Breaking Down Car Shipping Prices: Average Prices to Expect for Shipping Your Vehicle

Car shipping prices matter a lot when you're looking for an imported car. One of the interesting phenomena of the Internet age is the interstate sale of cars. In other words, cars that at one time were purchased in Michigan and could expect to spend their entire career in Michigan, now may end up in Arizona or Aruba, as the case may be. Car shipping prices are one of the inescapable necessities of online car sales, such as those that are done on eBay or through Craigslist. Generally, you will find that a two- or three-state trip will cost about $375, while vehicle shipping from coast to coast will cost about $1,100.

Intense Competition

Competition for the interstate shipping dollar is very intense on the Internet. This is where a whole new market has sprung up in the last decade, the interstate vehicle shipping market. It's a market that reflects intensive competition as one shipper will shave a few dollars off a price just to land the business. Be careful, though, that you don't find a new inked-in charge on the invoice that might just offset the savings you've just achieved.

You'll notice that interstate car shippers, whose business reputation rises or falls with their ability to meet schedules, will go out of their way to ensure that if one is told a vehicle will arrive on Thursday at 10 a.m., then the vehicle will arrive exactly at that time, at the place where it was promised.

Auto transport service in-state will usually average between $50 and $100, while a two–state delivery will average between $100 and $350, depending on how close the delivery point is to a major delivery point.

Be Certain of Delivery Point

One thing to be certain of when you initiate a car shipment is its delivery point. If you can pick it up directly at the shipping terminal, then you will save as much as $150 or more in charges. Shipping charges depend to a great degree on the proximity of the delivery point to a major terminal. If you want your vehicle delivered to your front door and your delivery point, even though it might be near a terminal, could add as much as $400 to the price, because you must trans-ship to a smaller company that takes the vehicle from the terminal to your home.

If it seems confusing for some types of shipping, it is. For instance, if you decide you want special treatment for your vehicle so that it is shipped in a covered carrier, you can expect to spend anywhere from $500 to $1,000 more, depending on the final destination. If you want your vehicle shipped on a small two- or four-vehicle trailer, then you'll likely spend an extra $250 for the special attention. If it is the standard shipping mode your shipper uses, then there's no added charge.