The first item that should be on a vehicle purchase checklist is the seller’s ability to prepare the vehicle for the automobile transport company. All transport carriers have specific requirements that must be met prior to contracting to transport an automobile. One of the requirements of most automobile transport companies is an operational vehicle. If the car of your dreams is a fixer upper vintage automobile, the transport company will need to know this detail ahead of time. They will still usually transport the vehicle for you; however, there may be extra costs involved. There are also ground clearance restrictions for most auto transport companies, along with safety issues such as the battery mounting bracket and fuel level in the vehicle prior to transport.

Most vehicle transport companies will offer the option of an open trailer or an enclosed trailer for transporting the vehicle you have purchased. An important point to remember is any open trailer will expose the vehicle to weather conditions, such as snow, rain and ice, which may be encountered during transport. For a newer manufactured vehicle, this will not be an issue. For vintage automobiles that have a convertible top or need extensive restoration, an open trailer may not be the best option. Most vehicle transporters will secure the vehicle to an open trailer with chains and the suspension will be compressed to prevent the vehicle from moving up and down while on the road. If the vehicle is not manufactured with the correct tie down points to allow the vehicle to be chained to the trailer, wheel straps will usually be used in lieu of chains. Enclosed trailers allow the vehicle to be secured with soft tie down instead of chains and offer additional protection from weather and debris from other vehicles on the road.

Although transporting a vehicle that is purchased online can add significantly to the cost of the vehicle, there are several steps the buyer can take to possibly reduce the transport fees. Most purchasers would prefer the vehicle they have purchased to be delivered directly to their driveway, opting to pick up the automobile at a central transportation terminal can reduce the fees charged by the transport company. You will want to make sure the quote you get from the carrier or broker includes all the charges that will be incurred with transporting the vehicle. Anyauto transport broker or carrier should be able to provide you with a detailed quote outlining all the fees involved with picking up your vehicle from the seller and delivering the vehicle either to your driveway or to their own central terminal.

There are many details to examine when choosing to purchase a vehicle online from an auction site, like EBay, or a private seller. If you are making the purchase from a dealer who regular interacts with automobile transporters, they will be aware of the necessary steps that need to be taken prior to securing the vehicle. They will also know how to prepare the vehicle so it has the best chance to arrive at your location in good condition. If you are making the purchase from a private seller, there is a bit more interaction that needs to take place prior to the purchase. If you are looking at purchasing a vehicle at an online auction, find out if the seller is willing to take all the steps necessary to prepare the vehicle prior to transport. If they are not, you may want to reconsider your purchase. Homework, done efficiently beforehand, will insure your experience after you make the purchase of your dream car a pleasure. If you have any questions, you can contact any automobile transport carrier directly. They should be happy to answer your questions and provide you with their specifications required prior to contracting a transport.

Driving a Vehicle:

Driving your own vehicle to a long-distance location is a widely used means of auto transport. The process involves personally transporting the vehicle from its point of origin to the new location. In order to do this, the driver must spend hours or sometimes days driving the vehicle to the new location. The costs involved in this process can be extensive. Take, for instance, a Buick LeSabre, which holds 18 gallons of gas. If a driver must drive 780 miles to the new location over three days, there are several costs involved. Gas costs would equal approximately $150.00. Add to that the cost of hotel enroute to destination at approximately $240.00. Additionally, the cost of food (includes beverages and snacks while driving) would add up to $150.00. Included in this is the cost of insurance and other incidentals of $100.00. Depreciation of the vehicle as a result of mileage would amount to approximately $200.00. This results in the estimated cost in excess of $850.00 or more than $1 per mile.

Add to this the other issues involved in transporting a vehicle by driving (including deprication of the vehicle for the miles driven to the destination, poor weather (which may slow travel time and add to hotel and food costs), stress, accidents, delays (due to road construction or other traffic issues), and it quickly becomes apparent that driving a vehicle to a new location is an expensive endeavor. In the area of auto transport, the idea of personally driving your vehicle to your destination may seem appealing at first because of the idea of controlling departure time, limiting delays in delivery since one person is in control of the delivery of the vehicle, and the personal nature of carefully transporting the vehicle yourself. This is all true, but when combined with the possible risks involved (including accidents, delays due to human error and stress of traveling long distances), shipping the vehicle may prove to be more cost efficient and less stressful as a means of transporting your vehicle.

