Everyone around the world loves to own a personal car but some people also love to possess a vintage or luxury piece of art too. Having a vintage vehicle in possession can be a hobby for someone and also for some it can be a status symbol but when it comes to transporting it to a different destination then it can be a hectic task. Especially when you are moving to a distant city or to a different country then driving your vintage or luxury car to the destination is not sustainable and hence not possible, so the only option left behind is to ship the car through by air or ocean.
Make sure you are ready with all documents of your car because you would need them at every other step so that the whole process is at ease. Add the task to your moving checklist available at iMoving.com and you will never have to be worried about missing out on something.
Here are some tips so that you can easily decide between the multiple ways and options available for you to ship your car:
Options Available:
Through Air - It is the fastest and accessible way to ship your car anywhere in the world. Along with being the fastest and readily available option, it is also the most expensive option you could choose. Your car is safely loaded in a cargo plane and tied securely with clips so that does not move during the freight and within few hours it arrives at the delivery point. You should prefer air freight only if you are short of time or if you have a vintage car that is very fragile and you are scared that it might get damaged if you tend to ship it through any other option. You could ask a moving company to arrange a cargo plane for you as per the destination and requirements.
Through Water - It is the most opted amongst all options available as it is cost-efficient and sustainable. You could either load your vehicle into a closed container that further goes onto the ship. Another option is the typical method in which the cars are driven into the hull of the ocean liner and then securing it further along with many other cars in the same shipment. Both the options are good enough but because the container option is much safer it is also very costly when compared to the other one. If in case your vehicle is fragile or if you want some extra protection then going for a closed container shipping is a must as the car much secured and cushioned to handle any turfs. Along with safety, you will also save a lot of time in the case of containers as there would be a shorter wait for transit.
Through Road - It is the best option when moving your car to a domestic location. In this option, the car is directly loaded onto a trailer and further secured enough so that the vehicle doesn’t move much during transit. Here too there are two options for the trailer being used, namely an Open-air trailer or An Enclosed trailer. As their name suggests the open-air trailer is exposed through and hence makes the vehicle more vulnerable to damage through debris, weather, wind, stones, etc. But in the case of the enclosed one, the car is much safer and is not exposed to any outer damage. In both cases, the car is also secured using tightening ropes and clips. Also, it is always recommended to get an insurance cover when choosing to ship your car in a road trailer. Many people also sometimes just rent out just the trailer and load their vehicle on it and pull it through their pickup up truck themselves which is actually unsafe as moving a heavy load vehicle is a work of professionalism.
Pricing
The pricing depends widely on the weight and size of your vehicle along with the distance it is being shipped for. In the case of domestic shipping in which mostly the road transport is used is actually pretty cheap and you can expect the price to be between around $1,000 to $2,000 based on the above factors. Air Freight being the costliest can range between $10,000 and $20,000. Shipping the vehicle overseas depending on the method you choose can also range between $2,000 and $5,000.
Also, a cost deciding factor when shipping your car is the insurance cover you are choosing as it might increase as you increase the insured value of the vehicle, but in the end, insurance is very important to have so that your precious car is on the safe side even it is damaged. For making a wise decision among the above options it is better to hire full-service movers. They would not only assist you but also make the necessary arrangements required to ship the car.
Moving a car is a complicated job and you must know how to make the best decisions. From auto transport insurance to moving preparations and more, you must have detailed information on the subject. Hope this guide helps you in planning your domestic and international car shipping project. There are many different car shipping companies available to help you move your luxury, antique, and classic vehicles. Some of the top names in the business are Montway, Sherpa, and AmeriFreight. While there are many different companies out there these are the companies that have been highly recommended by both customers and journalists in the automotive industry.
