Car shipping

[prowlerflyer]

Okay all, I'm going to have to ship my car in the near future from Tampa at the Seattle area . So what can you guys give me smart on, since I have never shipped a car before.

So far the enclosed trailer quotes we've gotten are roughly double the cost of an open trailer, and quite expensive. Anybody have any recommended shippers?

Steve

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

[QC_ZHP]

I don't have any experience with shipping but IIRC there's a company on bimmerforums that offer discounts to members. May be something to check out.

[ELCID86]

PCS to Seattle/Tacoma area?
As I was searching for a car, I herad good reviews about http://www.montway.com.
http://www.transportreviews.com/company/montway-auto-transport.asp

[prowlerflyer]

I'll take a look at both of those.

PCS to Whidbey Island.

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[ELCID86]

Cool, I hope it is a welcomed (chosen) location and move. Should be a neat area to explore. I tried to get to Ft. Lewis back in the day, but it didn't work out.

[cakM3]

Steve, best of luck at your new duty station! You guys will love the area! There's lots to do in the Seattle area as you will soon discover :thumbsup

If you're ever in the Newport area be sure to look me up :)

[BCS_ZHP]

Steve,
PM Hermes (JP), he just went thru the coast-to-coast transportation equation back in February.

[Hermes]

IIRC $1600 enclosed shipping from coast to coast

http://www.montway.com/

[prowlerflyer]

Awesome, I'll look into montway. Were you happy with the condition of the car?

We were stationed in Whidbey for 9 years before, so it will be a bit of going home. For only a year though, then off to Japan for 3.

Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk

[Vas]

I have used DAS before in the past

http://www.dasautoshippers.com/

[Hermes]

Awesome, I'll look into montway. Were you happy with the condition of the car?

We were stationed in Whidbey for 9 years before, so it will be a bit of going home. For only a year though, then off to Japan for 3.

Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk

Yup, they took good care of it

[M0nk3y]

Please, please, please go enclosed. It will save you headaches in the future (ask me)

The Z4M was shipped open trailer bc it was put out for bid from the dealership and wasn't specified as closed. Obviously open trailer won the bid.

The Z4 arrived with a dent in the hood from what it appeared to be from a ramp located above it....It was literally a corner dent. Of course shipped denied all claim, even when the dealership had pictures of the car on the trailer w/out a dent.

As well, the car went through a sand storm. I cannot even tell you how much work that required.

Such a PITA, and totally not worth it...ever

[KevinC]

I found my ZHP in Miami and had it trucked out here to Arizona 2 years ago. That was an adventure I don't want to go through again! Requested one quote, and heard back almost immediately from about 10 different firms - apparently these guys are all joined at the hip and share info with each other. The truckers themselves seem to be contracted out by these brokers. I'm sure they're not all that way - but I certainly heard from a bunch who were. Finally decided on one, but it was a bad time of year for trucks heading west (it was spring and everything was headed northward out of Miami), so it took a few weeks to catch a ride. My pal in Miami that handled the front end of the journey had all kinds of communication issues (language barrier, not calling/showing when scheduled, showing up at wrong place, etc) but finally got it on its way. Arrived in short order, I was the first stop out west. Truck and crew were VERY sketchy-looking! But car arrived safely.

If I had to do it all over again - I'd pay more and hire a real company with their own trucks, rather than one of these broker-type arrangements, and pay for a covered truck. Or I'd just jump on a 757 and drive the bastard home. Or buy local!

Good luck!

[prowlerflyer]

Montway is quoting $1900 for Tampa to Whidbey Island. Seems reasonable, all the other quotes under 2k are open trailers. Looks like they are the best bet.

Seems funny, but I would as soon as drive it out, since I have a measure of control. I considered towing it with the SUV, but I'll have the family and we have talked of camping. So that started to become a hassle.

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[Stewbie]

For $1900 you could fly to Tampa and drive it back and still have money left in your pocket. :)

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[ELCID86]

For $1900 you could fly to Tampa and drive it back and still have money left in your pocket. :)

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

I'll drive it for $1200 and a ticket back to DC! :-)


Thumbs, iPhone, Tapatalk.

[prowlerflyer]

Well, Montway seemed promising, but then they dropped the ball last minute. I contacted them a month and a half prior to the requested pick up, and all I got was empty promises up to the end of my window.

