Car transportation/shipping?

I have purchased a 2007 CS out of state. It is close to the time when I will have it shipped to me here in the northeast from Illinois. I will be shipping it open trailer. That decision has been made. I have quotes from a few companies. Moverjet, Get Carrier, Elite. Montway. They are all about the same price. In the $700-$750 range. This works with my budget. I was wondering if anyone here has had experience with any of these. Also looking for recommendations. TIA, Graham

Take pictures beforehand, especially the front cowl/underbody. Make sure they have the proper ramps (extenders to reduce the angle), or they could damage the above mentioned area when they unload. Ask to not have it loaded in the front over the cab, where it will take the brunt of highway debris. I had my 08 CS shipped from AZ to So Cal, and took a rock chip to the windshield due to the front position I believe. I did not have pictures of the undercarriage, and the spoilers were scraped, so I had no recourse at delivery. Good luck! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's important to remember that most of the companies that take moves on the internet are simply brokers and have little to no control over what the actual independent shippers do with your car. There are good and bad shippers, but since you're not directly contracting with them you have no control of what one you actually get. The brokers also have a habit of washing their hands of any problems that might come up and refer you back to the driver/operator/shipper who moved the car. I'd suggest checking and getting a copy of any insurance they claim to have, and fully documenting the car condition before shipping starts. Going enclosed shipping is MUCH safer IMHO..

Excellent advice. The dealer I am buying from ships out a lot of cars. He is well versed in overseeing the loading. Supervises and takes photos. I will of course be meeting the car on this end to do the same. I like the advice regarding the location on the trailer.

Helpful info. Unfortunately enclosed shipping is out of my $$$ range.

There are very few companies out there that actually own the trucks, the ones that do are typically significantly more expensive to use. I recently used Montway to ship enclosed from Vegas to Connecticut and was happy with the result although the above advice is very accurate, most brokers will do their best to avoid any responsibility if/when an issue arises. It's the nature of the game.

Don't be afraid to get an enclosed quote. They cost nothing. Further rates change all the time! you might get lucky on a dead head carry. I shipped a car enclosed with Intercity, from Utah to Calif. Their rate was only $400 more than open carrier rate from others. Enclosed pretty much eliminates any kind of damage. I used to use open carries, I would never go back!

Did you buy from a dealership? I bought my ‘14 Boxster S from a dealer and had it shipped. I asked them for a private shipper they use and trust. It was a tad more expensive than the names you quoted but no issues in transit.

I purchased a 2007 Cayman S in August 2019 from a dealer in Aurora, IL and had it shipped in a closed trailer to the panhandle of Florida. I was very concerned about a hail storm that might assault the car which was in excellent condition, it arrived in the same excellent condition with excellent communication from both the company "Autobahn Transport Ph [phone removed], and the driver. It cost me $1,600 and I felt it was well worth it, as I received the car in a short amount of time once I contracted to have it shipped. Some shippers will wait until they have a full load before they will come to your area, in my case this was not an area that normally was on their list of destinations. Hope this helps!!!

I used Montway, enclosed from South Carolina to NJ, it was $1,000 and well worth it. Car got delivered in pristine condition. It was good experience and I would use Montway again.

Illinois to the NE should be significantly less. Car Shipping Cost: Never base shipping a car on price alone - Intercity Lines

I just purchased a 2011 987.2 and went through days of getting quotes and doing research. What a nightmare. As mentioned above, most of these companies are brokers with no control over the drivers. I finally decided to go with Intercity Lines Inc. - enclosed. It was a little more, but if it's good enough for Jay Leno and Wayne Carini, it's certainly good enough for me. Also, I value my sleep.

Ever watch the TV show 'Shipping Wars'? I recommend a one-way plane ticket and a weekend drive. Cost should be about 50% of the trailer delivery. Plus, with spring arriving, you'll get a good road-trip with the car (unless this is to be a garage queen).

ABSOLUTELEY......this would be my option but it's easier when you live on a little island called the UK

I use Inter City Lines. Company owned rigs 100% !!!! Driver employees. Only enclosed. Worth every penny!

I'll add a vote for Intercity Lines. I have shipped a few times, and used Intercity this last time (early March, 2021) for a closed van from CA to ME. Car was loaded in front row of lower level and never touched until it was here in Maine as last car to come off. When side door opened, all I could see was a plastic covered blob, which was a waterproof cover. Under that cover was a fitted fabric cover, and under that was a car that looked as if just leaving the detailer. Truck had to sit out a full day in Colorado due to storms, and in general had a messy, stormy trip, so the closed van and protective covers really paid off. Intercity owns the closed vans (that's all they use) and contracts long term with tractor owner/drivers. Tractors are painted and decorated to match, so it all looks like owned by Intercity. Best shippers I have seen. My son shipped a pristine 2014 911 CS 7MT Cab from Texas to MA using a broker recommended by dealer. Worst experience ever. Car was documented as perfect in every respect, but by the time it arrived, on open trailer, it was not able to be driven off the trailer due to the trashing it got from somebody joyriding and most likely missing a shift. Dealer said they never saw a clutch so badly damagd, the DME report showed 9500 RPM peak, etc. Note that someody had to have pushed the car up onto the trailer so this wan't easily hidden. Due to broker as interface, there was just about no way to assgn blame or recover anything, so son stuck with about an $8k repair and a black mark on mechanical history. Interestingly, dealer is not worried about the effect of a short overrev, even to that level. PS: The Intercity van left here headed to Maryland to collect six McLaren's

Fly and drive

hi - trying to wrap up the purchase of a 2020 c2s located on the east coast (i am located on the west coast). i would appreciate any recommendations on car shipping companies and also any tips/tricks on making the process stress-free.

I think the above discussion from 2021 is pretty clear. Go Intercity enclosed! Although I would get quotes from the "big three" but I suspect they will all be within a few hundred dollars of each other. Try and be as flexible as possible on your pickup and delivery window. Don't ship anywhere near the Barrett-Jackson Scotsdale week!!! If you need any more convincing, go to Youtube and watch a video of an open trailer being loaded versus enclosed. Open is like WWE, enclosed is like checkers. Not mentioned above but there is a strong chance your car with be re-positioned during the trip, using either method.

My recent experiences. I used Intercity once last year, and Plycar several times in '22/23. All enclosed. I prefer Plycar due to convenience; they have hubs in LA and Long Island (NY), which are close to where I shipped my Boxster to & from (NJ and SoCal). Plycar was less expensive than Intercity; $2900 vs $3300. Neither provided real-time location tracking; I had to call into the hub to get a status update. However, as an example my Boxster was picked up as scheduled in NJ on Sept 26 and arrived as scheduled in LA on October 3. A day later, it was transported to me in San Diego. This time of year, I would expect there to be weather-related delays in any cross-country transport. As mentioned above, I would strongly urge you to ship enclosed. Too much of a crap-shoot using open-trailer.

Same suggestion as before. Fly and drive.

thank you so much for your suggestion

I will provide this just once,make it a stickie if you all like. Reword it if you like. First -I used to own a transport company. ( I know whats needed) You need a few things from a transport mover. 1-A Dot Number and run it to make sure it is has OPERATING AUTHORITY. 2 -Insurance -There is NO LAW that makes a carrier include cargo insurance! You need a cert from their underwriter stating what they have compared to what you need ? want. You do not accept what they have from the driver. You prolly want "agreed value" . You don't want the "so much per pound crap" as it is crap. 3- you want air ride trailer 4- you want the driver's cell phone number. 5- Make exceptions to any of these points and you will be at the mercy of how it turns out. 6- Price is going to be contingent on all the above plus inclosed trailer or not.