Shipping car in a cheap way

There is no universal way of shipping cars for cheap as there are a huge number of factors affecting the final price. Here we gathered the most common tips to save your budget when arranging your vehicle’s transportation.

Destinations’ spots

There are two ways of transportation and each one has its advantages and disadvantages:

• Terminal-to-terminal is definitely the cheapest car shipping service in regards to what you are paying to the carrier. But you will need to spend your time and money on the fuel to leave your car at the terminal in the original place and pick it up at the destination terminal (it also can be a port or the office depending on particular locations). This option is also not recommended for expensive cars as traditional carrier’s insurance in this case covers only terminal-to-terminal distance, so in case of any troubles or accidents before and after it will fully lay on your expenses;
• Door-to-door service will be slightly more expensive but it may be worth it in regards to your convenience and calmness. The carrier will pick up and drop off your car at the spots you requested and will take full responsibility within the whole trip. The only detail to be considered here is the physical possibility of the massive transportation truck to reach these destinations. You always need to remember about the size of the truck to make sure it will not cause essential troubles. Insurance will cover all the way so you don’t need to worry about this either.

Transport type

Depending on your own car’s value a cheap car transportation can not always be the best solution. And here is why:

• Open method is quite famous and popular among 96 percent of the cars’ owners. It is pretty cheap even for door-to-door service, quite fast as you don’t need to wait for a long while other customers will apply for the same service and it covers a great number of destinations. Normally, daily transportation companies are sending enough open trucks to make sure you will find the one with appropriate locations;
• Enclosed methods hardly can be called a cheap way to ship a car as adding up to 60 percent to the basic quota. But it will definitely be worth it in case of the exclusive and rare cars whose values are more than 100,000 USD. There is no doubt that any scratch or dent caused by natural reasons (like a bird encountering the window or a sudden hail) will cost you much more than the open transportation insurance can cover. Additionally, in some cases you can not even choose the open transport, so the enclosed one is your only option. For example, if your car has a very low road clearance or it’s non-operable and requires it to be loaded by liftgates.

Additional advices

Beside these basic factors there are still some other tips to arrange a car shipping for cheap.

1. Choosing an appropriate season. It can be a pity to pay 200-300 USD extra just for a busy season as it’s not affecting the quality and speed of the service. So, it’s better to avoid high seasons like summertime, holidays and other reasons of high demand of the customers. For example, in regards to the U.S. a high season also means an autumn period for North-to-South transportation’s direction as a lot of people are moving there.
2. Flexibility. There is no doubt that if you are requiring a very limited time or a specific date for the delivery, it may cost you a significant extra fee. For example, it can occur that on that particular date there are no other orders in the destination you are applying for, so the driver will have to make a huge loop. And all the fuel and time expenses will be obviously included in your final bill. Being able to shift the dates within a month will help you to arrange a cheap shipping of the cars;
3. Comparing the prices. It’s always better to choose a couple of the carriers you trust (according to the customers’ reviews and the reputation itself) and to compare their offers in regards to the prices and conditions provided.

Looking for a cheap price for a car’s transportation, it’s always recommended to look at the whole picture. Sometimes the consequences of a low price can negatively affect the quality of service and the security of transportation. It is especially important in case of new or expensive cars as well as across the whole country.