By absolute dumb luck, the day the movers are loading my household goods, I mentioned my situation to the truck driver. He then said well, let's just load it on the truck, it's pretty common with normal moves. We double checked available space and it perfectly filled out the balance of the truck for him. I even helped him load and secure it, to meet my comfort level.

So off the ZHP went, and now we are racing the truck cross country. Chill'n by the pool in Memphis tonight.

[danewilson77]

Nice!

The friendliest forum on the planet!

[jakksfor20]

I thought for PCS moves they required lawnmowers and such to be drained of gas. Either way, that's freaking awesome!!! $1900 for mods............

[ELCID86]

Good to hear. Safe travels to all.

[WOLFN8TR]

I heard good reviews about http://www.montway.com.
http://www.transportreviews.com/company/montway-auto-transport.asp


SUB'D...:ducking

Edit: I went with Montway. [emoji106]

[JupiterBMW]

Looking into this as well, so reviving the thread. Montway was one of the top hits on Google, so I did the quick online quote... For the car I'm looking at, I'm seeing $999 for an open trailer from Seattle area to my house... That's about the longest distance you can go in the Continental US...

Any other recommendations? I think I'll choose Montway, even though they dropped the ball on Steve.

[Vas]

I used these guys when I moved from the west coast to the east coast.
http://www.dasautoshippers.com/

Only thing though I wish I would have went with an enclosed trailer.

[WOLFN8TR]

Looking into this as well, so reviving the thread. Montway was one of the top hits on Google, so I did the quick online quote... For the car I'm looking at, I'm seeing $999 for an open trailer from Seattle area to my house... That's about the longest distance you can go in the Continental US...

Any other recommendations? I think I'll choose Montway, even though they dropped the ball on Steve.

Jon Montway is just a broker for shipping company's. They call around finding a truck to pickup the car. They did a good job for me even thou I was trying to ship a car during the Christmas/New Year Holiday. Open trailer was $850 and Enclosed was $1150 from Kansas to Las Vegas. I went with a enclosed trailer after reading about open trailer horror stories. The weather, theft, vandalism to name a few were a common problem so for an extra $300 it was worth it!

I have the guys info who MontWay hired to deliver my ///M, I will look for it. He owns the company of several transport trucks.

Here Ya go:

18629

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/03/18/33478792eb45810bbb43ace8b2cb79da.jpg

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/03/18/228492feb24dfb9d0834d7469653e433.jpg

[ELCID86]

I used these guys when I moved from the west coast to the east coast.
http://www.dasautoshippers.com/

Only thing though I wish I would have went with an enclosed trailer.

Why enclosed?


Thumbs, iPhone, Tapatalk.

[Vas]

Mostly for the sake of knowing that it is not against the elements. When my car got delivered, it was filthy. Hard to inspect a car for damage when it gets delivered if it is covered in dirt and diesel smoke.

[WOLFN8TR]

Why enclosed?

There was a member on here that had his ZHP shipped on a open trailer and it went thru a sand storm and ruined the paint. He had to get the entire car repainted. [emoji16]

[JupiterBMW]

Thanks for the info Gary... I too would love to do enclosed, it doesn't seem like a very large extra expense. And for this car, I think it might be worth it. I still have to decide on the car, but after speaking to the guy at Montway, I feel pretty good about it. I am somewhat curious about calling the place that you posted and see if I can get a better rate from them directly. Appreciate the info!

[WOLFN8TR]

Welcome Jon. If you find an immaculate car then spending the extra money for enclosed is the way to go. Good luck. [emoji2]

[brettbimmer]

I have a customer who uses Exotic Car Transport out of FL to move his vehicles between Palm Beach, FL and MD. He moves several at a time, so I would guess they give him a good price break. May be helpful if they are based in FL. No idea on the cost, but they seem to know what they are doing (as I've seen them offloaded).

http://www.exoticcartransport.com/

Hope you find a worthy M3 Jon! I have been following a bit and your search looks very solid for a nicely kept example!

[NYRhockey]

http://www.exoticcartransport.com/



holy crap, that's the longest truck i've ever seen!

[WOLFN8TR]

Oh and Reliable Transport, they do all the Barrett Jackson car shows, they have the Orange trucks.

[illirep]

I have used Montway on the buying and selling end about 8 times in aggregate. They are very reliable. They answer the phones, return voicemails, and keep you in the loop in real time. When dealing with other brokers, that is not the case.

Their prices are not the lowest, but close to it. And frankly, you don't want the cheapest.

