Did you relocate and need to move your car(s) to your new home? Or you probably bought a car, and you are yet to decide on the cheapest way to transport your car? Well, you are in the right place. In this article, we’ve done detailed research, and we’ve compiled a list of the cheapest ways to transport your car without any hassle.
Here are five cheap ways to transport your car easily
- Open transport (Car Shipping Companies )
- The Train
- Moving company
- Driveaway
- Do-It-Yourself
Below is a detailed explanation of everything you need to know about the ways mentioned above.
1. Open transport ( Car Shipping Companies).
Yes, open transport is your best option to move your car and save cost. Open car transport is the most common and economical vehicle shipping service offered by Car Shipping Companies. Your car would be loaded strapped onto a huge transport truck with other cars to be delivered on the same route as yours.
The implication is that your car will be subject to the elements (rain, flying debris, etc.) throughout the entire ride. However, this shouldn’t worry you as there are rare cases of car damage via this method of car transport. You can read more about open car transport carriers on mercuryautotransport.com.
There are two primary services offered by Car shipping companies— Open transport and Enclosed Transport.
Enclosed transport is more costly and often recommended for the transport of classic cars.
Open transport is less expensive as more cars can be transported at once and in terms of speed, it is faster than other means of car transport. It is advisable if you have more than one car to be transported.
How to save more money on car transport using open transport
You must be excited to find out there are even more ways to save cost while using the cheapest way to transport your car. Yes, there are simple tweaks you can make to save cost while using open transport to move your car.
Don’t opt for Door-to-Door Delivery
If you’d consider it, it’s not a very excellent suggestion to have an eighteen-wheeler truck navigate into your neighborhood to deliver your car. You would have to pay more. Instead, you can pick up your car at the nearest terminal to your street and conveniently drive your car home, and you can call a friend to help if you have more than one car or hire a driver. Some open transport companies don’t even offer this service at all.
Get Quotes from Several Car Shipping Companies
With the advent of the internet, it’s far easier to get quotes from different companies. It would only take a few minutes. Why should you do this? With this, you’d be able to compare different prices of various shipping companies, and you would be able to choose the cheapest conveniently.
While doing your research on what company to use for your car transport, there are some factors to consider:
- Reliability: A company with over five years of experience will ensure that your car is in safe hands.
- Prices: While looking for the best way to save cost, don’t be hasty to go for low and unrealistic prices. If the prices are low and seem too good to be true, you should probably stay away, it might be a scheme to lure you, and you might eventually get to pay more than expected.
2. Using The Train
The rail transport company can move a distance of over 900miles within 24hours and charge only around $500. Using the train is a few dollars cheaper than open transport. But it doesn’t rank as the best because of its limitations.
Train transport option price varies depending on the distance as well.
Pros and Cons of Using the Train
Pros
- It’s relatively cheaper.
- The safety of your car(s) is guaranteed. Unlike the open transport, you can rest assured your car is in good protection.
- It is handy if you are transporting your car over a long distance.
Cons
- It’s a scarce service; not every car transport company offers rail transport.
- It’s location-limited because the train has specific routes it takes.
3. Moving Company
If the reason why you need to ship your car is that you’re moving or relocating, there may be no need to hire a separate transport company. Most moving companies also offer car transport services. In some cases, if they are not offering the services directly, they act as brokers between you, their client and the car transport company.
So, you might want to consider this when hiring an interstate moving company. As their client, they will ensure you get the best service as this matters to their reputation.
Even with that, you can’t be too careful, if the moving companies are referring you to a cheap car moving company, do your research about the car transport company to ensure the safety of your cars.
Some moving companies ship the car in their moving truck. Make enquiries to know if this is an option.
4. The Driveway Option- Hiring a Driver
Hiring a driver is a not-so-common choice for cheap car transport. Here, you hire a professional driver and entrust him to deliver your new car to you.
There are companies providing drivers, and they often screen their drivers before assigning them to your vehicle. In some cases, references and deposits from drivers are requested so you can be at rest. Often this option might be cheaper than using a car transport truck if you are moving only one car.
If you opt for this option, you are also taking the risk of your vehicle getting into a road accident.
5. Do-It-Yourself
You don’t need to be a Formula 1 driver to transport your car cross-country. Driving your car is the cheapest option, and you don’t have to pay anyone, not even yourself.
You can either drive or tow the car yourself. However, this method sounding seemingly cheap might cost you more in the long run. Funny right? Let me break it down.
The total cost can accumulate in the form of:
- Gas.
- Food, you might get hungry.
- Vehicle maintenance for the journey.
- Rent fee for a tow truck if you are using one.
And another priceless thing it would cost you is your time. However, if you have more than one vehicle and you are bringing a second driver, you’d need to pay for gas and maintenance for both vehicles and also pay the driver.
Adding all these up, it’s becoming relatively expensive already.
Conclusion
While handling your car transport yourself might be the best and safest option because you are in charge, other ways like the Open transport are also recommended. Reading this article, you can make an informed choice and transport your car using one of the cheap ways mentioned.
