Sorry, I searched, but the only thing I got hits on was people waiting for their factory orders. :(

I'm looking for suggestions on how to ship a used MINI half way across the country. Any experience with a particular carrier? Costs involved? TIA!

 

Hm. Well there are several options. The one that I suggest is hire a transport company, and they'll take care of ya. It should cost around 300-1k+ depending on what compnay you use. You could also hire a person to tow it, but that might not be such a good idea.

 

I guess one of the first things you need to decide is do you want enclosed or open transport? Open will be cheaper, but the car will be exposed to the elements and is less secure. Obviously some of this has to be based upon the car's current condition and value.

If you go enclosed, I'd check out http://www.autobahnusa.net. I used them to ship my '67 Camaro from CA to MI and was quite pleased with both the service and price.

Best of luck!
Hartz

 

I've had good luck with DAS, but that wasn't a MINI. You should call around to several companies--this is a growth industry and there is lots of competition.

I did learn that a substantial part of the cost is getting the car to the shipper's terminal--where they put a group of cars on a carrier for the long-haul trip. For example, I shipped a car from Colorado to Virginia. If they (DAS in this case) provided door-to-door service, they have to subcontract out a flatbed at both ends and make a profit on top of it. If you get your MINI to the nearest terminal and pick it up at the destinatin terminal, you may save. In my case, it saved about 30% of the cost.

When you call shippers, ask them to price your shipment from terminal-to-terminal as well as door-to-door, and find out if their terminals are convenient to your origin and destination.

Good luck.

 

I second the terminal to terminal suggestion above. Saved me $225.

I strongly reccommend Autolog if they are available in your area. They use enclosed traincars which are faster, safer, and cheaper then anywhere else.

If they are not available, be careful and read the find print. I have had mulitiple bad experiences. The main problem is that a lot of companies are middle manning it and marking up the true cost, and once they have your money they really dont care anymore. All they really do is take your money and your order and then make a few calls and find another company to do it for them. I am still fighting with a company from November who took my money and then went out of business and didnt ship the car. If you can find a company that uses their own fleet and doesnt hire out it will be a much better experience for you with better service.

 

I too have used DAS transport to ship my MINI from Miami to Phoenix AZ. You should use a company experianced in shipping BMW products... DAS is aware of what is requirted. ( strapping the car down by the tires, not using hooks on the suspention.). I also wanted a inclosed truck, and guarented top shelf of truck. Just so someone 1948 Studabaker did drip oil and tranny fluid all over my car. cost was 800.00 2 yrs ago

 

I called Autolog - terminal to terminal = $990 (TX to VA). Ouch. A friend had his Subaru from CA to VA last summer for the same money (doesn't remember the shipper though).