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Old 06-15-2011, 12:47 PM
 
Location: Florida
20 posts, read 53,014 times
Reputation: 17

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We are moving from Tampa to Ann Arbor, MI (1,165 miles) sometime in July or August, and at this point we're fairly flexible with the dates. We have a 3 bedroom home, but we're selling most of our furniture and just bringing the boxes, a few mattresses and possibly our sectional couch. (We don't want to pay an extra $1,000 to move our $500 couch, so we want to make sure we're making a wise decision.)

We've searched and searched but still have not found the best option for moving.

Moving options we've considered:

1. Renting Moving Truck (UHaul/Budget/etc) and doing it all on our own.
(Budget 24' truck is $440, but we're not sure how to calculate the actual total including gas & fees. Has anyone priced this out lately?)

2. Renting a Pod of some sort (PackRat, Upack, PODS, etc) I would have thought this would be the best option financially, but the quotes I'm getting are as much as a moving company! Has anyone done with lately?

3. Hiring a moving company. GMVanLines gave us an inhome estimate of $4000 because he predicted our load would be 8,600 lbs.

4. I know this sounds odd, but my brother recommended I try finding another person/family that is also moving from Tampa to Michigan, and split the price of the moving truck & gas. Does this interest anyone?
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Old 06-15-2011, 01:42 PM
 
Location: Tampa Bay area
54 posts, read 165,723 times
Reputation: 37
Another option is ABF. They consolidate multiple shipments in one truck - you load and unload the truck, but they drive it. The price is based on the number of linear feet you use in the truck. G/f and I used this for a cross-country move a few years back. It was more expensive than driving ourselves, but a lot more convenient. Less expensive than full-service movers. There might be other companies that do this, ABF is just the one I know about. (www.upack.com)

Michigan is a beautiful state, good luck with the move!
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Old 06-16-2011, 12:52 PM
 
Location: Florida
20 posts, read 53,014 times
Reputation: 17
I agree, Upack seems like a great option. I am just concerned with the amount of space I'll use on their truck. If I only take up 14ft the price is PERFECT and makes all the sense in the world. But if I take up 22ft it's almost double what it would be just to rent a UHaul.

I have no idea how to measure/predict this...
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Old 06-21-2011, 01:52 PM
 
Location: Florida
20 posts, read 53,014 times
Reputation: 17
We went with the 'safest' route, rented a Penske truck and we'll drive it up to Michigan ourselves. It was a difficult decision to make, but in the end, driving it ourselves seemed to fit our needs best.

Penske 22ft Truck for $460. Hopefully it will be smooth sailing
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Old 06-22-2011, 08:46 AM
 
463 posts, read 1,053,854 times
Reputation: 205
Renting uhaul or any other truck would be the cheapest choice. You will have to fill with your own gas ~15 miles/gallon and maybe fee for mileage. Ask the company to provide you with all the fees, then just add gas price and you will know total. I bet it will be much lower than any other options
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Old 06-22-2011, 08:58 AM
 
239 posts, read 760,486 times
Reputation: 137
I would highly recommend PENSKE if you go with a truck rental. They are the only company that guarantees that you will have the truck you rented the day you show up. Seriously. I was near a nightmare w/ UHaul/Budget, etc before I figured it all out.

My total for a 16' truck, 1200 mile trip, including all taxes/fees, and FULL insurance was $900. If anyone quotes you lower, they are snowing you, and you'll end up paying nearly $1000 no matter what they quote you. You'll get nickled and dimed $50 here and 100$ there for moving blankets, packing rope, hand trucks, etc. The difference for a 22' or 26' truck wasn't that big.

I got 8mpg, and the truck was PACKED. Do the math to figure out your total fuel cost.

Also, don't forget to budget for a place to sleep on the way, etc.
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Old 06-22-2011, 11:21 AM
 
Location: N.H Gods Country
2,360 posts, read 5,252,344 times
Reputation: 2015
We did a 26' U-Haul fully loaded from Hudson to NH. 1650 miles for $1630 That includes everything fuel, Ins, taxes ect.
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Old 06-22-2011, 11:57 AM
 
35,309 posts, read 52,355,243 times
Reputation: 31001
Steer clear of those moving companies as they have a nasty habit of jacking up the price once they reach the location, if you want your stuff unloaded you will have to pay up..
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Old 10-10-2011, 01:21 PM
 
239 posts, read 760,486 times
Reputation: 137
You can avoid some of the exposure to rip off by asking for a 'will not exceed quote' written into the contract.

Anyone that won't guarantee you a 'will not exceed' price doesn't deserve your business.
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Old 10-10-2011, 06:29 PM
 
91 posts, read 132,165 times
Reputation: 69
We moved to Tampa from Traverse City in June. We rented the 26' Penske. With fuel it ended up around $2500 -- Don't believe 15mpg, we averaged 8, and saw 5's and 6's driving into a headwind in Ohio.

We almost did Upack, but we read about the certainty of breakage from the freight trucks they use.
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