For most of us, shipping our car is not something we will do very often in our lifetime. It’s a new experience for many, and somewhat stressful when you think about putting one of your most expensive assets in someone else’s care. We’ve put together a list of 7 important things you should remember when preparing to ship your car.

1. Choose a Trustworthy and Knowledgeable Auto Transport Company: For most people, their auto is one of the most important and precious items they own. With the average price of new cars costing more than $29,000, it’s no wonder people consider them valuable. Add to that the cost of yearly insurance and it’s not hard to imagine that if someone is going to ship their car, they want to choose a reputable and experienced car shipping company.

2. Make Sure You Have Your Car When You Need It: This means allowing enough time for the vehicle to be picked up and transported from one location to the next. Making your reservation two weeks before the car is to be picked up is a good rule of thumb. Giving the auto transport company at least a week to make the delivery is average, but it can take up to 10 days to go coast to coast.

3. Make Sure You Understand the Shipping Quote: By this we mean, how long do you have to make a decision after you receive a quote on the cost of shipping your car, boat or other vehicle? Our shipping quotes are good for 30 days.

4. What Type of Vehicle Transport Service Do You Need: Do you have a classic car or an oversized vehicle, like a boat? Do you need to get your vehicle from one location to the next in a hurry? We have four types of vehicle transport services to serve your needs.

5. Storage or Door-to-Door Service: Some auto transport companies pick up a car with one carrier, drop it off at a car terminal or lot, and then have it picked up by another carrier. Sometimes this happens once, sometimes more often, during the shipping process. We don’t do this (unless there is a problem with a drop off, or if the customer requests a car be dropped off at a terminal or lot). We use one carrier that goes from your pick up location to your drop off location. This minimizes the chances of damage to your vehicle and the time that it takes for your vehicle to be delivered.

6. Always Review Your Bill of Lading: This is basically a contract, a receipt and checklist all rolled into one document. It states the condition of your car when it is picked up (noting any pre-existing damage and the odometer reading), the cost of the delivery, and the estimated pick up and drop off dates.

7. Always Remove Personal Items and Turn Off the Alarm: We are not responsible for personal belongings left inside the car or the trunk and we cannot have the alarm accidentally activated!

For well over a decade now (plus a few more years), there is one week in August when classic car owners and lovers alike descend upon “The Biggest Little City” the West has to offer – Reno, NV.  If you innocently happen to visit the area without prior knowledge of the event that takes place during this week of August, you just might think you hit a time warp and were sent back a handful of decades.  Nearly every parking lot and street is filled with classic hot rods, roadsters and cruisin’ automobiles that are shined and waxed so they glisten in the lights of the city. Hot August Nights is the car show of all car shows in the West and if you are anyone in the classic car community, then you make plans a year in advance to attend.

Over 800,000 people attend Hot August Nights either by participating in the car show, or many of the other events that take place throughout the week, or they are just one of many spectators who love to indulge in the overwhelming amount of eye candy offered throughout the city during the event.

If you live near Reno, then you notice about 3-4 days before the event the highways and byways start to look like something from the 50’s and 60’s with these spiffed up classics traveling down the road to their destination. Some are driven, some towed behind on trailers, but the most valuable are carried via car shipping companies in enclosed car transport trucks to ensure they arrive safely, in near mint condition.

It’s not too late to plan on attending the event. Hot August Nights is planned for August 1st – 8th. There are still some somewhat less than reasonable hotel rates, and maybe one or two reasonable ones up for grabs.  On top of getting to see thousands of classic cars on the streets of Reno, there are also other fun events planned for visitors including a sock hop, Silver Car Auction so you can snatch up your own classic for next year’s event, concerts, organized cruises, a swap meet and much more.  For more details, visit the official Hot August Nights website.

Most people, when they think about an auto transport company, may be under the impression that shipping a car is only done when a person is moving long-distance from one locale to another. However, we know that this is not always the case! We can think of at least 3 reasons why you might need to use us to ship your car this summer.

