HAULER COMPLAINTS: anyone else?

I sold a GT-2 last month and the buyer arranged transportation with Gold Rush. It took almost 2 weeks for the car to be delivered, Md to Ca. Last year a friend used their services and they damaged the front facsia. There must be some happy customers. Good luck.
Tom

 

I had Blue Highways transport move my '00 Porsche 996 to Arizona to get supercharged. They made a big dent in the door, and did nothing more than fix the damage -- didnt offer any discount or a cheap/free trip back for the car. The repair wasn't even done very well (was done in AZ). Will never use them again.

I have used Intercity a few times and they have been great, I'll use them again.

 

When my car (P/car not F/car) got shipped from back east to Seattle the non-running fee magically went from $100 to $250. The driver gave me the option of paying the extra $150 (cash only) or returning my car. Nice fellow. Can't remember the name of the company although I doubt they are still around anyway.

Here is a horror story:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=153590&perpage=20&pagenumber=1

 

I had Gold Rush deliver a Ferrari from CA to PA, it also arrived in the rain.Make sure you check the car with a fine tooth comb.You won't see near as much damage in the rain.My car arrived pretty scratched up,they had moved it several times to make room for the 3 or 4 other cars and custom bikes along their route, and it wasn't until I got in my garage and dried her off that I even noticed the strap marks and a deep scratch on my left rocker pannel and right front fender.If it's raining, get a real good look at her before they off load your car. Hope this helps!

 

Ugh, that was a horrible story that Kiesan posted a link to!

Remind me to take out the ECU on a car before I ship it!

 

I had Autobahn deliver my 348 and the driver said he would be at my house at 0600 and he pulled up at 0559 . The gentleman who purchased my 308 had Horseless Carraige pick it up they were able to arrive 3 days early (which they did schedule) and delivered the car from New Orleans to PA in 3 days. I was happy with both companies.

 

These shipping companies are a total fly-by-night racket. Ads for them are all over FORZA magazine. None of them I trust.

I bought a car in Texas, and had the option of having it shipped, or driving it home. Norwood Performace recommended a shipper exclusively - he charged a dollar a mile. From Texas to Charleston, SC the bill would have been $1,200. Norwood Customers probably don't mind paying this to have their super/turbo-charged cars delivered with care. I thought it was alittle steep for me.

I did some research into car hauling - there are probably dozens of companies out there that will transport your vehicle. But unless you have a personal/frequent relationship with a particular carrier, where is the accountability? Lets face it - these guys are NOT paid to pamper some rich man's 'toy' with care and respect. They are paid by the mile as if they were hauling toilet paper or tuna cans to the nearest Piggley Wiggley. There's no 'born on' date for Ferraris (its a car, not a case of produce), so the cargo 'gets there when it gets there'. Many car haulers will do everything possible to combine routes, charging max freight charges while avoiding backtracking over the same route - that means your car might wait around awhile until they can find some more freight to add to the shipment, making the trip more 'convenient' to the transport company. If three cars are getting delivered to the same area, all three pay the full amount instead of splitting the single run three ways. If your car gets damaged, so what? You think the driver cares? He's not going to get blamed for it - cargo gets damaged in shipping all the time. That's what insurance is for, and you bet there's a lawyer behind that freight-damage policy that will fight to make sure the shipping company pays very little if anything at all to settle claims.

I decided to spend $300 for a one-way plane ticket, $200 for two nights' hotels, and $150 for food and gasoline. My car got home, with me in the drivers seat, perfectly. No scratches/dents. Not even a single stone chip.

 

What about Dependable Auto Shippers? I picked them initially because they were recommended by eBay (not necessarily a good thing), but the fellow I bought my 328 from said he had used them twice before with good results. Anyone else have any experience with DAS?

 

Excellent point. I've often thought the same thing about car insurance. If Joe Carguy owns 3 collector cars, and his policy states that he can be the only driver of those cars, then why should he pay for THREE policies? Seems to me that he should only pay for coverage of the most expensive of the three cars, that way, no matter which car he might drive and wreck, he would be covered. So why pay for three policies? He can't drive three cars at once. Totally rediculuous.

 

I used Intercity Lines to ship my 355 from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. It only took a few days and they delivered to my door on time. Car was in perfect condition, so I was a happy customer and would use them again.

 

I had bad luck with AUtobahn Transport

Horseless Carriage acted like they had to go to the north pole for me

I had good luck with V.I.P. and PAssport

 

pretty neat scam, huh?

nobody said insurance companies were stupid! you still want theft and that sort of stuff on each car, but collision? no way. it's a rip-off.

i have used http://www.enclosedvehicletransport.com/ twice myself, and a buddy has used them once (that's his red M3 conv. on the front page; my yellow 355 spider and black 996TT are on the "clients vehicles" page). talk to kevin. i would use them again.

doody.

 

Ah, I don't suppose that Mr. Dudley is your cousin, eh, dude boy?

BTW, what are you doing buying cars in Alabama? Don't you know that that Bama is famous for recycling cars? Oh, now I get it. Mysterious man, lives in Boston, likes Italian cars, claims he is a "family guy," yeah right. Oh, wait a moment. I didn't mean any disrepect. Pls no horse heads...

DrTax

 

I use these guys. They are very carefull.

Look, Sonny Crockett uses them too!
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Some things to consider when choosing a transport company. Will they go door-to-door or do you have to drop the car at a terminal? If they do door-to-door, will the car still sit at a terminal? Will the car change trucks along the way?