Highly recommend them.
Bill

[WOLFN8TR]

X2...My Montway experience was the same.

[ecrabb]

Just ordered an enclosed transport from Montway based on the comments here. $1489.00 to move the car from the boonies in Louisiana to my place in the Salt Lake City suburbs. 1556 miles. Seems like a lot of money, but then you figure that's only $375/day for four days of driving, not to mention the fuel, miles on truck, etc. I assume Montway probably keeps their $199 of the brokering fee, so that leaves $1290 for the trucking company. I know they'll move several other cars, but that really isn't a lot of money.

I was initially talking to a company called First Rate Auto Transport, a broker like Montway. They came highly recommended from a guy in the Utah BMW Enthusiasts' group. They were helpful, but after going back and forth for a day and putting the job out yesterday, I asked today how long it would be before we'd know if somebody was going to take the job... He said we'd probably have to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday and if he didn't have a hit, then try to schedule an open transport. That's a half a week from now, and then I assume another 2-3 day wait.

The transit time is always fairly well-defined. The part they all seem to wiggle on is how many days between the time you book the transport and the time the truck shows up to pick up the car. Even Montway says "one to a few business days". Awesome. To some, "a few" is 2-3, to others, it's 5.

I'll post back on how the transaction goes here, and post a pic or two.

I considered flying out and just driving the car home, but airline tickets were $550+ into a small market, a couple of nights of hotel, $150 in gas, $50 in food and misc, and all of sudden it's almost a grand. Yeah, I could save almost 500 bucks, but then I'm gone from home for a weekend, there's another 1500 miles on the car, and of course that assumes nothing goes wrong.

No perfect solution, I guess.

Cheers,
SC

[fredo]

I didn't know you bought a car. Details ?

[JB3]

I didn't know you bought a car. Details ?

+1 on that!

Btw, just to offset the reviews, I've had at least 4 cars shipped open trailer without a single issue. I don't even hesitate anymore.

[SoDelBMW]

When doing this process do you drop your car off somewhere or do they pick it up at your house?

[ecrabb]

I didn't know you bought a car. Details ?

+1 on that!

Btw, just to offset the reviews, I've had at least 4 cars shipped open trailer without a single issue. I don't even hesitate anymore.

Sorry! Too many threads going on and not keeping track of what I'm saying where.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?&listingId=397908091

'Tis mine. Funds wired, title signed and sent, and it's bound in my name. Literally the only thing left to do is getting the car home. So damn excited.

I figured I'd end up going with an open transport, since my understanding was that enclosed would run ~$500 or so more than open. Several quotes did confirm that price delta, and at that price I was willing to risk the open transport. But, Montway's quote ended up $250 more for closed than for open. Basically $1250 vs. $1500, so why not? I just read a couple of the comments here about sandstorms and ramps getting dropped, and it bugs me enough, that what's another $250? Watch the videos of the guys driving the enclosed transports and delivering cars vs. the open transports, too.

Cheers,
SC

[WOLFN8TR]

When doing this process do you drop your car off somewhere or do they pick it up at your house?

The company I used picked up the car from the guys condo complex beings there was plenty of room to get the big truck in/out easily. When dropping off I just met him at the high school a few blocks away as it was easier for him.



I figured I'd end up going with an open transport, since my understanding was that enclosed would run ~$500 or so more than open. Several quotes did confirm that price delta, and at that price I was willing to risk the open transport. But, Montway's quote ended up $250 more for closed than for open. Basically $1250 vs. $1500, so why not? I just read a couple of the comments here about sandstorms and ramps getting dropped, and it bugs me enough, that what's another $250? Watch the videos of the guys driving the enclosed transports and delivering cars vs. the open transports, too.

Cheers,
SC

Looks sweet, congrats! I agree for another $250 it's worth it knowing it's tucked away safe from the weather and thief's/vandals.

[ecrabb]

When doing this process do you drop your car off somewhere or do they pick it up at your house?

I'm just learning about all this myself, but there are two options.

1) You can hire a trucking company (or pay a broker to do the same) to pick up and drop off a car at two specified locations. This is most expensive and what most of us do. Obviously, it's a semi so wherever it's going, it has to be navigable. So, an apartment complex or tight street might not work, and in those cases, the driver just meets you in a nearby parking lot. (EDIT - Just like WOLFN8TR said.)

