How To Ship A Car To Another State
Moving to a new area means ensuring all of your belongings get there safely, especially your vehicle. Transporting your car from one city to another might be easy if you’re not moving across the country; in that case, all you’d have to do is drive your car. However, when you’re moving cross country, you might not want to rack up miles by driving your vehicle. Today we will discuss how to ship your car to another state and how to do it.
When Would You Ship A Car Instead Of Drive?
You can always drive your vehicle from one state to the next, but it might make more sense to ship your car instead.
Reasons you might choose to ship your vehicle are:
- To Keep Miles Off Of It: If you prefer to extend the life of your vehicle, you don’t want to put unnecessary miles on it.
- Safety Concerns: Nobody wants to drive in hazardous conditions, and driving cross country means being met with all types of weather. This is something that anyone living in St. Louis already knows.
- To Save Time: Driving a vehicle yourself can be time-consuming. Instead of dealing with getting your car to a new state, you can hop on a plane and arrive at your new home without worrying about how your car will get there.
- You Own More Than One Vehicle: One person can only drive one vehicle at a time, so if you’re moving two cars across the country, you can drive one and ship the other.
- Lack Of Insurance: If you don’t have car insurance for the vehicle yet, it’s best to stay off the road until you do. Driving without insurance can result in legal fees, and you’ll have to pay for damages out of pocket if you’re involved in a car accident.
Tips For Shipping A Car To Another State
Before you can start contacting shipping companies, there are a few things you need to consider.
Cost
Shipping your car when moving cross country is typically the most convenient option, but you might be wondering how much it will cost you. Unfortunately, there’s no way to know exactly how much it will cost until you contact a shipping company who will give you a quote. However, there are a few things you should know about what goes into the cost of shipping your vehicle. These include:
The Size Of The Vehicle
The size of your car is just one determining factor for how costly it will be to ship your vehicle.
Distance
How far you’re shipping your vehicle will also affect your cost. It is more expensive to ship a vehicle several states over than shipping a vehicle that’s being moved to a neighboring state. Most shippers charge per mile, and they all have varying rates. So if you are moving from St. Louis to Los Angeles it will cost a lot more than if you were moving from St. Louis to Chicago.
Pickup Location
Once your car is shipped, you’ll need to pick it up. Depending on the shipper you use, you may be able to have your vehicle shipped right to your new home. Additionally, it may be more expensive to get your car delivered to a remote location. If your delivery driver doesn’t have convenient food or lodging and must go out of their way, it could cost you more money based on the number of miles driven in total.
Vehicle’s Condition
Many car shipping companies specialize in shipping cars of a certain value, such as high-end vehicles or classic cars. Other companies will ship any car. Your car’s condition can impact the price you pay to have it shipped. For example, if your car is brand new, it will likely cost more than a vehicle that has a few scrapes and dings.
You have two types of shipping options when shipping your car to another state: open carrier and enclosed truck. Having your vehicle shipped in an enclosed truck can provide you peace of mind knowing rocks and debris from the road won’t cause any scrapes or dents, but it costs more. This type of shipping is typically best for high-end or expensive vehicles but isn’t necessary for old junk cars.
Saving Money
When shipping your car to another state, you want to save as much money as possible. You can find out if shipping is more cost-effective than driving your vehicle by calculating the cost of the expenses you’ll incur when driving a vehicle, including gas, snacks, or lodging. Knowing this number can tell you whether or not it’ll be cheaper to hire someone else to take the hassle out of getting your car to a new state or whether you should consider driving yourself.
If you decide to have your vehicle shipped, consider terminal-to-terminal shipping. With terminal-to-terminal, you drop your vehicle off at a specified terminal and pick it up at one that’s close to your new home. This option might not be for you if you’re moving to a remote location, but it is the cheapest option available from shippers.
Choosing The Right Shipper
There are many vehicle shippers out there to choose from, but it’s up to you to find the one you trust with your vehicle. You should always avoid working with a shipper that can’t give you a reasonably priced estimate based on several factors. When you call a shipper, they’ll try to get you a quote immediately by asking you questions about your vehicle, the location it’s being shipped to, and when you need it shipped.
You should also avoid working with a shipper just because they’re cheaper than everyone else. While you never want to overpay for shipping, you also don’t want a low-quality company shipping your vehicle because they might not take proper care of it.
You can learn more about a shipping company by researching them online. Most businesses have reviews either on their websites or Google profiles, so you can learn from past customers’ experiences.
Shipping Your Car
Ultimately, shipping your vehicle cross country will be much easier than driving it yourself. It will allow you to focus on your move rather than worrying about your car or getting to your new location on time. Working with a vehicle shipper makes moving cross country convenient and hassle-free. Be prepared to get free quotes to check the car shipping cost and compare car shipping services.
Be sure to speak with your insurance company and ask them if they have some of their own tips for shipping your vehicle across the country.