I've used TNT Auto Shippers (www.tnt-inc.com) twice now and they have taken great care of me. They do door-to-door service and the car stays on the same truck throughout the trip. I bought an NSX from Chicago last year and they worked well with me as far as scheduling since we had paperwork issues due to the dealer not knowing how to calculate tax for Colorado. When the paperwork cleared, the driver was there to pick up the car and was in Colorado the next day. When I bought my 360 it was a short notice thing as well and my rep actually negotiated with other customers to get my car on the truck that week rather than waiting an additional week for the next available truck. So, 2 days later, my car was picked up and I had it in just over a week (from Florida).

Also, someone mentioned DAS...I don't recommend them unless they've changed their policies. I paid for enclosed transportation from OH to CO on my Viper a couple years ago (yes, I go through a lot of cars). First, they picked the car up on a flatbed tow truck (which I didn't know until later) and drove it 50 miles to their terminal where it sat for a couple days, they loaded it on a truck and took it to KC where it was offloaded and sat at another terminal for a couple days. They delivered the car to the Denver terminal and was scheduled to bring it to my house the next day. I asked them if they could bring it to my work that day instead...so they guy calls and says he's outside and I see the car sitting on a flatbed tow truck! So much for enclosed transportation. So he's offloading it and is having problems b/c of the low clearance of the car. It was a nightmare watching him try to get the car off of there using 2x4's and 4x4's to make a mini (and unstable) step-up ramp.

 

what about exotic car transport?

 

I used Passport Transport, can't say enough good things about them, very professional, on time.They're owned by Fed Ex.

 

I had a private transport bring my Corrado up from Houston... really smooth deal. It was open semi but still, the guy took care. He owned the truck and trailer, was VERY promt and exact on his timing and everything. I would suggest dealing with someone who is suggested by at least two people. This guy was to me and I was perfectly happy with it Only $450 from Texas to Michigan too!

Kyle

 

I have shipped cars many times and have the following experience.
Run, don't walk, from Southerland Transport, Anderson Ca. They are total crooks.
Another crooked outfit, McElley Auto Transport, where my car, held over the weekend in "their locked yard" mysteriously ended up with 93 miles on the odometer, dog hair in the back seat and crumbs in the front. Dishonest and disrespectful.
Waggoners Trucking, Norman of Oklahoma, still difficult and would not use again, but at least not crooked like Southerland.
Schilli Specialized, very accountable, very professional. The driver, Steve, was very cafeful and respectful, detailed the car after off loading so we could inspect properly. The company was good with communication, seemed to understand the anxiety of shipping exotics and gave great care throughout the process. AND have good prices. So they are my choice for enclosed shippers.

 

I had my '91 TR delivered from Phoenix Motors (Mercedes Dealer in AZ) and used their carried called "Alpine Transport" (like Speed308's White TR) every aspect of this transaction went perfect. I bought the car on Friday and was driving it on the next Tuesday. Excellent group. This is a complete 180 degs from the experience I had with my 348. I'll post that data tomorrow, since I do not want to give out any wrong dope.
Keep in the fast lane.

 

I've gone through a couple cars (12 in 7 years) so I've dealt with a couple shippers.

DAS has transported for me:
1996 BMW 328is from ALbany, NY to Redmond, WA (in 1996)
2001 Mercedes C-240 from Redmond, WA to COlumbus, OH (in 2001)
2003 MINI Cooper S from Columbus, OH to Redmond, WA (in 2003)
2002 BMW 525i from Columbus, OH to Redmond, WA (in 2003)

Horseless Carriage has movedL
1987 Ferrari 328 from Redmond, WA to Columbus, OH (in 2001)
same car from Columbus, OH to Redmond, WA (in 2003)

I've had 0 problems.

I like horseless because they pick up/drop off and drive into the actual 18 wheeler at source and destination. The same driver greeted me on both sides and was in cellular communication occasionally as he got closer to picking up or dropping off the car and was able to give me a 20 minute window once he was within 3 hours of me.

DAS = contract with a bunch of local tow guys and your car sits for xx days while waiting for one of their transports... DAS requires all articles that didn't come with the car be removed from the car, etc. On Horseless I was able to pack it FULLLLL with car care supplies in plastic no-drip tubs so that I would have an ample supply of griot's car care products immediately available to me when she got off the truck.

Horseless was pricier and work wouldn't pay for it, DAS was the company standard for a Microsoft relocation through Cendant.

That's my two cents.

 

Had a small problem with a (for now) to remain nameless transport company. Set up, pick up and transport all went well, and all in a timely manner. Had a small problem at delivery though. The driver had the door open to look down at the track and his foot slipped off the clutch. The end of the door hit the upright support inside the truck, and all I heard was "Oh F***". Not a good thing to hear. Promises of "we'll take care of all this, no problem". I dealt with one guy the whole time. I had the car fixed and now find out this guy "doesnt work here any more". Oh and by the way, somehow nobody who works there knows anything about the damage either. We'll see what happens in the next couple days?!

 

I use Precious Metal all the time up and down the east coast. They are very good and reliable. There on time when they say. Neet trucks and very respectable of your cars.

Also use Exotic Car Transport. Also reliable. Easy for me since the company is 3h from us. Makes it easy for them and me.

Had bad experience with VIP. I paid the extra $$$ compared to another carrier becasue they said on a specific date they can pickup the car. They did not show for 5 days with all kinds of excuses. In the end picked up the same time the other companies could have without paying the extra $$$.
Then their hydraulic system suposedly failed on the truck somewhere in Houston. The truck had to be fixed. In all getting the car from LA to Miami was close to one month.

I have also used some smaller companies. They are very reliable because they can schedule better. Mostly local guys from the area where I am getting a car from.