Shipping a car can feel like a daunting process. There are many considerations that you need to keep in mind when you are planning your car transport needs. One of the biggest concerns people have is the cost. Although it’s expensive to transport your car to a new location with a car transport company, there are some ways that you can save money.
Driving your car yourself is almost always the least attractive option for relocating your car. This is because the wear and tear on your car, plus the inconvenience can add up to a trip. It is, therefore, better to have someone else do it for you. There is often no difference in cost between driving your car yourself to your new home or having a car transport company take care of the trip for you.
If you have wanted to plan to have your car transported but are worried about how much it will cost you, you need to read on!
How to Reduce Car Transport Costs
There are some easy ways that you can save some money on your car’s transport to your new home. These are often simple considerations to have in mind during any time of the year. Also, they will often be available for any kind of trip as well.
1. You Can Save on Shipping Your Car with the Right Timing
The biggest factor in the cost of transport is often cost. The cost for your car to be transported will spike during peak seasons when travel is the most in-demand. You will find that the summer is the worst time to plan to move your car to a new location since that is when most people try to undertake a move to a new location. This is particularly true if you are moving more than a few states away.
When you choose a transport time that is less than ideal, like the fall or the spring, you can often save a lot of money. Do be aware that transporting your car in the dead of winter will also be quite expensive and could also be a slow process due to tough weather in mountain passes. The ideal times of the year to save money are almost always going to be the spring and the fall. This is because this is when most transport companies are not booked full of jobs.
2. Use The Terminal-to-Terminal Option
Many people are not aware that you can actually choose not to have your car picked up and dropped off at your address. This is the way that most people choose to transport their vehicles, but there is another option that can actually save you quite a bit of money.
When you use terminal-to-terminal transport, you will drive your car to the terminal nearest you to be loaded onto the truck that is taking it to your new home. The vehicle will be delivered to the corresponding terminal near your new address. This is much easier for the transport company and can cut lots of miles out of your trip which in turn saves you money.
This option requires planning to make sure you have transport to and from the terminal at both ends of the transport. With ride-sharing and other options, this can readily be resolved in most cases. There are often terminals that are quite close to your new address as well. Hence, why this option is much less inconvenient than people sometimes think.
This can be a great way to save money on your car’s transport job, and it can be easier overall. It can be difficult and expensive to get a large car trailer into a narrow residential street. Therefore, there are often times when the drive from the terminal is too short to justify hiring a professional.
3. Be Flexible With Car Shipping Dates to Save Money
Car transport companies tend to offer you pickup and drop-off at locations, but this can add cost to your quote. If you work with the dates that work best for the transport company, it will save you money overall. This might mean that you will be without a car for a few more days than you expected. However, allowing the transport company to select pick-up and drop-off dates is often a great way to save money.
This is a good way to make sure that your car is not drug through a bunch of other stops. Especially situations where it is unloaded and put back onto the trailer to get other cars out of the way. In some cases, the terminal where your car is delivered or picked up can hold your car for a day or two. Although, you will have to arrange this in advance.
This helps match dates that don’t match availability, and you can easily save this money. Always ask about the most expedient dates for picking up your car. Also, ask for the options for storage if you need it for a few days.
4. Pick Open Transport Trailers
When you have a classic car or a sports car to transport, this might not be a good option for your needs. However, for a daily driver, there is no reason that you cannot select an open car trailer for your car’s trip. This does mean that your vehicle will be exposed to the weather. Also, the chance for road debris to chip or damage its paint, but these risks are usually minimal overall.
When you choose an open trailer, the cost will be split between all vehicles on the trailer. When you pick an enclosed trailer for your car’s transport, your car might be the only one that is covering the cost of the trip. These trailers cannot handle very many cars at once, so you will always pay more for this kind of trip than for an open trailer.
5. Ship More Than One Car
If you have more than one car to be moved, you can get a discount if you ship them at once. This is common to most car transport companies, and it can benefit everyone. Getting a multi-car discount makes it more affordable for you to get your cars to your new home. Additionally, you will not have to figure out how to move part of your cars on your own.
This kind of choice can be a really great way to save money if you choose the terminal-to-terminal option. Anytime that you can save your transport company miles and time, you will end up saving money on your quote.
6. Make Sure to Get Multiple Vehicle Transport Quotes for the Best Value
This is the most important choice to make that will allow you to save money on your car transport needs. You should always make sure to get quotes from at least a few companies. This is so that you do not pick the most expensive option that you are offered for the job. Most companies will be within a few hundred dollars of each other. Therefore, choose the one that is worth your money and gives the best deal on the trip for your needs.
Be wary of really cheap options as these might be scams. You also have to be sure that the company is properly insured and licensed. You do not want anything bad to happen to your vehicle when it is being transported. Therefore, be sure not to spend an arm and a leg on the trip if you don’t have to.
Transporting Your Car Doesn’t Have to be Expensive
If you have been dreading the cost of transporting your car, you should stop worrying so much now that you have learned how to save some money. You may not be able to control the timing of the move. Nevertheless, you can choose to use the more affordable options discussed here, such as terminal-to-terminal transportation for your car trip. There’s no reason not to get more quotes when you’re planning your auto shipping to make sure you don’t end up paying too much for the work done.
Transporting your car from one place to another can be much simpler when you do not do the job yourself. You will also be freed up to take care of other move considerations and worries when you aren’t concerned about driving your car to your new home. Transporting your car can be a very easy and painless process. You will be able to save a lot of money if you take the time to use these tips and tricks the next time you need to transport a car.
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