Shipping Better Than Driving? Let's Consider The Pros and Cons

While a one time trip across country to move residences might not substantiate a need to ship your car, if you have multiple homes scattered around the United States and come and go from them seasonally, shipping your car as opposed to driving it might be your better option. For example, if you winter in Florida and spend the summers in Washington, you might benefit from having your car shipped from home to home, instead of driving it yourself, here’s why:

You Don’t Add Mileage

When it comes time to sell your car or trade it in on a newer model, mileage is a big factor in its overall value. Therefore, you want to cut down on the amount of miles you put on your car if you can. This can be a tough proposition if you regularly drive between your homes located on opposite ends of the country. Thankfully, shipping your car with a car shipping company means you get your car across the country without adding even one single mile to the odometer, which ensures your car maintains its all important resale value.

It’s Faster & Can Be More Cost Effective

Let’s face it, when the harsh temperatures of winter appear, you want to move into the warm temps of the south as quickly as possible. The same is true when the unyielding heat proves too much and you need to escape to the mountains. Unfortunately, driving your car from one side of the country to the other isn’t exactly fast. It often involves making multiple stops over several days. Instead, you can fly to your home and have your car shipped and you will both arrive much faster than if you drove it there yourself. No need for pit stops or hotel stays along the way either, which can end up saving your money overall.

Protection For Your Prized Possession

Admittedly, driving can be a bit hazardous at times. By driving your car thousands of miles yourself, there is a great deal of wear and tear your car will endure to get from point A to point B. However, if you instead ship your car, you ensure there will be no breakdowns or mishaps along the way. It will be ready and waiting for you when you arrive at your vacation home.

You Can Move More Than One Vehicle

If you and your spouse each have a vehicle you need to move across the country to your winter/summer home, you have two options. You both drive a car, separate for thousands of miles, or you ship both cars and fly to your destination. Shipping is a great option if you happen to have more than one car you need to get from point A to point B.

Your Car is Too Valuable to Risk Driving

If you own a luxury, classic or extremely rare car that is of immense value, you likely don’t want to be driving it back and forth as you travel between homes. Instead, you want to ensure it is protected and safely transported without adding wear and tear to the car or risking damage along the roadway. Therefore, if your car is simply too valuable to drive for thousands of miles, shipping is a great option.

Bottom Line

While the benefits of having more than one home likely outweigh any negative elements, living in more than one location presents a problem when it comes to your vehicles. You either have to drive them from home to home yourself, adding mileage, wear and risking accidents or you can have them shipped from place to place. We recommend the latter for all the reasons listed above.

Open Car Carrier vs. Closed Car Carrier

If you find yourself in need of car transport services, shipping your car from one destination to another, there are two main options from which to choose to get the job done. One is enclosed car shipping and the other is open car carriers. Below, we will compare and contrast these options, which will hopefully make the choice between the two much easier:

What is Enclosed Car Shipping?

Enclosing car shipping is exactly what it implies, shipping cars via an enclosed carrier. Usually, there is about a five car limit in these carriers, while they carry even less. The most commonly utilized enclosed trailers include the multi-car enclosed trailers and the two or one car trailers, which means only one or two cars are shipped at once. In most cases, shipping via an enclosed container takes longer to schedule simply because there are less enclosed car shipping transporters in operation and you have to wait for one to become available. Therefore, be prepared to wait longer to ship your car using this method.

What Are The Benefits of Enclosed Car Shipping?

The main benefit of enclosed car shipping is the ability to transport a car without worrying about any road debris or weather related issues. You might prefer this option if you have a custom, classic, brand new or high-end luxury vehicle you want to protect from anything and everything. An enclosed transport also provides a higher level of security when compared to open carriers as vehicles are locked inside the carrier throughout the shipping process.

What is Open Car Carrier Transport?

You have likely seen open car transports when driving on the freeway. They usually consist of a trailer with two levels but can be single level. They often hold a number of cars during any transport. The open car carrier option does mean potential exposure for your vehicle to weather related issues, like snow, dust, hail or rain along with bird leavings and insect splatterings during transport. However, because of its affordability when compared to the enclosed option, this might be a risk you are willing to take. This is especially true if your car is a standard model and doesn’t need the added security or protection of enclosed shipping. Of course, car shipping companies who use open trailers for transport take great care and pride in moving a car from one destination to another without incident. Therefore, though it isn’t as protective in nature as an enclosed trailer, you can still be confident that your car will arrive at its intended destination safely.

Benefits of Open Car Transport

As mentioned above, open air is the more affordable of the two options. Enclosed car carriers, especially if they are only shipping one or two cars, can get pricey. In addition, there are more open car carriers on the roadways than enclosed trailers, so you will likely find scheduling much easier. This in turn can mean you get your car from point A to point B faster than if you waited on an opening with an enclosed trailer.

Bottom Line

In short, shipping your car via an enclosed trailer will be more expensive than open air shipping. However, when it comes to simply getting your everyday car from one location to another, there is really no reason for the level of protection enclosed shipping offers. Therefore, in terms of ease of scheduling and affordability, open car carriers do make a bit more sense, unless you are shipping an extremely valuable and/or rare car. Then, perhaps the additional cost and delay in shipping time is worthwhile. However, they both are safe ways to ship your car from one location to another, so it's really an individual preference as to which is the best option for you.