I need to ship my car X-country
 

If the Miata doesn't sell, I'm gonna need to get it from VaBch to SanDiego. I don't care about door-to-door, so a drop-ship would be ideal... basically Hampton Roads to San Diego. Anybody have a company they prefer or would recommend or know something helpful I should keep in mind when dealing with the auto-shipping industry.

Pay for gas and plane tickets and Ill drive it for ya! lol, what about a pod?

There are a lot of companies to choose from. One of the first things I would consider in a company is making sure they have covered transports. Also make sure you ask them what their insurance is like if they do damage to your car. Make sure you take lots and lots of pictures before they pick up your car and if someone is able to, take a visual inspection with the driver before and after delivery. Also you may want to ask an eta of delivery. Some carriers will not start to make a trip unless they have other cars heading in the same direction. So you may be expecting your car in a few days when in fact it may be a week or more. BTW, fedex ships cars http://passport.fedex.com/

I have shipped cars twice. Here's what I've learned:
Expect the car to be damaged to some degree
Expect the transport company to not be on time for pick up or drop off
Go in with this understanding and you'll be more likely to stay calm.

Request and pay extra to put the car on the top row. You don't oil and other fluids dripping onto your car, especially the soft top.

I bought my car from Cali and had it shipped to MD, port to port. I used DAS autoshippers and while they took longer than expected, I have no complaints. They won't put a convertible on the bottom row. I wouldn't worry about an uncovered transport. You'll pay an extra grand probably for a covered transport. If you were shipping a $50K+ car you might want to have it covered.

Frank

The car will be parted and SOLD the instant it comes off the truck... bottom row non-covered OK. If I drop-ship it, there are no worries on timeframe... it just needs to get there as CHEAPLY as possible by any means.

Keep the info coming, thanks!

I shipped my Miata from NC to Sweden with DAS. They where actually ahead of schedule, did damage the car, just as Ben said (paint damage), but where nice to deal with and paid the repair without problems. God thing you are parting out the car, since insurance is a big part of the price and you are not likely to need any of that.

A friend of mine moved his dragster Camero -78 with DAS. It arrived at his house with mud splashes on it. Closer check showed that the engine had lost its compression on 2 cylinders. He guessed it had been driven hard on some back roads. DAS paid an engine renovation.

About four years ago, I shipped my Miata from Cinci to SD. Wish I could remember the name of the company I used, but I basically just went online and searched.

You will probably be dealing with a broker. IOW, they will get you "into the system" by posting your car as an available load for transport on whatever forum truck drivers use to search for loads. When a driver who has a spot open on his carrier, and is making the drive in your general direction, sees this, he may take the contract to move your car. So realistically, you have little control over who will be doing the actual move.

That said, I didn't have an altogether bad experiance. As Ben said, forget about timeliness. They gave me an estimated pickup date, and missed it by about two weeks, during which time I had moved. So I had to leave my car parked in the lot at the old office and leave my keys with a trusted former co-worker. The transport itself also took several days longer than estimated, though the broker was reasonably good at providing me with status updates when requested. On the plus side, the vehicle arrived undamaged, having been shipped bottom-rack on an open hauler.

(Remember, pretty much all news cars get shipped this way, so it is possible to do without damaging it.)

Cost was around $800 IIRC. And it was pretty damn close to door-to-door. All you need to do is provide them with a space that's large enough to handle a full size car hauler. So like I said, pickup was in the parking lot of the office where I worked (which was quite large) and drop-off was simply done at the side of the road in front of my new place.

Contact Gary Almond. He's the best. 240-994-1343 or galmond@almondexotictransports.com

Hey Sam. Remember my friend that I mentioned in another thread that wants to look at Miata's? I mentioned your car to him, and the price and he's been asking to see pics and info. We're both in Okieville. That's half way to Cali.

AYFKM? The guy specializes in enclosed single-car transport... high-end Ferrari's and shit. Did you even read the thread?

Also, the best price I've found is $750... this highest quote was $1600. I just can't figure out how some companies stay in business.