If you’re still torn between shipping your car to another state or driving it yourself, it must be for this one reason: shipping fees. Otherwise, I can’t think of any other reason why people would not say no to a 20+ hour drive to get to the other side of the United States (make it 60 if you’re driving Route 20 as seen here). If it’s costs, you’re worried about, fret not. A quick check with a car shipping cost calculator should help you estimate how much the transfer will cost.
The thing is, people have this notion that it’s more practical to drive your vehicle to another state instead of shipping it out. Well, we beg to differ. This is because if you really jot down all the things that you “spend” during a long-distance trip, including your time, effort, energy, and money, it would seem more like you’re on the losing end. And that’s because you are.
When you’re driving, you can hardly do anything else (and you shouldn’t). Your focus and attention are on the road for hours on end, which prevents you from doing anything else that could be more productive. Yes, you’re saving money on shipping fees, but in exchange, you take time off work, run your business, and do everything else that could have been a more productive use of your time.
Aside from taking time off work, you’re also going to have to spend time on yourself—food, water, coffee, gas, and other miscellaneous stuff that you happen to pick up along the way. If you’re driving for 20+ hours, you’re bound to stop somewhere to recover your energy and maybe even rent a place to stay for the night. Either way, you are not going to complete this trip without spending at least a couple hundred dollars for food, gas, and shelter.
Then there’s the aftermath. A long distance drive isn’t necessarily bad for your car, but it’s also nothing to scoff at, especially when your car has already accumulated considerable mileage. It will not only wear you down but your car as well. After driving for miles and miles, there’s an increased chance that you’ll be having repairs, or at least some maintenance work done, after the trip. Again, that will require you to spend money.
If you try to put two and two together, you’ll realize that you’re not going to get your car to another state for cheap either way. In fact, given how there are “costs” that are not just monetary involved with long-distance driving, you might even be spending more driving yourself rather than shipping your car out, plain and simple. No matter how you look at it, choosing the DIY route seems to be an impractical choice if you are someone who values your time and energy.
If you must insist, however, at least read this article first: https://www.motorbiscuit.com/can-your-car-handle-road-trip/.
So instead of dismissing the idea of shipping your car to another state just because you’ve decided it’ll be too expensive to do so without even checking what the actual costs are, try using a car shipping cost calculator. This nifty tool should help you decide whether the cost of shipping your car really is too much for your budget right now or if it’s something you can afford.
Here are 5 reasons to use a car shipping calculator:
It’s Easy
We’re living in an age where information is abundantly available to anyone who seeks it. Even with car shipping services, you can easily find information about how much it will cost you by using an online car shipping calculator. It’s as simple as inputting the details of the car you want to ship out, where you need it delivered, and when you expect to schedule the delivery. You can get your answer almost instantaneously with just a click of a mouse, so why not try?
It’s Free
The good news is that you can estimate cost to transport a car for free, if that’s what you’re worried about. It costs nothing to get an estimate on how much your car shipping will cost you, so you’ve literally got nothing to lose. No commitments yet whatsoever; just run the numbers and see if it’s something that your budget allows you to do.
It Gives You Price Comparisons
Most auto shipping fee calculators will also give you estimated quotes based on the pricing of leading car companies to help you compare options. In this sense, even your search for the right shipping company to partner with gets easier.
It Allows You to Prepare in Advance
Once you get the estimated costs, it should allow you to prepare ahead of time. You can still come up with the amount needed to ship your car safely to another state without making any commitment to any company yet. You can figure out what the numbers are first, get the cash needed, and then schedule the shipping date.
It Takes Two Minutes, Really
Lastly, it takes a ridiculously short amount of time to run the calculations. It takes two minutes, more or less, depending on how fast of a typist you are.
All that being said, just give the shipping calculator a try and see how it goes. You could drive for 20+ hours and find out later that you could’ve saved all that effort by simply paying a reasonable fee. Or you can get the estimates now and make a completely different choice. Your call.
