I just read the guide about shipping cars and the writer here was right on target. I've hauled cars from Maine to Oregon and about everywhere in between. Let me give you some insight here. First, when you decide to bid on a car find out if it's running or not. Second, check the paperwork as many states require titles - some don't. Then consider what the cost will be based on the mileage from the pickup point to the delivery point. I generally use Google maps as they seems to be more accurate than most.

Here's the kicker. If I have to go to some place like northern Montana or Idaho or Washington state to pick up your car or truck it's going to cost you more money - maybe a lot more money. The reasons are pretty simple. I can't wave a wand and mysteriously be there for a pick up. Most remote areas rarely if ever have a load going there, so somebody has to foot the bill to get there. This is called deadhead miles. People living in the far reaches of nowhere are finding they can now advertise and receive bids on a vehicle when for years they couldn't and had no way to dispose of them. Again - it's simply a matter of economics. That's why the vehicles are still in remote and desolate areas in the first place. It cost too much to haul them to the crusher and the other farmers/ranchers etc. didn't want them either! So they are still there and the owners are now hoping to sell them, get them off their property, and figure the buyer will pay high prices for the vehicle plus the shipping no matter what to get them home.

Many of these sellers think these old vehicles are worth a ton of money but when one adds the freight costs, the value comes way down if you want to sell AND have it delivered. Check the price of fuel, lodging, meals, vehicle maintenance, insurance, and add the time to drive there and back and you start to get the picture. The same applies if you live in the middle of nowhere and I have to bring it there. It costs money for me to get in there and then to get back to civilization (another pick up point). Sometimes another pick up may be 100's of miles away - for instance not long ago I had to go onto a reservation and it was nice scenery but it was almost a 100 miles in and a 100 miles out and that was after I got there. Then the vehicle wasn't bolted together and was stuck out in a field up to it's axles in dirt. All told - 6 hours loading time plus 6 hours in and out over mostly dirt and gravel roads. (Blocks, chains, winches - all of which I had but how many of you will carry them along?) The buyer wasn't aware of this or didn't tell me and wasn't happy when I told him the added cost. It basically cost me an extra day. I can't work for free and neither do you.

 When you win the bid on a vehicle don't try to make up additional savings or justify paying more than you wanted by beating up the hauler. Do your homework before you bid !! If the hauling cost isn't within your price range, look elsewhere. Don't be foolish enough to think you can go do a pick up and save money. Factor in the  items I described above (gas, maintenance, wear and tear, trailer rental @ $50/day, and so forth) then add to that your lost time from work, your days on the road, the cost of taking your pudgy buddy along with you - he'll eat a lot so double the man-hour expenses - tolls (and they are expensive), etc, etc. and the fact that you are travelling and paying expenses for twice the mileage. It is expensive and my costs are no different than yours. Of course if you need to get away from the wife for a few days, then maybe the expense isn't an expense after all! LOL!

One last thing to think about. When you get an online quote from DAS or any of the big haulers they are quoting you based on terminal to terminal moves. This means you deliver the vehicle to their terminal or have someone deliver it and you pick it up at their terminal on the other end. this may be a rather significant distance and an added expense. Their quotes assume that's it a normal running and driving vehicle and can be driven onto their rigs. Anything other than that is EXTRA - sometimes double the quote - so scroll down and look at what it costs additional for extras - top placement so your car doesn't get dripped on (they haul as many as 8 cars on a single rig), running or not, oversize vehicle, and of course the door to door surcharge. Add all of these things up and now you have somewhere near your cost factor. Little guys like myself can usually only haul only 1 or 2 vehicles at a time and yet our quotes are usually pretty competively priced. The DIFFERENCE is the personalized service you'll get with the little guys and as in any business, this can cost a bit more. But if you care about your new found friend, it'll be worth it and the delivery will generally be much quicker. Just some things to think about. Good luck with your bidding and I hope you enjoy restoring your old vehicles as much as I enjoy getting them to you. ---- billiardrules