Just wondering b/c I might do this sometime soon(well i think 2yrs will come by fast). If i were to buy a car say 800miles away and i DONT want to drive that car home. Whats the best way to get this babie home besides shipping throw auto shipping places? Cheapest way? For sure I will drive there(test drive & inspect). Rent a flatbed? If i were to tow it home, is it ok to tow with those towing that lifts the front of the car up only? I mean, since the car will be in neutral and the drivetrain will be spinning will that increase the mileage on the car since the wheels are spinning? FYI: this will be a Subaru AWD.
yea, all 4 wheels need to be up for sure if you're towing it 800 miles. truck and trailer or pay a car transport service. why don't you want to drive it back? floor it and black out?
If i black out flooring it, its ok. But if the Subie black out in the middle of no where, that'll be bad. My tools are at home. I'm not gonna carry 500lb tools with me. Mine as well drive it then.
If you are going to ship the car, find a company who actually does the shipping. There are severl brokers who pop up online right away like Auto Transport Direct and DAS Auto Shippers who do not actually ship your car. They are brokers who find a shipper to move your car. They add a substantial fee to the price, and often can be a serious pain to deal with. For instance, I was quoted $450 by Auto transport Direct to move my car from Kansas, and going directly through a shipper was $340. Also, I was talking directly to the guy who was driving the truck with my car on it.
If it's only 800 miles, drive it back.....3 tanks of gas vs $300-400 to have it shipped. No brainer, imho.
In my case, lack of time and the higher opportunity cost of going there to get it made shipping it a no-brainer
True, that's would I would possibly do as well (time is $$$, y0). However, ej20 said that he would plan to drive out to go and look at it (and therefore would have to drive back), hence my suggestion.
yeah, just fly to the location and drive it back. try to pick a car in a large populated area to get better flight prices.
driving it back is your best bet. Make sure to have money set aside in case you need to have work done.
That. Fedex and Reliable carriers are probably the cream of the crop in term of shippers (they both use thier own equipment). Both are shockingly expensive. But don't cheap out on this type of thing. the "best" option that isn't driving is find a truck and a trailer. You cannot probably rent a tow vehicle short of a moving truck. The regular rental places won't allow you to tow with thier trucks.
what I dont understand is.. like Tom mentioned.. he is gonna take the trip out there.. rent a flatbed (so who is gonna drive the friggin flatbed) and then what!! please.. we need bacon or this thread is doomed
800 miles is nothing to get a car. drive there with truck and trailer, then drive back with your car. thats only 9-10 hours of driving each way.
I drove with Mike to Chicago to get a pair of Datsuns. Paid him for the gas. Definately cheaper to go pick it up or drive it home.
"Quality" of the shipper depends on the shipper itself, and their experience. A guy with a 20 year old rig could give you better "quality" than some corporate jockey with a brand new machine.
same as my shad0wz, flew to NJ and drove back home....but before home we went to buffelo see to nigara falls...estimated 2500 miles from the trip....
yep... flew to Florida to buy my Foz... Hadnt even seen the car bar a pic... drove it home.. no issues over a year later..
I have bought 3 cars out of state...driven 2 back (Chicago and Cleveland) and had one shipped in from New Jersey ($600)...good point about opportunity cost re time spent "fetching" the car. I would ship.
It all comes down to your own situation. In my case I wasn't about to drive a low RWD thru the moutains in early spring where there was still snow. The seller offered to help cover half the transport fee. He was very concerned about making sure his baby made it safely to my door step. My situation may be a little unique but not uncommon since I still keep in contact with my seller about his old car. But IMO depending on the time of the year and the distance, type of vechicle, do some research and you'll have your answer. Personally I would of liked to enjoy a drive back. But its sometimes better to play it safe than to be sorry. LOL Good luck! Cheech
reason why i want to ship/tow the car b/c it will be a swapped engine impreza and dont want to deal with any problems(incase there's any) b/c you'll never know when/where those kinda project cars would let you down. Its just to be on the safe side.
Thats what I was thinking. Maybe I can ask my buddy to use his 07 Dodge Ram Hemi(400hp+) if he's cool.
If I were that worried about the reliability of something not making an 800 mile drive i don't think I'd be buying it in the first place.
