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Anyone Ever Hire A Transporter to Ship Their Car?


Bark

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I'm looking to purchase a car and I will more than likely have to have it transported to me. I'm looking at hiring a personal transporter to get the car for me but I'm looking for someone reputable and fair on price.

I can hire one through the broker I use for work but they sub contract the job out, over charge for a single unit, and most of their sub-hires barely speak English and have little regard for the vehicle they transport.

So I'm looking for suggestions from you guys. I'm sure a number of you have had your cars shipped in and have had both good and bad results. I am all ears for your referrals and also who to stay away from.

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I used Pilot Transport and this company is used by Honda to transport prototypes and production cars. They transported my new Z06 in an enclosed stacker from New Hampshire. The car was delivered unscathed.
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I used DAS Auto (eBay-recommended shipper) back in 2007 to ship my tee-ruk from L.A. to FL. It was over a week late because no one followed instructions to press a glow-plug button while starting (diesel, obviously) so they killed the battery at a couple of stops. Cost for the privledge? $700.

 

It's the Wal*Mart of shippers. Probably wouldn't use it for anything of over $5,000 in value.

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Intercity Lines -

 

Pro's: Fantastic job with the car, personable truck drivers, the feedback from both myself and the person I bought the car from was that they treat every car like it's worth a million bucks. Covered in plastic if on the bottom to make sure no leaks happen, etc. Trucks are first rate equipment. I also found them to be reasonably priced within the providers that were proving that level of service for the vehicle. Comparing to open transport they are obviously quite a bit more expensive.

 

Cons: Were not able to keep a schedule, were not good with communications when there were delays. Until the driver called me telling me he was a day out I had like 2 weeks where I had to call them if I wanted any info. Total time of delivery from Portland to Columbus was over 7 weeks all said and done.

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I've had nothing but bad experiences, this is why I will either fly out or get a rental car and drive it myself... I hate relying on other people, even more so when you pay them and they cannot hold up to their end of the deal. I would suggest doing something similar
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Intercity Lines -

 

Pro's: Fantastic job with the car, personable truck drivers, the feedback from both myself and the person I bought the car from was that they treat every car like it's worth a million bucks. Covered in plastic if on the bottom to make sure no leaks happen, etc. Trucks are first rate equipment. I also found them to be reasonably priced within the providers that were proving that level of service for the vehicle. Comparing to open transport they are obviously quite a bit more expensive.

 

Cons: Were not able to keep a schedule, were not good with communications when there were delays. Until the driver called me telling me he was a day out I had like 2 weeks where I had to call them if I wanted any info. Total time of delivery from Portland to Columbus was over 7 weeks all said and done.

 

Holy shit!! :eek: That's terrible.

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Where's the car at?

 

I dont have a specific car but most of the cars I have been locating are in the southern states (Florida, Georgia, Alabama...) I am tempted to fly down so I can inspect the car thoroughly before committing to buy it but it would also be a whole day of driving to bring the car back. I guess it depends on exactly where the car is as to whether or not I fly.

Thanks for the transport reviews, keep them coming. I expected all the bad along with the good. I hire commercial transporters everyday and its a nightmare sometimes

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Holy shit!! :eek: That's terrible.

 

Somewhat in their defense...I purchased a car the same week of Barrett Jackson's Florida auction that year. So the majority of their trucks were in Florida transporting cars to and from the auction. Still I was quoted 3-4 weeks and they nearly doubled the high side of their timeline.

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I'll find out who my buddy used when he moved out here. His car is nothing special but they picked it up in Los Angeles right before New Year's had had it here in Cbus the exact day they promised, and his car was the last on their schedule (aka more opportunities for delays and fuckups).

 

Something to consider, since I know we have a number of people who work at dealerships here, if you have them ship to a car dealer rather than a private address, they are MUCH more likely to take you very seriously as they see it as an opportunity to earn repeat business. The example I used above listed my dealer as the ship to address and they called me a several times to confirm we'd be open and to let me know they'd be on time. Very professional treatment.

 

EDIT: The same goes for pricing. Most people only buy a car or two every few years and they probably won't ship every one of them. A high volume dealer may need their services many times a year so they'll cut us a break.

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I used DAS back in the day and was rather pleased with the experience. Shipped a car from Cali to Columbus on an enclosed trailer with insurance and tracking for a reasonable price. It was on time and no issues during shipment.
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http://cdn.gowatchit.com/posters/original/TheTransporter-PosterArt.jpg

 

I think of Jason Statham every time I use the word transporter but I'd like to receive my car in one piece so he's out.

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You know if it's far il road trip it with ya joe, il ask Clayton if he has any recommendations

 

Take a rental car there and drive the new one back! Cheaper than a plane ticket but up to 24 hours of driving! I've never done a road trip

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Take a rental car there and drive the new one back! Cheaper than a plane ticket but up to 24 hours of driving! I've never done a road trip

 

Few years ago, I picked up a truck in Atlanta, and it was way cheaper for a one way flight than the rental car route. However, I was flying into a major airport.

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Few years ago, I picked up a truck in Atlanta, and it was way cheaper for a one way flight than the rental car route. However, I was flying into a major airport.

 

I will definitely check into flying in if I make a purchase. I prefer to inspect the car before handing over a check anyways. If I can make it back in a days drive it may not be too bad.

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