Although you’ve been driving miles to your summer home for years. This year is a lot different, and you may want to rethink your plans. What’s different is the cost of gasoline.
Due to the trouble in Ukraine and several other factors, prices are rising higher and higher and no one, not even the economist pundits, has any idea when they will level off, let alone start to go down.
Month after month, fuel prices pass all previous milestones. This is born out of the fact that the average price of gas in May 2022 was $4.59, a whopping 50% increase over the average price in May 2021.
Airline fuel is not immune to price spikes, and so the cost of flying has risen as well, but not at the same rate.
So if you are leaving home to spend the summer in your beach home or lake house, you might want to consider booking your flight now, so you can keep ahead of the cost increases to come.
And meanwhile, look into entrusting your car to a reputable auto transport company.
Auto Transport Options
Before booking an auto transport company, you need to decide what type of service to use.
Door-to-Door Auto Transport or Terminal-to-Terminal?
- If door-to-door service is your choice, the transport service will come to your home or wherever you are staying and drop it off wherever you specify.
- If you choose a terminal-to-terminal auto transport service, you need to take the vehicle to a specified drop-off location and when it arrives at its destination, pick it up at a specified pick-up location.
Pros and Cons
Door-to-door service is more convenient but as with any convenience, it costs more.
Terminal-to-terminal is less expensive, but you need to consider that the vehicle may sit at the terminal until a full load of vehicles is ready to ship.
Open-Trailer or Enclosed Car Transporter?
- You have probably seen open multilevel -trailers delivering new cars to dealerships. This is the type of uncovered carrier your vehicle will travel in if you choose an open-trailer transport service.
- Enclosed car transporters are similar to moving vans and carry fewer vehicles.
Pros and Cons
Open-trailer transporters can carry more vehicles at a time and this volume can bring down the cost of transporting.
Enclosed transport since they carry fewer cars will cost more, but the price is worth it if the vehicle you will be shipping is a high-end model.
Questions to Ask the Auto Transport Company
No matter which type of auto transport you choose, there are two important things you need to find out before booking.
Insurance?
Is car transport insurance offered and, if so, will your car be insured at its full value? If not, you should contact your insurance carrier and see if your policy covers transport or if you need to purchase it.
Shipping Rates?
Finding out how shipping rates and fees are calculated is always important, especially so if you will be transporting your vehicle a long distance.
Some transporters charge by the mile. If this is the case with the transporter you choose, you might also ask if other cars will be shipped to the same location.
There will be a lower cost. Some transporters charge more for higher-value cars, sized SUVs, and pickup trucks. So, if any of these describe your car, ask before you choose
Lead Time?
And even when you’re all set, one important question remains. How far in advance do you need to schedule the service? The average lead time for most auto transport services is one to two weeks.