1. Car Show: You’ve got a mint condition classic car and you’re taking it to an auto show. If it’s a local auto show, driving your beauty to the show location shouldn’t be a problem. But what if it’s the Autorama – World of Wheels – Cavalcade of Customs car show in Houston, Texas and you live in Portland, Maine? Are you really going to want to drive your baby all that way? We didn’t think so. Enclosed car shipping would be the perfect solution to get your classic car there, safely and in time to show it off.
2. College-bound Child: Let’s say your daughter is going away to college this fall and even though you trust her on the road, you don’t trust other drivers. Let’s also say that the college she’s going to is 2,000 miles away from where you live. Do you really want her driving all that way by herself? Do you really want to drive all that way with her, and then have to fly back? Wouldn’t it be easier to load her car onto a reliable auto transport truck and have it delivered safely to her? We thought so.
3. Extended Vacations: Summer time is a time for relaxing, having fun and traveling, right? Going on vacation and having a car to drive while you’re away from home is nice. But renting a vehicle can get expensive, especially if you’re going to be away for an extended period of time. Having your own vehicle might be less hassle and less expense than renting one. Using a reliable car transport company to ship your car to your destination may be the best way to avoid rental car issues and save you time and expense, plus wear and tear on your vehicle.

Can you think of other reasons why you might need to use an auto transport company to ship your vehicle this summer (or any other season, for that matter)? We’d love to hear from you!

1. Believing the cheapest auto shipping quote is the best

There are many corrupt or non trustworthy companies in the car transport industry. The car transport industry as a whole has got a bad reputation from these companies. Many of these non-reputable car transporters will “low ball” auto shipping quotes in order to get a customer’s business. The customer will see these quotes as the best value for their dollar. However, the customer is unaware that these types of car transport companies have no real intention of shipping their vehicle at the stated price. They now have bid the vehicle too low to get it moved in a timely fashion. After the vehicle has not moved for an extended period of time, they will call the customer back with some excuse (fuel prices have went up, driver is asking for more money, we made a mistake on the bid, etc.). They will tell the customer they need more money to move the vehicle. This is called back ending the customer. This is the same method that bad construction contractors use on clients. They bid the job low and then tell the client there have been some unexpected expenses, which raises the cost. Using car transport companies like this will usually end up costing you more than a reliable company that had a higher starting quote.

2. Signing a contract with an auto transport company

Most customers do not realize the best car transporters do not use contracts. Yes, you heard correctly. In the car transport industry, contracts are used to protect the company, not the customer. The primary purpose of a contract in this industry is to excuse the company of any damage to vehicles and to allow them to keep a customers deposit even if the car is never shipped. Yes, they want to keep your money even if they did not ship your car. This problem can be avoided by understanding the deposit process described in mistake number three.

3. Giving a deposit when you place your vehicle shipping order

In most cases, if a car transport company is asking for a deposit when you place your order, they are not a good company. These same companies will ask you to sign a contract with them. In the fine print of the contract, it will say the deposit you have just given them is non refundable even if your vehicle is never moved. However, there are exceptions to the rule. There are reputable car transport companies that collect the full vehicle shipping price, not a deposit, when a customer places an order. Another acceptable method is to collect a deposit, not when the automobile transport order is placed, but when a pickup date has been scheduled.

4. Selecting a car transport company without doing research

The easiest way to not waste time or money when choosing a car transport company is to do some research. If you have a friend or family member that has shipped cars before, ask them for a referral. If you are buying a car from a dealer, they will most likely have a car transporter they use on a regular basis. If you are moving your home, ask your home movers who they use for vehicle shipping. All of these referral sources are good methods to find a reputable car transport company. The Better Business Bureau also is a good place to find a solid company. There are a couple of automobile transport review sites on the web that allow customers to rate their experiences with car transport companies. These websites are often owned by companies that have a vested interest in other for profit auto transport industries. The best external, non partial review site is the BBB.