no one would do the job for, and so then they showed up and it was more than quoted AND then it got here days before we did and we had to pay daily storage-something we were not informed of ahead of time. We didnt have time to find someone else, so let him take it-should have planned better.
We were flocked with emails and calls for months after from other brokers, so be careful how you even get estimates-dont put your phone/email on the internet on a car shipping site-it will spread like wildfire.
Right, they're brokers. Mine in Phoenix set up the transport, a company from California. The thing is,too, they won't give you a definite time line. Mine was for between 7-10 days to be transferred, ended up at 7 days. You rent a car for that time plus pay for the car transport.
To be frank, these are some pretty poor responses thus far.
Do NOT shop on price alone. In fact, don't go with the cheapest bid. The cheap rates are reserved for dealerships who move multiple cars a month or people who are moving many cars at one time. You do not fall into this category.
Mostly all the people you'll be speaking with will be brokers, but the good ones actually provide a necessary service and no negative connotation should be associated with them. They help you to not get fleeced by carriers, have the "weight" to hold carriers accountable to time frames and quality service, and simply know who the more professional carriers are in this industry. The good ones can also give you information necessary to your particular route, as opposed to the standard "7-10 days" for delivery.
For instance, this time of year, there is very little inventory in the Southwestern states and plenty of carriers who are starved for vehicles. Therefore, what is typically a pretty costly move across the country can be done for significantly less than, say, moving the vehicle from NC to AZ.
Also, a carrier needs to move from Interstate 10 to Interstate 40 in order to complete this move. This is not a huge deal, but it's important to recognize lanes where carriers often travel. My guess is a carrier that will accept this move will be coming from San Diego or Southern California, will be mostly loaded, and would need just 1 or 2 more vehicles to start heading to their eventual destination.
That leads me to my next point. Timeliness. If you know the carrier only needs to drive from Point A to Point B before delivering your vehicle, as opposed to picking up a full truckload of vehicles and then heading out, you will have a better understanding of when the vehicle should arrive. Sure it is still a window of a few days, but realistically this move will be completed in approximately 4-6 days.
As a former auto transport professional, I've dealt with both crooked brokers and quality ones. (MOD CUT)
Last edited by jasper12; 12-05-2012 at 06:09 PM..
Reason: no advertising. TOS
Thanks for all the input. I thought I would follow up in case someone else is looking into this. I received dozens of calls from brokers offering prices to ship my car from $650 to $1,300. I went with the cheapest, $650 since they all seemed to be offering the same thing, and I used movemyautomobile.com. The whole thing was done very professionally and without a hitch. The thing in my favor was that I needed it picked up on a certain day but I didn't really care when it arrived. It came 5 days later and arrived exactly on time and when they said it would. The communication between the broker, the truck driver and myself was outstanding and I would definitely go with the same company again if I needed to. Thanks again everyone!
Last edited by lm_walters; 01-02-2013 at 07:40 PM..
Reason: wrong car shipping company
That seems like a great rate--650 from Tucson to NC. I paid 1100 from Phoenix to Upstate NY. The others were about the same. Glad you found a good deal!
Thanks for all the input. I thought I would follow up in case someone else is looking into this. I received dozens of calls from brokers offering prices to ship my car from $650 to $1,300. I went with the cheapest, $650 since they all seemed to be offering the same thing, and I used movemyautomobile.com. The whole thing was done very professionally and without a hitch. The thing in my favor was that I needed it picked up on a certain day but I didn't really care when it arrived. It came 5 days later and arrived exactly on time and when they said it would. The communication between the broker, the truck driver and myself was outstanding and I would definitely go with the same company again if I needed to. Thanks again everyone!
I will be looking into this company. I have had the same frustrations. I'm hoping for a smooth service though!
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