2) There is also depot shipping. This is the where you go drop the car on a lot somewhere, and it gets moved when the origin/destination work right together and there are other cars to move with it. It generally only works from large city to large city and is the cheapest option because it goes the same route with a load of other cars. But, the car could sit awhile waiting for a full load, especially depending on origin/destination. This is usually something more like what fleets would use to move their cars around.

The type of origin/destination also seems to affect the price - more than just the mileage would imply. My car is currently sitting in a tiny town 45 minutes outside Monroe, LA. When I quoted the price from the zip code in Monroe where the BMW dealer is, it was about $1100. When I quoted it from the little town 45 minutes outside Monroe, it was more like $1250. So, 10% more for a 3% increase in miles. Obviously, the driver's time factors in along with straight mileage. I'd guess delivering a car in downtown NYC would also add some significant cost vs. some suburb right off the interstate somewhere even if the mileage were the same.

Cheers,
SC

[ecrabb]

The company I used picked up the car from the guys condo complex beings there was plenty of room to get the big truck in/out easily. When dropping off I just met him at the high school a few blocks away as it was easier for him.
That was my plan. There are several large parking lots within a mile of me that should work perfectly depending on day/time.


Looks sweet, congrats! I agree for another $250 it's worth it knowing it's tucked away safe from the weather and thief's/vandals.
Thanks! My thoughts exactly on the extra $250.

I see you're in Vegas! I was kind of interested in an M3 I found there. I briefly considered "rescuing" the car from its current owner and making it a project, but the the seller and his description of the maintenance and issues was a little too sketchy for my taste.

https://lasvegas.craigslist.org/cto/5016426595.html

SC

[SoDelBMW]

I'm just learning about all this myself, but there are two options.

1) You can hire a trucking company (or pay a broker to do the same) to pick up and drop off a car at two specified locations. This is most expensive and what most of us do. Obviously, it's a semi so wherever it's going, it has to be navigable. So, an apartment complex or tight street might not work, and in those cases, the driver just meets you in a nearby parking lot. (EDIT - Just like WOLFN8TR said.)

2) There is also depot shipping. This is the where you go drop the car on a lot somewhere, and it gets moved when the origin/destination work right together and there are other cars to move with it. It generally only works from large city to large city and is the cheapest option because it goes the same route with a load of other cars. But, the car could sit awhile waiting for a full load, especially depending on origin/destination. This is usually something more like what fleets would use to move their cars around.

The type of origin/destination also seems to affect the price - more than just the mileage would imply. My car is currently sitting in a tiny town 45 minutes outside Monroe, LA. When I quoted the price from the zip code in Monroe where the BMW dealer is, it was about $1100. When I quoted it from the little town 45 minutes outside Monroe, it was more like $1250. So, 10% more for a 3% increase in miles. Obviously, the driver's time factors in along with straight mileage. I'd guess delivering a car in downtown NYC would also add some significant cost vs. some suburb right off the interstate somewhere even if the mileage were the same.

Cheers,
SC

So technically if you chose the open semi for travel when you meet the guy somewhere couldn't you just put a car cover on the car after putting it on the semi to save money?

[JB3]

So technically if you chose the open semi for travel when you meet the guy somewhere couldn't you just put a car cover on the car after putting it on the semi to save money?

I would think it depends on the driver, and you would need to tie it down. Driver may not want to chance the cover blowing off, even tied down, and if not tied down, that is a huge liability if it flies off into another car.

[ecrabb]

My opinion on the cover would be absolutely not to do it. There would be no way of putting a cover on that wouldn't flap or buffet in the wind and destroy the paint in the process. Even a bra, which is designed for the task can actually rub and mar the paint. This is why you never see cars covered on open transports.

The only possible solution would be to install vinyl wrap or purpose designed shipping plastics like you see on new cars. Protecting the paint from sand, rocks, and other debris is precisely what those new car wraps are for.

I've never used this, but just googled and it looks like the same type of material new cars ship with:
http://www.transportwrap.com/index.html

SC

[WOLFN8TR]

That was my plan. There are several large parking lots within a mile of me that should work perfectly depending on day/time.

Thanks! My thoughts exactly on the extra $250.

