Shipping
#1
Shipping
I wanted to get thoughts on shipping a Corvette I just bought. It’s a 2014 Premier edition in Utah going to NJ. I started looking at enclosed but most shippers are weeks out. Open would be sooner. Any reccomdations on a shipping company? Thanks!
Last edited by Vrunner; 01-12-2019 at 02:12 PM.
#2
Team Owner
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St. Jude Donor '13
There are lots of threads on this subject, Search is your friend. More correctly, Advanced Search.
Cliff's Notes:
Avoid brokers, or anyone who won't guarantee that they will own the truck and trailer being used. I can't emphasize that enough!
Avoid open transport in winter. We had our C6 shipped by a broker who promised enclosed but at the last minute stuck us with the choice of Open or cancel our trip. The car arrived covered with so much frozen mud you literally couldn't tell what color it was. Using the power wand at various car washes, after a dozen washes we were still getting mud running out the drain holes in the doors. Lots of paint chips, etc. When traded months later, we were still finding mud and road sand everywhere.
During summer, open shipping might be acceptable. Just maybe.
Car transport pickup/delivery schedules make airlines look reliable. They will give you a window for pickup/delivery, it's quite possible that either or both of those times will actually be several days or a week later than specified.
If you care about the car, insist on one of the big names and enclosed. Pay lots of money. Understand that the car will be picked up and delivered when convenient for the shipping company, not for you or the guy on the other end of the deal.
Sorry for the bad news...
Cliff's Notes:
Avoid brokers, or anyone who won't guarantee that they will own the truck and trailer being used. I can't emphasize that enough!
Avoid open transport in winter. We had our C6 shipped by a broker who promised enclosed but at the last minute stuck us with the choice of Open or cancel our trip. The car arrived covered with so much frozen mud you literally couldn't tell what color it was. Using the power wand at various car washes, after a dozen washes we were still getting mud running out the drain holes in the doors. Lots of paint chips, etc. When traded months later, we were still finding mud and road sand everywhere.
During summer, open shipping might be acceptable. Just maybe.
Car transport pickup/delivery schedules make airlines look reliable. They will give you a window for pickup/delivery, it's quite possible that either or both of those times will actually be several days or a week later than specified.
If you care about the car, insist on one of the big names and enclosed. Pay lots of money. Understand that the car will be picked up and delivered when convenient for the shipping company, not for you or the guy on the other end of the deal.
Sorry for the bad news...
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Avanti (01-12-2019)
#3
Race Director
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Location: Bonneville Salt Flats, 223mph Aug. '04
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...also, if you live in an "inconvenient" location, such as at the end of a dead-end street or down a curvy narrow one, expect to make arrangement to deliver where convenient for the shipper. the bigger the trailer, the more so. I've shipped a number of vehicles and have used the BIG national brands and owners of a single enclosed goose-neck trailers. The issue, from my experience, is the person doing the shipping (loading-unloading/driving). I don't know how to predict and control that other than word of mouth, perhaps. All the best. (p.s. I'd drive it or have a GOOD friend I trusted do so... just saying)
#4
Le Mans Master
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St. Jude Donor '15-'16,'18
I wouldn't use an open carrier this time of year. Intercity, Plycar, Reliable and Horseless Carriage are all highly rated. No brokers!
There are numerous small locally owned outfits with good reps. Call the local high end dealers and see if they know of one in your area. Good luck.
There are numerous small locally owned outfits with good reps. Call the local high end dealers and see if they know of one in your area. Good luck.
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MHE-Plex (01-18-2019)
#5
Thanks for the info. I did call a few of the big shippers but they are 4-6 weeks out. Looks like I may just fly out and drive it back. At least I can stop to wash it if needed, just hope not to run into any snow! Lol
#8
Safety Car
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St. Jude Donor '12
Well Barrett Jackson car auction is going on now and all the big car carriers are committed to that location so my guess is you will be at least 1 month out for service from any of the big carriers. I went through this last year during their BJ auction, I needed a new vette picked up in the bay area and brought to Arizona, a pretty short run and the big guys were all at least 1 month out.
#9
Race Director
Most good auto transporters are busy resulting in 2>6 weeks waits, depending on ship from/ship too routes. I would be more concerned with finding a good, reliable transporter than timing/costs. There's many threads on this subject here and many horror stores.
I've used several of the top transporters over the years and found Intercity to be the best. As others have mentioned, stay away form brokers. You want your car to stay on one truck with same driver/driver team from pickup to delivery, not jockeyed
from truck to truck, from driver to driver all over the country. I don't use open trailer as your risks go up, especially this time of year.
Good luck
I've used several of the top transporters over the years and found Intercity to be the best. As others have mentioned, stay away form brokers. You want your car to stay on one truck with same driver/driver team from pickup to delivery, not jockeyed
from truck to truck, from driver to driver all over the country. I don't use open trailer as your risks go up, especially this time of year.
Good luck
#11
Instructor
If you check out my recent posts you will find names and contact numbers for two independent transporters, non brokers, single car enclosed carriers located in Penn. As I noted I used one of them to transport my C7 and he did a great job at a very reasonable price. Congrats on the vette and good luck with the transport.