Auto Shipping
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Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Company to ship a car from New England?
Jan 2013
I'm looking for a recommendation of a company to ship a car from New England to the Bay Area. Any suggestions? How much should I expect to spend? Kelsey
I used Red Carpet Auto Transport to ship car from south Florida to the bay area and was very happy with them. They were actually a shipping broker, so they found the actual transport company for me. If you don't have a specific timeframe you need, then you may save money by going directly to a transport company. The broker helped me find someone who was doing my trip when I needed it. All my interaction was with the broker, but the carrier name was Sean Studler Transportation, LLC.
The cost was $1225. $225 for the broker and $1000 for the carrier. I imagine it's comparable to your trip - about 3000 miles and between two metropolitan regions. Good luck with your move. Gus
We used Golden Key Express to ship our two cars from the Boston area to Berkeley a little less than 2 years ago. They were extremely reliable and had the best rates. Good luck! Anon
Shipping a car from SF to Florida
Oct 2011
I am looking for a transport company to ship my sons car from our house in San Fransisco, California to Miami, Florida for college. I am very nervous about this process and have gotten a bunch of quotes from different transport companies. Has any one ever heard of All Day Auto Transport they seem like a really good company and they have a very professional website http://www.alldayautotransport.com. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated? Gerald
Angels Moving Autos transported my car affordably from Raleigh NC to Bay Area with perfect communication and timing. Same for a friend from NYC to LA. HIGHLY recommended. Direct: 530-245-0481 Toll Free: 888-530-0481 Recent arrival
We just shipped our car from the Bay Area to Charlotte North Carolina with Monstar Auto who came recommended to us by an auto dealer in Charlotte. Monstar gave us the best price after much research and many bids by other companies. The driver picked up our car within a couple of days (other companies told us we would have to wait up to weeks if we wanted discounted pricing), kept our car on his truck from CA to NC, gave us updates along the way and delivered it within a week. Call 909-476-3878 - Letty Pena is the owner/operator - tell her I reffered you (our car arrived in Charlotte Sept 25th) and hopefully she will give you just as great a rate and service. Good Luck! Leslie
FYI, many transport companies sub-contract, so you might want to check into that. I used a transport company 1x, and another service where there find someone to drive your car.
The transport company delivered my car, but there was some odd stain damage to the hood. The transport company wouldn't cover any of it, just denied liability. But my auto insurance graciously covered the damage. It was as though the truck drive parked underneath something that dripped on my very new, shiny car.
The 2nd experience was to get my car from San Diego to Chicago. I hired a company that found people to drive the car. Great experience, if you don't mind the mileage. No problems there, and was glad that we could partner with someone who was trying to catch a lift. anon
We've used Agape Transport (http://www.agapetransport.com/) to move twice in the past 3 years - one car from Iowa to Boston and 2 cars from Boston to Silicon Valley. They were inexpensive, reliable, easy to work with and delivered as promised. Satisfied customer
Shipping car from Chicago to Berkeley
June 2011
Does anyone have any recommendations for services you or others close to you have use to have your car shipped or driven from East of the Mississippi to the Bay Area? I'm looking for a trustworthy and not-too-costly service. Thanks! Gail
We used Golden Key Express to ship a car from upstate NY to bay area and had a very good experience with them - on-time, reasonable, car was in great shape. Mary
2007 - 2009 Reviews
Tranporting a car across country?