I see you're in Vegas! I was kind of interested in an M3 I found there. I briefly considered "rescuing" the car from its current owner and making it a project, but the the seller and his description of the maintenance and issues was a little too sketchy for my taste.

https://lasvegas.craigslist.org/cto/5016426595.html

SC

Yes sir. That M3 is priced pretty good for a 6MT but it's a vert so the tend to be slightly lower than coupes. It doesn't look to bad on the outside but the interior looks like an auto mechanic drives it home covered in grease! Look at the seat and arm rest, if you can't keep the interior clean what about the maintenance? The ZHP you bought is a better buy in my opinion.


So technically if you chose the open semi for travel when you meet the guy somewhere couldn't you just put a car cover on the car after putting it on the semi to save money?

Car cover would destroy the paint. I learned this lesson towing a jet ski with a cover on it. Flapping around in the wind rubbed the paint really bad! I had scuff marks all over it.

[wstr75]

I shipped a car from CA to NC last September on an open car carrier. It arrived fine with no paint issues or anything else. The driver carried 2"x 6" boards and placed them at the ramp to pavement interface in a descending stacking order so as to not have the front underlip structure snag as the car exited the carrier. In searching the customer ratings, the negative reviews mostly related to damage inflicted getting onto and off of the car carrier. Like noted above, the car shippers prefer to pick up along Interstates and to deliver to sites near to Interstates. Over the thousands of miles I've driven, it is the two lane roads where the road grit whips up with traffic passing and not the Interstates as the debris has a place to get away from the traffic lanes into the adjacent wide paved strips whereas on two lane roads the debris gets caught in the grass alongside the lane and thus whips up whenever an especially big, wind-blowing load comes along.

[ecrabb]

The BMW dealer just called me from Louisiana and said the transport company they usually use called him back and they could move the car on an open transport from the dealership to me in Utah for $1400. Somehow the car just has to get to the dealership from the seller's place 45 miles out in the sticks. He said he would figure that out.

The Montway quote was $1489 enclosed, but I haven't heard a peep from them since I paid the deposit Friday. Nothing yesterday and not a peep today so far, so not encouraging.

I have three options at this point:

1) Wait (seemingly indefinitely, though to be fair it hasn't yet been two business days) for Montway to deliver on their quote to move the car enclosed from seller to buyer for $1489. Seems like a very good price - maybe a little too good to be true.

2) Take the BMW dealer up on his offer to the move the car on an open transport for $1400. He said he'd worry about getting the car from the seller to the dealership for the transport, and he thought they could pick up the car as soon as tomorrow.

3) Pay Reliable the $1600 to move the car from the BMW dealer and ask the seller to drop the car there for pickup, or pony up the extra to have Reliable pick up the car in the sticks. Probably looking at another $150 or $200 to pick the car up from the middle of nowhere, which means I'm probably looking at $1800. Ouch.

Oh, and I suppose there's this option:
4) Spend a grand and burn a couple of days flying out and driving the car back, but I really don't have time to do it right now, so not really an option unless I'm left with no other options.

Thoughts?

SC

[fredo]

I would call Montway and ask for an update.

[WOLFN8TR]

I would call Montway and ask for an update.

X2...

Go with Option 1 or call these guys directly which is the company that Montway hired to transport my car. He said the deposit you pay is basically Montway's Fee. It took MontWay just over a week to find a truck to pickup my car. But this was also between Christmas and New Years.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/02/551a58a19835dee03d1ddf0f02588b98.jpg

[ecrabb]

Sitrep:
I called Montway to get an update. Short story: I just didn't care for the vibe I got from them. I wanted to feel confident something was going to happen soon, and comfortable they'd make it happen, but I felt neither. I thought about it, then called back and cancelled the order.

At that point, I was starting to think I should just fly down and drive the car back. I really don't have time right now, but it was starting to feel like that was the only way I was going to get the job done. I told another broker I'd been talking to I was probably just going to fly down and pick up the car myself.

I thought about it awhile this afternoon and started questioning A) the amount of time I was spending on this to save a few hundred bucks, and B) how much time I'd spend flying down and driving back (and how much it would really cost all-in.) Decision: Stop wasting time and make something happen. This might sound weird, but this is my first BMW, and my first fun car in years. I don't just want the car delivered to me; I want somebody to deliver the car that actually gives a shit. This is like a giant present to myself. It's probably something I'll remember for years, so I may as well make this fun, dammit! What's another couple hundred bucks in that context? It may not be a Ferrari or a McLaren, but it's my first BMW and it will be my pride and joy!

