I'm thinking of checking out a car in IL, I'm in CA.

Once the price is agreed upon, payment is made. Done, but not quite yet!

How to get your new/used toy back home when you need auto transport and not spend too much more dough?

1) Trust the seller to get it to the shipper's terminal. Car sits at terminal for 2 weeks.
2) Trust the seller to have the truck come to his house while it sits at his house for 2 weeks.
3) Pay for a 3rd party escrow service to handle the transaction on your behalf.
4) ?

I don't like options 1 and 2. Trust is hard when we're talking that much money.

#3 option. Anyone know of any good 3rd party services? I came across "Classic Car Guy".

What have you gentlemen done?

 

4 - screw it , take some vactaion, hop on a plane and go get it .. have the time of your life ..

 

That's what I did. Drove 1-way in a rental Mustang, and drove the 911 home 800 miles. Perfect, except for the unexpected snow...

 

Thanks, but this car is about 1800+ miles away. That's about 5 days of driving. Too much time off work and I wouldn't want to risk breaking down along the way. Not an option.

Again, my question is how to deal with transaction not the option of driving home.

Funny thing, you gentlemen both have Paul Newman avatars.

Update: I just talked to Intercity. They said another option is to store the car like in an enclose storage garage, give them the access codes, and the driver picks it up from there. This sounds like a good option.

 

1800+ miles in a 911? Sounds like 2, maybe 3 days, tops (assuming its driveable) Sorry though. I've never bought a car that I never inspected first hand, no matter where it was located. I'd hate to pay for a car, then wait another 2 weeks to see it in person... and hope nothing happened to it in the interim.

 

Yeah, I'd LOVE to drive it home but just wouldn't want to take the risk of driving it that far home.

I think putting it in storage will be my best option. It's safe, away from the elements, the shipper can pick it up anytime. I'll also be insuring it to the max so I'll be covered there.

This is getting more exciting to make this dream a reality!

 

I imagine to "insure it to the max" means you need an appraisal. May be hard to do on a car you don't have easy access too... and is garaged "out of state" etc. May want to ask your INS co about that.

 

Just got off the phone with my ins agent. While in storage no problem, fully covered under comprehensive. The question gets cloudy when its on the auto transport trailer.

I'll have to check with the shipper about insurance should the trailer have an accident and total the car. They should be the ones covering it I'm thinking since my ins. co. won't. Makes sense since the car is not being driven and under the responsibility of the shipper.

 

Be sure to ask for specifics from their ins co.. ie if their truck is in an accident, do they pay you "book value" or a stated value? Same with your reg ins co. Not sure the type/condition of the car you are looking at and its potential worth (esp vs the old fashioned blue book value that most ins cos will pay out.. this assumes you aren't using a specialty co like Hagerty)

 

According to the Intercity website, the car is insured up 1mill. Good enough for me. But I'll need to read the fine print.

 

Just my perspective, but buying any car sight unseen, much less a 911 would certainly not be an option either. If the car isn't up to an 1800 mile trip (w/ AAA as backup "plan B"), I'd want to pass on it anyways. It'd be a long three day weekend of driving, but that's what I'd do. Did I mention that buying a 911 I hadn't personally inspected would be WAY beyond my risk tolerence ?

ps: It'll be the best 1800 (s)miles you've ever driven.
pps: Mine was only 500 miles, and even though I felt "good" after talking to the previous owner, I was perfectly willing to hop back on the plane if it didn't pass my personal inspection.
ppps: There are LOTS of older 911s in CA, why would you buy a car sight unseen from 1800 miles away unless you're being impatient? Many of us search months for the "right" one to come along...it's worth the wait.

Keith
'88 CE coupe

 

Intercity's drivers will personally go over the car you bought when they pick it up from the seller. They will mark down on their forms what blemishes the car has before it's loaded in the trailer. Then, these same drivers will go over the flaws in the car with you before it's removed from the trailer. I waited for the trailer to arrive with my '84 and watched it being unloaded. I felt a bit 'unworthy' since my lowly, beat up '84 Carrera with poor paint was surrounded by a new Viper and several Ferrari's. Same situation with my brother's '66 911 that came via Intercity. They parked a very expensive Ferrari on the road while fetching out his car from the trailer.

Anyway, a carrier like Intercity hauls much more expensive hardware than old regular run of the mill 911's. They know what they are doing and these drivers are paid to handle these cars well. Both my brother and I had husband and wife teams that knew how to handle cars. It wasn't some sleeze ball or young punk kid driving the truck and handling the cars.

You're really doing your homework on this upcoming 911 purchase. That's good to see.

Best,

Jay
90 964
84 3.2

 

This option is just not an option. I've read enough horror stories about cars sitting in terminals and getting damaged. The only way you should have a nice vintage car shipped is via a service that will pick up the car at the seller's residence, then drop it off at your driveway. No ifs, and's or but's on that one. Too much can happen at these terminals...and it's just not worth saving a few hundred dollars on terminal to door or terminal to terminal shipping.

Ship the car in an enclosed semi trailer. It's worth it. You get what you pay for.

I've heard good things about FedEx's car shipping as well in case you want to get another quote other than Intercity.

Also, when the clean, shiny Intercity Lines semi pulls up to the door with your new 911, it's like 100 Christmas's all at once. It's really exciting to see what you bought!!!!! It's like being 6 years old on Christmas Eve all over again.

 

Drove my 911 this summer from RI to OH & back again in a long weekend. That was 1600 miles, I was the only driver. Wife slept a good part of the way in the pass. seat. It was (mostly) peaceful.

Look at this as a life-adventure. You can likely get towed to a p-car dealership worst case, and then fly / drive home, and you still are no worse than back to hauling her home. On the other hand, how many times do you take a week & become re-acquainted with the finer points in life - alone on the open road, just you & your little sports car. Sigh.

 

Thanks again, gents. But no need to try and convince me to drive it the distance. I'm with you there. Yes, it would be grand to drive across the country during fall and see the leaves changing colors and love in the air and all. Birds would be chirping, cool wind in my air with the top off, pretty girls smiling at me maybe taking their tops off (nah, just kidding).

Hmm, this is sounding good though. Cheaper and safer than auto transport. Hmmm....hmmm....maybe, just maybe I'll have to see if I can get the time off work. In the meantime, the reality check says I simply can't take the time off. Oh well, off of cloud nine.

Once again, any other ideas for pickup? I wish I could be there when it's loaded onto the trailer or a trusted person. Still don't like the idea of my car being in possession of the PO after I've already paid him. It also puts him in an ackward position of being responsible for it while it sits on his property.

Update: Actually it's about 2300 miles of driving. Now that may make the trip about 6 days of driving at about 400 miles/day. That's a bit much and too much time away from family and work.