Aug 2009
I am wondering if anyone has experience with hiring an agency to transport a car across the country (midwest to Berkeley)? I would love hear recommendations of companies you have used (or who to avoid). Is there anything in particular you need to look out for or is it pretty cut and dry? I received a few quotes from companies but some of the information I received back seemed a bit shady (needing to purchase additional insurance form outside companies??). Does $800 seem about right for transport from the midwest to Berkeley? don't want to get burned
I've done this 4 times! First time was through an auto transport company. Apparently, these companies subcontract drivers/trucks, so it can be a little shady. There was some damage to my hood, but my own insurance covered it. I've also hired someone to drive my vehicle. This worked well, but again, it puts miles on your car, and you don't know who you'll get. The last 2 times, our cars were directly loaded with our household goods. this was the best option. check with your moving company. been there-done that
We used Speedy Auto Transport (888-739-7775) to bring a car from southern Indiana to Berkeley. The price was about what you quote, and they were efficient and easy to work with--no hitches on either end. julia
I used DAS (Dependable Auto Shippers) to transport my car across the country. http://www.dasautoshippers.com/ I researched a ton of companies and some were really annoying hard-sells, and expensive. DAS was the cheapest option - i think it was around $700 (last year) - that seemed legit and didn't require extra insurance, etc. I dropped my car off in Oakland (they inspected it and marked down any scratches, dings, etc.) and it arrived in CT a couple of weeks later (where i was able to inspect it as well) - they even provide tracking info so you can envision your car traveling across the county, which I enjoyed I was still nervous but everything was totally fine and the car was happy to see the country. good luck!
Shipping two cars from Oakland to DC
June 2007
Hi - We are moving from Oakland to DC this Fall and I have 2 cars to ship. I see lots of recommendations for DAS, but would like to get a few quotes. If you other companies you can vouch for, please let me know. I am interested in PickUp/DropOff Service for 1 vehicle and Depot2Depot for the other. Thank you
With regard to auto shipping--I suggest you go with DAS--from personal experience (moved 3 cars back and forth to Baltimore) they are really the only reputable company. We tried another company that came recommended by a friend. Turns out they were crooks. The day before the car was to be shipped, they called and said they couldn't find a load for it, so we'd have to pack 35% more to move it to ''sweeten the pot'' for a driver. We had to scramble at the last minute and paid top dollar because of it. Our friend who'd recommended them to begin with tried to use them again and had the same scam pulled. Go with DAS. Been there, moved that.
2004 - 2006 Reviews
Shipping a car to New York
August 2006
We are planning on shipping our car to New York and looking for recommendations from people who have had positive experiences with shippers who do this. Thanks
We used Dependable Auto Shipping to ship two cars from NJ to Berkeley. It cost about $700 for one car and $850 for a small SUV (Honda CRV). This was for terminal to terminal shipping. If you want it picked up and dropped off, add about $100 for each end. It took about 14 days -- you can get it done in about 7 for another $100 or so. DAS is the preferred shipper for a lot of collectors I know who buy and sell on Ebay and other internet services. We were perfecly happy with the service. Someone opened our glove box and stole the wheel lock key -- DAS promptly reimbursed us for the new key without a squeek. The website is http://www.dasautoshippers.com/ and you can explore all the various shipping options and prices there, and even book it. If you have more than one car to ship, call the 800 number and you'll get $50 off each car
car shipper
Another idea for you...rather than shipping which I imagine would be really expensive, have you considered having someone drive your car to NY? Years ago I was looking for a ride to the east coast thru some ride service in SF. There was someone needing their car driven to Maine (I was going to NH). They paid for my gas and lodging. I think I took 5 days to drive with a friend. At another time I drove a friend of my parents van from Boston to SF. Again, they paid for gas...we slept in the van.
Just a thought
DAS (Dependable Auto Shipper) is great we have used them as have other friends. Also, larger moving companies use them as a third party. You can get a free quote on the web google DAS or dependable auto shipper. the quote is good for 30/60 days. Happy moving
Linda
We moved 2 cars from NY to Oakland in Dec. and used DAS car shippers. They were fine, but... remove anything of value from the car before you send it. My husband's car was fine, but my CRV was ransacked inside; but both exteriors were perfect
Oakland newbie
Shipping a car to Africa
March 2006
Hello - My family is planning a move overseas (North Africa) in the next 6 months. We want to ship our car along with some small furniture items. Does anyone have experience in doing this? You can ship goods with your car, right? I have been looking online and it seems all the ships would leave from Southern California - are there any more local? What is a general cost and the length of time needed? Any compnay that you used that you really were happy with? If anyone could offer any advice/experience, we would appreciate it highly. We are thinking we need to get moving on this pertty soon......thanks, Jill Jill
Congratulations on starting this adventure with your family!! Your kids are very lucky to have this experience!
