Perhaps you have a family of cars, they are all your pride and joy. You love your Mustang and your Shelby GT500, you love all of your cars and that’s why you won’t be leaving any of them behind. You might be moving to the other side of the country. It might be physically impossible for you to drive all of your cars by yourself, but that doesn’t mean that you will be leaving one of them behind. You wouldn’t leave a family member behind and you won’t leave your car behind. However, how can you ensure that you ship your cars safely? We have all seen the Italian Job, we all mourned as that Aston Martin DB4 dropped off the edge of the cliff, and we all watched as Michael Caine bellowed –
“You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off”
We don’t want to trust our car to someone else, for us to then find it teetering over the edge of a cliff like the bus in the Italian Job. How we can ensure that our pride and joys, our babies (our cars), are moved safely?
Table of Contents
Sell It
I know, I know, but you might want to consider selling one of your prized possessions because it will lighten the load when you are moving. You might also want to consider the legal requirements of your car for where you are moving to. You should contact the motor vehicle office for where you are moving to and check what tests your car must pass and how much the testing will cost. Also, realistically ask yourself how often you will be using your car in the location you are moving to. If one of the cars is an SUV ideal for snowy roads but you are now moving somewhere that sees no snow but lots of sunshine, then you may want to ask yourself if that car is really needed.
Drive It Yourself
If you just have the one car then you may want to consider driving it yourself. You know your car best and you know how to drive it. Do you know the roads that you will be driving on though? Do you know how long it is going to take you? Driving long distances can be stressful and tiring. You will need to ensure that you have allowed enough time for rest breaks. You do not want to find yourself falling asleep at the wheel.
Pop It In With Your Furniture
Another option is to load the car onto the van with your house furniture. This is an option if you have one car but you will probably have to rule this out as an option if you have several cars. This is also an option that can be very pricey. Most removal firms will charge by time, weight and distance. Therefore, this could prove to be a very expensive way of moving your car.
Bulk Car Transport
This is an option that will be more cost efficient than popping your car in with your furniture. Your car(s) will be loaded up onto a large truck with other cars. This is a commonly used method for transporting cars and it might be cost efficient but it doesn’t mean that it is the best way for your cars to be transported. If your car is a classic car then you may want to find alternative methods of transporting your car. Moving your car this way means that there is more potential for damage to your car. The cars are loaded on extremely closely and that means that if the lorry has to brake suddenly, or if it goes around a corner, then your car could be damaged. This is probably not the right option for you if you are transporting any cars that are very valuable to you.
Individually Loaded Containers
Now where the bulk car transport is the equivalent of your cars being squeezed into a dorm room with many other cars,the individually loaded containers is like your car being given its own suite. Each of your cars will have their own container, sadly there is no room service. Then the car is secured into the container. They are secured in the middle of the container and that means that there is very little chance of your car sliding around and there are certainly no chances of your car bumping into another one as it is in its own container. You can find more info here about moving your car via individually loaded containers. Some companies will also let you load some of your personal belongings into the container. This is a great way of cutting down on your overall moving costs so it is well worth asking if they will allow you to add to the container.
Make sure that you ask to see the company’s certificate of insurance. You will also want to do some research into the company of your choice and try and find some reviews about their service.
What You Should Do Next
An Empty Shell
Once you have decided how you are going to transport your car and you have decided who you are going to transport your car with, then you need to get your car ready. You should not be packing anything into your car. You should not be seeing your car as a way of transporting some of your belongings. You want that car to be empty. You don’t want to find that you left some valuables in there and that they then have then gone missing.
Inspect Your Car Before It Goes
You will want to inspect your car before you send it off on its travels. Take photos and make notes of any damage that your car already has. The company moving your car should want to do to a car check with you before they load your car.. They will probably ask you to sign that you agree with what they have said, so make sure that you read it carefully before you sign it.
Inspect Your Car Again At The Other End
You need to check your car again for any nicks or damage. Do not sign anything until you have checked your car again.
When you move your cars it doesn’t need to be like the Italian Job. It should be straightforward and stress free, and no one will be blowing any doors off.
