If you are looking for safe transportation and great value to get your vehicle from one location to another, you might fall for the least expensive option available. However, auto transport is not just picking the cheapest car transport service. Prices to have your car shipped to another place may fluctuate depending on the size of your vehicle, drop-off destination, time of the year, and so forth. Plus, many carriers charge more money than they have offered in an initial quote. All things together make car shipping quite strenuous, as it progressively becomes challenging to find the cheapest car shipping company to get the most bang for your buck.
The Cheapest Way to Ship a Car
Currently, there are two options to transport your car: shipping either by open or enclosed transport trailers. In the case of open hauler auto transport, weather conditions, such as rain, snow, or mud, may affect your car’s exterior, thus reduce its resale value. All the same, open transport remains the cheapest way to ship your vehicle across the country. Car haulers like open-air trucks make up more than 80% of cross-country car shipments. Even most dealerships transport their brand-new cars using open carrier auto shipping.
There is a less affordable car shipping method known as enclosed transport. However, it adds more protection to your vehicle during the trip. When you ship your vehicle in a fully enclosed trailer, it reduces the risk of damages/losses not covered by shipping insurance.
Things to Consider for Low-Cost Car Shipping
Checking for Car Condition
If you are looking to transport a car for a reasonable price, make sure your vehicle runs and drives. The price can be significantly less than shipping the inoperable vehicle. It’s always worth spending a smaller amount of money than having your vehicle shipped in a non-drivable condition.
The Pickup Window
If your pickup window is flexible, you are more likely to get the cheapest car transport offer. Instead of having your car shipped on an exact date, you can offer to schedule your shipment, for instance, within five business days and let the carrier pick your vehicle on any of these days. So make sure you are flexible with your schedule if you are looking to get the cheapest car shipping.
The Time of the Year
Being flexible on car shipping and considering it during the off-peak auto-shipping season may guarantee the lowest prices near you. For instance, having your car shipped in the wintertime may cost you more money as not all truckers will be comfortable covering such a difficult journey. So if you are not time-strapped, you can take advantage of off-peak shipping and save hundreds of dollars on your car carriage.
How to Get a Car Shipping Discount?
If you are shipping multiple cars together, you can expect your carrier to offer a discount depending on how many vehicles you have. Make sure you have your cars at the same time from the exact pickup location to the same drop-off location. Nevertheless, most likely, a discount won’t be offered if you are shipping, for example, five cars from different addresses at different times of the year. Another option to acquire a discount is to find a company, like Tempus Logix, that offers a price reduction to its returning customers, college students, or military personnel.