You don't mention whether you have experience living in Africa. I lived in Zimbabwe for 2 years, and found it much better to store my car here and buy another there, to sell before I returned (same as purchase price, 2 yrs later). A few reasons for this: (1) the country you live in may not be able to get spare parts for your car, even if it's something common like Mercedes or Volvo, as they will require expensive, time consuming, and hassle-laden importing. In Zim the import duty was 100% of the retail purchase price. (2) The mechanic may NOT be able to work on your car, but they will know the local vehicles. (3) you can easily purchase both pricey (Merc, Range Rover) and cheap, dependable cars (mine was Toyota station wagon), both new and used. No matter what country, there will be a community of embassy types and US accounting firm people who import, buy, and sell these cars. (4) After being in country for a while, you may find you need a different type of car than the one you own (my station wagon was useful for hauling chickens and goats and washing machines, without being a shiny target for carjackers), for example a Land Cruiser which is easily repaired in the bush and has 4WD. (5) Security may be quite different in country than here in US--write me and I can tell you more about this if you like. Basically, risk is much higher and police may be useless.
All this plus the cost and time of shipping (my shipment from Zim here took six months) made local purchase very practical. Happy to talk more by email if you like. All these concerns aside, you will have such special memories from this, and your kids will build special pieces of their personalities while you are there that will serve them well. Safe travels! Lisa
Someone to drive my car from NW to CA
March 2005
I am looking for a car mover - someone who will drive a car from NH to CA, instead of having it shipped. I can't find anything online - does anyone know of how to find such a thing? Thanks JY
I think those services are usually listed as ''drive-away'' companies. I can't vouch for the company, but this one popped up when I typed that in on Yahoo. http://www.driveaway.com/ You could start there...or look up ''drive-away'' in the yellow pages too.
Heidi
Reliable Auto Shipper?
May 2004
Can anyone recommend a reliable auto shipper? The most recent recommendation on the website is from 1999. Thanks! Katie
We were very happy with AAAdvantage Auto Transport http://www.carmoves.com/. You can arrange to have the car shipped on truck or, if you'd like to load the car down with cargo, you can have it driven. Two years ago, a cross-country drive away cost $795. Margaret
More advice about auto shipping
April 2004
We are planning to move from the Bay Area to Massachusetts this spring and are looking into shipping our Subaru (since we will be driving another vehicle.) I know that there's an archive about car movers on this network, but has anyone used the ship by rail method? I checked the instant quote and it was $695 for S.F. to Silver Spring MD which seems competitive with the truckers and possibly less likely to damage the car. Anyone have experience with this or have any recent experience good or bad with car moving? cross country mover
2003 & Earlier
June 1999
We're moving from Oakland to Virginia in June, and we're shipping our car. Both Mayflower and United moving companies recommended A. Anthony's (800-606-2006), which will do it for $895. (United said they'd charge $1400 or $1500 to do it themselves.) I haven't used them yet, so I don't know how it will work out, but this is the result of my research so far. Good luck!
