Are car transporters expensive?

The question, “Are car transporters expensive?” is a legitimate inquiry that must be answered. Car owners, especially those considering to hire a car transporter for the first time, are anxious about the price.

The most common thinking is, “Why should I hire a car transporter and pay hundreds of dollars when I can drive to the destination myself.” Are car transporters expensive?The answer is “yes” and “no” depending on how one looks at it. If a car owner is an expert driver, loves driving, and used to driving long distances, then it would make sense not to hire a transporter and not spend a single cent.

But if a car owner has not driven across states before, the cost of shipping should not be a concern. Cross-country driving is not for non-expert drivers. Whatever the price of car shipping turned out to be, it would be worth it since self-driving is tiring, boring, and dangerous.

Car shipping does not need to be expensive. Transporting a car coast to coast is $700 to $1,200 during the peak season. There are four factors to determine the price: type or method of shipment, distance, time, and caliber of shipper.

There are three types of car shipping: open, enclosed and rail shipping. Open shipping is the most common method. It uses a 75-ft carrier truck, on which up to 10 cars are shipped at the same time. Cars are safely fastened and won’t fall off, but they are exposed to all kinds of weather and road hazards.

On the other hand, closed shipping guarantees that a car is perfectly safe inside a solid freight container. Nothing can get into the container, which means nothing can harm the car until it reaches its final destination. This is an expensive way of shipping a car, and must be avoided unless truly necessary.

Enclosed vehicle transport was meant to ship really expensive cars like a Porsche, F1 or Jaguar. Exotic cars, rare hard-to-find models, antique automobiles and sports cars must be shipped using the closed method. Meanwhile, the cheapest method is rail car shipping. It is also the most eco-friendly method.

Train companies can ship cars but with two limitations: (1) the car owner must also be in the train and (2) it can ship only up to where there are tracks. Amtrak, for instance, transports cars but only from Washington DC to Florida. Other companies have other routes, and some go as far as Canada and Mexico.

The second factor is distance. Needless to say, the farther the destination, the more expensive the shipping cost. Also, it will help lowering the cost if the car owner drives his or her own car to the terminal instead of having it picked up by the shipper.

Third is about time. Car shipping is more expensive in summer, when more people are moving and sending their cars to several areas in the United States. It’s much cheaper in winter. Also, you could get a discount if you book a schedule about two months prior to the target shipping date.

Finally, Class-A shippers may be more expensive, but they guarantee quality, speed, and courtesy. So, are car transporters expensive? Generally no, but there are some expensive companies that are worth it.