So, before I placed the order with Montway on Friday, I had emailed Image Auto Group in Vegas based on WOLFN8TR's recommendation. I had received a courteous reply in under two hours from Steve M there, but the money was a little more than I really wanted to spend, which was when I had just placed the order with Montway - mostly out of sheer frustration.

Well, I called Steve toward the end of the day today. I told him who I was, that I'd placed an order with Montway but had canceled because it didn't feel right, and that I wanted to take his offer to move the car. He said he wasn't surprised I got a bad vibe. He didn't go into detail, but it was clear he had gotten sideways with Montway somehow and was happy to take their business and earn mine. He did say that Louisiana-Utah was a weird route which does complicate matters, but he still assured me he could have one of his regular drivers lined up and a hard pickup date by the end of the week. There was the confidence I was looking for! So, I emailed him all the details along with a photo of the car and he replied well after 7pm his time with only this: "Beautyful ride lets get it home ..." Hey, some comfort that somebody will actually make this happen!

I'll update the thread when I have something to report.

Thanks, WOLFN8TR!

Cheers,
SC

[WOLFN8TR]

Excellent!! I dealt with Steve also, every aspect of Image Auto Group was professional. My M3 arrived safe and sound without a scratch. I had it delivered the first week of January in Henderson Nv. I should of called them directly and bypassed Montway.

[bandwagn]

I talked to Steve as well - his quote was a bit higher than Montway, but after waiting 3 weeks waiting for DAS to ship my car i would have gone a different path (yes, 3 weeks for delivery)

[ecrabb]

Three weeks? Ouch. I've owned this car now for a full week as of today and I'm going nuts with anticipation.

I'm hoping I'll be closer to two weeks. Hopefully Steve comes through and can get somebody to pick up the car early next week and deliver it end of the week.

SC

[WOLFN8TR]

I was just over two weeks.

[ecrabb]

Quick update on Montway. This morning, I got an automated "followup" email that my order was in progress and that they typically assign a driver within five business days of the car being available. Ummm... But I cancelled that order. On Tuesday.

I called and talked to a CSR right away, and apparently the rep I spoke with when I canceled neglected to mention that they needed me to send an email to info@montway.com with the order number and the reason for canceling, or the order wouldn't be canceled. The forgiving part of my personality says it was an honest mistake, while the skeptic in me thinks this was intentional so they could weasel out of refunding me the $199 order fee. Their policy is that the order can be cancelled for a full refund at any time - unless a driver is scheduled. We'll see.

Haven't heard anything back from Steve at Image Group yet either, but it's only been just over one business day. I need to chill now.

SC

[fredo]

Hope your $199 didn't disappear magically. Haha ... just noticed the new banner on your pic: "ZHP in transit" :applause2

[ecrabb]

Exactly my thought on the $199. I guess I can always dispute the charge with CC co. Hopefully doesn't have to go that way.

Wasn't sure what to say in my avatar. At first, I thought about "ZHP Achievement Unlocked!" but I don't have the car. I feel so... Unconsummated... It's weird to own a car and have it just sitting somewhere and not be able to see it or touch it. I just went with "ZHP in transit" because A) I couldn't think of anything better, and B) because I'm trying to be optimistic. ;)

SC

[ecrabb]

Sitrep:
OK, so the Montway credit was applied, so all good there.

It's now a week since I hired Steve from Image Auto Transport. On Friday when I checked to see if anything was happening, he said he had a truck in NY that would be coming west and would pick up the car, but when I emailed early this morning, he said he wasn't able to get the truck there. He gave me a couple of alternate scenarios he's working on to move the car. I'm still confident he can get the job done, but my concern is how long it will take.

I was looking at the Reliable quote, and it states:
* THIS QUOTE IS BASED ON CARRIER CONVENIENCE WITH AN ESTIMATED 2-4 WEEK DELIVERY SPREAD FROM THE FIRST AVAILABLE PICK UP DATE.
* CERTAIN TRANSIT LANES COULD TAKE LONGER BASED ON THE ROUTE.

So, clearly it wouldn't be Steve's fault even if it took several more weeks. That's just how it works. The numbers just don't work unless you at least a couple of cars on a transport for at least a portion of the journey, so you simply wait until the logistics work. If the car is in a big city and going to a big city, it's probably not much of a wait at all.

So, I think the problem is going to be that my car is just plain in the middle of nowhere. It's not Dallas, it's not Phoenix, it's not in the eastern corridor nor any other decent-sized metro. It's not even anywhere near a typical route between two major cities. I think because it's so far from any normal route, there are no trucks going anywhere near it, which then means it just sits and waits until a truck does need to go near it or by it on the way.