From: Laura (3/99)
We found it cost roughly the same (if you figure driving your car costs at least $.35 a mile) and was a lot less nerve-wracking to have our Honda sedan shipped from Boston to San Francisco. We used Delancey Street , and it was $600 or $700. There are gobs of companies that ship cars. Just make sure they're insured as you need
From: Greg (3/99)
We had good luck with Dependable Auto Shippers , who shipped our '69 Squareback from Phoenix to Detroit about a year and a half ago. We experienced good customer service over the phone as we made the arrangements; much more professional than the twelve or twenty other outfits we called. We'll use them again this summer to ship our Squareback & our Bus to Berkeley. Here's the contact information:
http://www.dasautoshippers.com/ West Coast: (800) 826-1083 Fax (310) 719-9643 East Coast: (800) 626-2505 Fax (908) 474-8027 Postal address: 9208 Forney Rd., Dallas, TX 75227
From: Kathy (3/99)
We had a terrible experience shipping our car cross-country. We contracted with a company after carefully checking with several options. We took photos of the car as it was being loaded on the truck, did everything a prudent person would do. Then the vehicle took off. One thing that we hadn't realized was when the vehicle was delivered at the other end (Washington D.C.) the company contracted out with a local towing company to deliver the car to my husband. My husband was first suspicious when the local guy drove up IN our pathfinder - not towing it behind his truck. Then, the local delivery guy wouldn't take the cashier's check per the prior arrangements. When my husband refused to give the guy cold hard cash, the man took off driving our pathfinder - never to be seen again!!! The local towing company filed a police report for a stolen vehicle and then later tried to retract the report. They wanted my husband to file the police report so that they wouldn't be involved. My husband refused since the vehicle had never been returned to his possession. It was all miserable and difficult. p Our insurance company was great - and did pay us off after 30 days. But, fighting with both the primary delivery company and the local towing company was awful. Lots of letters flying around trying to cast blame elsewhere. Later when talking to a colleague here on campus I learned that her partner's entire law practice dealt with claims against cross-country car shipping companies!!!
The company's name is AAA Driveaway Truck and Transport. A piece of their letterhead also states that they are Agents for A-1 Auto Movers . I guess I would avoid both companies.
we used this service last year in 2021 when we purchased a used ‘west coast’ car for my mother-in-law who lives in florida. there are MANY bad actors in the moving business right now with such a huge exodus from california unfortunately. so i did a ton of due diligence to find these guys. they are in high demand but i will say worth their weight in gold. communication was stellar with us the senders and also with our brother-in-law who received it on the other end in florida. it was door to door service. gas prices are insane so it won’t be cheap but at least with this owner operator you’ll be dealing with someone of integrity. pro tip: put an apple air tag in the car and you can watch the progression in real time.
Praetorian Auto Transport
Est. 2019
Veteran owned and operated
Contact Mike for a quote! (760) 780-8123
mike runs out of hesperian, ca.
I may be showing my age here, but... Why not just hire someone to drive it across the US for you? They could get a free road trip and you could get your car to where it needs to be. Hey, maybe I want to do it! I could have a nice peaceful trip and go see some of my extended family on the east coast when I arrive. Then I fly back! Will you help my wife parent my kids while I'm gone? (kidding - sort of). If you don't want the miles put on the car then you're looking at $1,849 - $2,129, with Montway being the least expensive. I haven't actually tried any of these myself, but I put out the question to my real estate team and if any of our agents know something useful then I'm happy to let you (and the BPN community!) know. And if you've found out more info on this then please tell me so I can know for next time! 8^)
Thanks!
We transported a car last fall, although it was East Coast to West Coast. First you pick your broker and they let the transport companies and drivers know about your dates. The trucking companies will put a bid on the gig, and the broker lets you know about the best one and sets things up. The contract goes through the broker as well, and you have to pay a certain percentage for their services. It took about a week. One thing, though, the flat beds can't come into residential neighborhoods, so you have to meet them somewhere like a large parking lot. We had some logistical issues, so we had the driver Uber over to the pick-up spot and drive the car to the truck. The cost of the Uber was added on to the rest of the cost. The actual trucking company will let you know when your car has reached its general destination (city, region, whatever) and will call to set up a delivery time. Same thing applies. They won't deliver it to your door, you have to arrange to meet the truck. My biggest issue was the anxiety of picking a broker. After that, I communicated mostly with the driver, and it all worked out fine. Was about $1100 to go from MD to South Bay. May have changed depending on gas costs, etc. Good luck.
Hi, I used Dependable Auto Shippers to ship my car from East Coast to West Coast and had a good experience. The process was simple, the timing commitment was met, and my car had no damage. That was a while back, so I'd recommend checking recent reviews.
I recently used American Auto Transport to ship my car from Chicago to Berkeley. It was simple and quick. It cost about $1600.