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Vehicle transport service?


LauraB

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I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with using a vehicle transport service?  (That may not be the best description for the service I'm seeking.)  MrB and I need to have a vehicle driven or otherwise transported to Raleigh-Durham because, due to scheduling, we are unable to drive it ourselves.  Way back in the dark ages (the 1980s) I moved from San Francisco to DC and drove across the country with a friend in a vehicle that had been consigned to us by a service that matched people needing to have a car transported with people who needed a car to drive.  (We lucked out -- we were assigned a brand-new black Mercedes.)  I'm wondering if such services still exist and how I could go about finding one -- what search terms would I use?  Thanks for any advice you have.

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Here's a site I found if you want your car driven by someone. http://www.professionaldrivers.com/car-transport/compare-services/ I don't have any experience with that.(I googled "car transport service driving")

Your other option is truck transport, and I have used that type of service. I suppose it depends how much risk you're willing to take and how much you want to spend.

I used www.shipacardirect.com, and while the experience was good in the beginning, it ended rather poorly.

In order to hire a vehicle transport service, you'll have to find a service to arrange shipment. The service providers don't ship the cars, but they arrange shipment with a network of carriers. Essentially, they post transport requests, and then interested companies contact them to arrange pick-up and delivery. My "broker" worked from home. Pickup and delivery dates depend on many factors, but it's fairly expeditious when large cities are involved. You'll generally be given a window, and then the driver himself will call you ahead of time (if you are lucky).

Lesson learned: my car suffered wheel and tire damage that I did not notice until I took my car in for routine service. Ordinarily, you have to document any damage immediately, but in this case, the damage was difficult to notice. Important: the vehicle transport service will only pay for damage the carrier does not cover, so you really have to deal with the carrier first. Of course, they don't tell you that up front, and they provide meaningless promises. I got the runaround and eventually gave up, since I wasn't able to take "before" pictures, and the carrier did not respond to my requests for the ones they were supposed to take.

One question: who is receiving your car? You really have to have someone there to sign for it, check for damage, etc. 

Good luck!

 

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My son just had his SUV shipped to my house in Annapolis from Tampa.  There   the actual transporter as well as the arranger.  Car was delivered off off a huge trailer with no damage.  I was able to inspect car before signing for ut.

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Matt used one to deliver his fancy porsche from California.  I am not sure which company he used, but it was one of the fancier ones that is enclosed, I think maybe it was Reliable, or A1.  You might not need something that fancy, it was a convertible with no real roof, so he had to have covered.

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52 minutes ago, Keithstg said:

I've used Trevino Trucking (trevinotrucking.com) to deliver vehicles ranging from a Grand Wagoneer to a Volvo P1800 to a 356 cabriolet. They do a great job - something to consider.

Yes, the Grand Wagoneer.  (I guess the 356 is nice too, hahahhaa)

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Thanks everyone for all of this great advice.  I looked into several options and most were incredibly expensive.  In the end, we decided that it made the most sense for MrB to fly back to DC and drive the car to Raleigh himself -- it's only a 4-hour drive.

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On 2/27/2017 at 7:29 AM, LauraB said:

Thanks everyone for all of this great advice.  I looked into several options and most were incredibly expensive.  In the end, we decided that it made the most sense for MrB to fly back to DC and drive the car to Raleigh himself -- it's only a 4-hour drive.

Laura, I can help you with restaurants in Raleigh and Durham - start here.

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