Regardless, I've owned the car for two weeks and still don't have any end in sight. I emailed Steve and asked him to give me an honest, realistic guess on when he could have the car to me in Utah, or even in his hometown of Vegas where it would be easy for me to retrieve. If it's going to take at least a couple more weeks, then I think it might make sense for me to just fly down and drive it back.

SC

[fredo]

Man, two weeks already. Does the seller agree to store the car as long as needed ?

[ecrabb]

I made it clear with the seller from the get-go that it would no doubt take a couple of weeks to get the car picked up. Of course, I'm sure he didn't have a month in mind anymore than I did. I'll need to reach out to him again and give him an update.

For now, the car is just sitting in his hangar with a couple of airplanes.

Cheers,
SC




20200

[BMWCurves]

Looks nice! :thumbsup

[WOLFN8TR]

Waiting just plain sucks when your excited. But beings it's sitting inside a airplane hanger out of the elements is nice to know. Take it from my experience plan on 2-3 weeks before you get it and once you do and it arrives in perfect condition it will be so worth the wait!

[ecrabb]

OK, so here's the latest. In an email exchange Friday, Steve let me know a driver would be picking up the car mid-day Saturday. I texted the previous owner late Saturday and he told me the driver had actually picked up the car toward the end of the day.

20289

Yep. Open transport. I told Steve in a conversation last week that I understood that the car was in the middle of nowhere, and that if it was going to be a problem to get a closed transport there, that an open transport would be acceptable. I told him the car isn't a show car, and that I just wanted it home in one piece, and ideally it wouldn't take a month.

Looks like the ZHP is in good company. That's a new X5 on top, isn't it? According to the previous owner, the driver loaded the car rear-facing first, then switched it back around before he loaded the Raptor and left. The previous owner also said that the driver pointed out to him that there was some curb rash on the bottom of the front air dam, and that he'd never noticed it before. Argh. I suppose most cars have it.

20290

From his somewhat cryptic, abbreviated emails from his phone, I'm inferring that maybe the small transport is taking the car the 325 miles to Dallas, where it'll go on a different truck to make the 1200-mile journey to me in Utah.

Supposedly it'll be here by this weekend, which would be awesome since I have a friend visiting and he's also a car guy.

Fingers are crossed it arrives safely!

Cheers,
SC

[fredo]

Good to hear !

[WOLFN8TR]

Nice!!

[danewilson77]

Woot!

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

[ecrabb]

Planes, trains, and automobiles!

On the SLC commuter train to the airport right now to catch a Delta CRJ for a 50-minute flight to Cedar City, UT to meet Steve's driver and get the car to drive it home. Not exactly sure how it got from getting a car delivered to me, to flying and driving 225 miles to get the car home, but it is what it is. I've got the FF miles - might as well put them to good use. Who wants to go to work when you can go pick up your new ZHP instead? ;)

Should finally have my car in a couple of hours.

SC

[BMWCurves]

Congrats! It'll be an awesome way to get familiar with your new car.

[Ssparrow]

Congrats! Hopefully i see you at one of the meets around here

[Jconlin16]

Awesome. Congratulations!

[JB3]

Having a better day than me for sure. Congrats!

Sent from my OnePlus One.* Regularly foiled by autocorrect. But duck it.

[ecrabb]

Well, I think it was a little more work than it should have been to bring this to a close, but the car is home. I'm a little annoyed by having to go get the car and by what I spent for having to do it, but I put the ball back in Steve's court to see what he thinks about how it all landed. I'll update here when I have some resolution and/or to solicit feedback.

For now, here's a photo of my car on the hill above my house. Cleaned it up so I could get a good look. Front wheels have some major curb rash, the front fascia met the curb a little harder than I'm OK with on the driver's side, tires don't really match and probably need replaced sooner than later, and there are a couple of minor dings to PDR, but otherwise thrilled with the car overall. Went to dinner and the wife and kids loved it. :thumbsup

Wrapping up the shipping chapter, and now time to start a project thread.

SC

20344

[BMWCurves]

Sorry to hear about the curbing and the other odds and ends, but you can refinish them and PDR the dings. Glad you got it finally after such a long wait, it will have been worth it!

[fredo]

Glad to hear she's at home ! And I noticed your updated Avatar.