Look for someone to drive the car for you. If you cannot find a friend who can drive your car for you, you can post an ad on Craigslist if you are comfortable with a stranger moving the car. Oftentimes, people will do this only for gas money as they need transportation to get them to the same location where you want the car moved to. This is an inexpensive way to move a car, but it could also be risky if you are giving your car over to a stranger.
Find a car shipping company in your area from the movecars.com website (see Resources). The site has a directory of car transport companies broken down by state. These companies can ship cars in an open trailer with other vehicles or in a closed trailer with no other vehicles. The open trailer is the less expensive option, with the closed trailer averaging $500 more. Open trailer car transport averages between $750 and $1200 in 2009.
Get quotes from more than one shipping company. Give them the details of your car, including if it runs and where the car will be going to and from. Let them know which method of transport you prefer, open or closed trailer. Ask for a quote for each.
Request proof of insurance and references from the company you are interested in using. Insurance should cover your car in the event of damage or theft. Ask about the deductible and if it is primary or secondary insurance. Secondary insurance means that your personal car insurance pays first. In that instance, verify with your car insurance that they provide coverage for transport. The references you will get will be from the corporate clients that use the shipping company.
Prepare to pay for the transport before the car is picked up. Most car shipping companies require a deposit to hold your booking, but some may require full upfront payment.
Select a pickup window and wait for the car to be picked up. You will not be given a date for when the car will reach the destination until the car is actually picked up. The transport trucks run on a schedule, but pickup times are usually given in a three to five day window. The car will be delivered to a shipping terminal at the destination city. You will need to get the address of this terminal from the shipping company so that you can pick up the car in the destination city.