Shipping A Vehicle:

Shipping a vehicle is a fast growing industry and is a good means of auto transport because there are many forms of transport that range from terminal to terminal delivery or door-to-door delivery of your vehicle. Companies that provide these services are well versed on how to carefully and safely transport vehicles in a quick, efficient, economic manner. These companies are also customer-centered and offer many advantages for choosing shipping as a means of auto transport, including shorter transport times than in the past and convenient delivery services. Shipping is available for a wide range of vehicles, including RVs, motorcycles, automobiles, and trucks. Shipping of smaller vehicles is typically less expensive and the cost increases with the size of the vehicle. Shipping services are offered by a large number of companies that provide services in short distance transport, overseas shipping and coast to coast shipping.

Dollar for dollar, shipping as a means of auto transport is much less expensive than driving a vehicle because shipping companies transport large numbers of vehicles, thereby reducing the cost of vehicle transport by combining costs. Take, for instance, shipping a Buick LeSabre for 780 miles. The cost for transporting the Buick LeSabre is substantially less than driving the vehicle to its destination, depending on the season (prices may increase during peak seasons such as summer or decrease during winter months). This is due to the large number of vehicles that can be transported in this way, as opposed to the individualized nature of driving a vehicle as a means of auto transport. Some companies give added benefits of shipping that may include a discount for multiple vehicles that are shipped at the same time, as well as a consistent and reliable delivery schedule that is safe and saves on depreciation because the car is not accruing mileage en transit.

1. A car or other vehicle has been sold to someone who lives far away. With the advent of the Internet, it is now possible to sell a car easily to someone who lives hundreds or even thousands of miles away. If the buyer is unwilling to make the trip to pick up the car, the seller can ship the car to the buyer without having to drive the car to the destination and then finding a way to get back home.

2. A vehicle has been purchased from someone who lives far away. This reason is very similar to the one just listed except it is viewed from the buyer’s perspective. It is simply not practical for most people to make the trip across the country to pick up a car or other vehicle that has been purchased. Using an auto transport company to ship the car makes a lot of sense for buyers in these particular cases.

3. The vehicle owner is moving overseas. Until the day that highways are built to span the ocean, vehicle owners will have to use auto transport to get their automobile from one continent to another. This is perhaps the most obvious reason why people might need to ship a vehicle, especially since it is often far cheaper to transport an existing vehicle to the new country than it is to sell the car and then buy a new one after settling in the new land.

4. The vehicle owner is moving on his or her own and does not want to have to put up with moving the car at the same time he or she is transporting other belongings. Especially in those cases where the vehicle owner is engaged in a do-it-yourself move, auto transport may be the best way to get the car from one place to another. Without having to worry about towing the car or getting another driver, the mover is free to devote his or her entire attention to driving the moving truck when an auto transport company is hired to ship the vehicle to the new residence. The mover can even arrange to have the vehicle waiting in the driveway of the new home when he or she pulls up with the moving truck.

5. The vehicle owner is moving a great distance and does not want to put thousands of miles on the car. Driving a car hundreds or even thousands of miles can put a lot of wear and tear on a vehicle, which is not an attractive prospect for many owners. An auto transport company can get the vehicle to the new destination without putting any miles or wear and tear on the car. This can save several years of driving life on many different vehicles. Money that would have otherwise been spent on gas and repairs for the vehicle can be put to other uses if it is shipped.

6. The vehicle owner will be living for an extended period of time away from home and wants to use his or her personal vehicle. In some cases, work or schooling can make a vehicle owner a temporary resident of a town that is far away from home. The car does not necessarily have to be left behind if an auto transport company is used to deliver the car to the new city or town. Moving a vehicle in this way saves the owner from having to buy or rent a new car in the place of temporary residence. Being able to drive the familiar vehicle in an unfamiliar place also has its clear advantages.

7. The vehicle owner has a seasonal home and wants to have his or her car available both at that residence and at the permanent address. This is a variation of the reason just listed, but it is quite a common motivation behind shipping a vehicle, especially for older people. When trips between two homes are made each year, it makes more sense to hire an auto transport company to ship the car than it does to drive the vehicle and spend the funds on gas and on maintenance costs the extra miles add to the vehicle when it is driven back and forth each time.

Clearly, then, there are many reasons why shipping a vehicle to a new destination is better than driving it to the location. There may actually be even more causes to ship a car than those that have just been considered. That is why it is always wise to look into auto transport before deciding to move the vehicle.

Our long list of clientele include: private automobile owners, car dealerships, fleet & leasing companies, specialty auto makers, and luxury car owners. Tens of thousands of customers have trusted A Economy Auto Transporters to ship their cars. We only get one chance to show you how we ship your automobile better then everyone else. We can transport your vehicle nationwide or a short distance, no move is too small. Please allow us the opportunity to provide you with a competitive rate.