<p>i posted this in another forum, but i just realized that the parents might have the best information, so i'm posting here also (sorry).</p>
<p>i'm planning on shipping my car this fall from new york to california. has anyone done this in the past? i'm looking for some direction as to what company i should use to ship it. if anyone has any experience with a reliable company (or knows of any to absolutely stay away from), that input would be sooo appreciated.</p>
<p>thank you.</p>
<p>Maybe ‘paying3tuitions’ can drive it out for you.</p>
<p>^^^ yea, but where’s she been lately?</p>
<p>There was a thread once on shipping cars. Probably in the Parent Cafe. Info on costs and companies. Try a search on car shipping.</p>
<p>I would contact several local car dealerships to get suggestions on companies that ship by rail, and I would also contact some nationwide moving companies to see if your car can be put on a moving van that is booked for a move to California. I checked into this about 10 years ago when I was moving from California to TN and the car was a leased auto so I wanted to keep mileage down. I think it ended up being cheaper on the van than by rail. But that was before gas prices were high.</p>
<p>thanks for the advice. i did a search, but the previous thread on this didn’t really have any answers. i will try calling the dealership i bought it from though. they might be able to help. :-)</p>
<p>Why spend the time and effort and energy costs when CA has plenty of cars available to buy.</p>
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<p>i had to buy it in my home state in order to have it inspected here and registered here so i could stay on my parents’ insurance.</p>
<p>Are you sure you’ll need a car?</p>
<p>If you’ve got the time, then you should look into driving it across the country yourself. I’ve driven cross-country three times for college now, and each time has been an amazing experience. Get an all-parks pass for the National Parks and go wild visiting everywhere from the Badlands in South Dakota to Saguaro National Park in Arizona.</p>
<p>Hmmm…paying3 could very well already be on the way cross country - I seem to recall a discussion about to buy or not to buy a suped up car?</p>
<p>DS took a car back to school this year - went without one for the first three years. He did the trip solo (no, it was not easy for me to agree to that, but he was quite up to the task and was very smart about it-thank goodness for cell phones). Considering all costs, it was the cheapest way to get the vehicle to school, not considering the wear and tear. He was able to take a few things he wouldn’t have normally taken. 2,800 miles in 4 days. No known tickets.</p>
<p>We shipped a car cross country this spring. I think it was about 800 dollars coast to coast. The experience was fair. They did not pick up when they said they would. But once they did pick it up it was delivered quickly. Most transport companies seem to contract it out. The company we used at the recommendation of a friend did not actually transport the car but used a company that was from the state we were shipping the car to. I will pm you the name of the company we used. My co-worker has shipped with them 5 times with no damage to the cars.</p>
<p>“i had to buy it in my home state in order to have it inspected here and registered here so i could stay on my parents’ insurance.”</p>
<p>This explanation actually makes sense. I’m impressed.</p>
<p>I’m with RacinReaver – drive the car to school. No flight costs, no shipping costs, no scheduling issues. AND you get to chose the route! If you take a friend you can get the trip done in three days (as an Army buddy and I did in a VW Bug). But take a few extra days and see some of the rest of this great country. JMHO.</p>
<p>I chose to have the car shipped in a closed van. It was expensive, over $1,000, but the car was brand new. I chose the company based on searches on the internet with something like “car shipping+reviews.” As noted above most of the companies do contract out.</p>
<p>I did not want my then 19-year old to drive from DC to LA, and I couldn’t take the time off from work. The company picked up when promised and delivered relatively quickly.</p>
<p>I wrote about this in 2004 or so, but I can’t find the thread.</p>
<p>H is planning to ride with S the 1500 miles to his school. They are going to stop at the Grand Canyon on the way. H is planning on the two of them alternating driving and just sleeping in the car…a fully packed Toyota Corolla. I am so glad that I am flying out to meet them and won’t be in on this little trip. H and I will fly back. S is a freshman, so we want to be there for the whole drop off thing.</p>
<p>Yay for Toyota Corollas. Both my kids have one and drove to their schools in them (1600 miles + each). D’s is registered in our home state and other in S’s new state of residence. I drove out with each and flew back. Definitely the way to go. I agree about the park passes too. Great way to see the country.</p>
<p>timely, your husband and son should look into also visiting the Painted Desert & Petrified Forest and Meteor Crater which are both nearby attractions on I-40.</p>
<p>One thing to keep in mind: once you get it there, you’ll need to find someplace to store it over the summer at the end of the year, unless you’re shipping it back.</p>
<p>Alas Carolyn, who says they’ll be coming back over the summers? He went to his school to take advantages of all the opportunities that it and the city had to offer. He stayed there over his second and third summers. One summer he worked on a crew making a movie. The next summer he served as a counselor for the NY Film Academy’s local campus.</p>
<p>Is your d in WI this summer? Once the apocalyptic rains went away, the summer has been lovely.</p>
<p>Nope, Tsdad, she came home for a great local internship opportunity. 
We stashed her car in a local storage facility. It was significantly cheaper than shipping or driving it home only to return it for next year. We’ll do the same when she studies abroad in the spring.</p>