MainePorsche

Estes wants a little over 1K to get my core unit from Maine to Greg.

BRB-83-911SC

Jeesh, at that rate it might be worth keeping the core (j/k). However, we all want to know the outcome of the post mortem on your transmission.

I have a feeling rates are much better for "shippers with accounts".

Best I have so far is New Penn @ $304 before insurance, me dropping off at their terminal on a pallet. I was hoping for less than $200, which may be a pipe dream.

depami

Definitely! See post 11.

Try to find a local business to go through.

MainePorsche

Brian,
My problem is that I live way out there. R&L want 780 to pick up at my home, but 450ish if I drop it off at their nearest terminus in Manchester NH which is 11-12 hrs. away.
Yes, I too am curious for the post mortem.

jorj7

I just threw the core in the back of the mini-van then drove the family to Disneyland. It's close to Greg's shop.... Also gave me a chance to meet Greg in person. Turned out to be a very beneficial meeting. I'd recommend it to any 928 owner.

George
90 S4 Grand Prix White (Murf #5)
94 GTS 5-Speed Midnight Blue
06 Cayenne S Havanna/Sand Beige (PASM)
http://928.jorj7.com

BRB-83-911SC

hehe, the thought crossed my mind that I could just throw it into the back of the TDi SportWagen, head West, take a class from Greg when I got there, and then bring it home, all for less cost in fuel than round trip shipping. But then the phone rang, and it was my day job....

jorj7

Brian,

Like I said, I combined it with a family vacation. Disneyland, meet up with the youngest son in San Diego (there for training), deliver the transmission and talk to Greg, go to the beach, all worked out well. Dropped of the wife and daughter off at the outlet mall before going over to Precision Motorwerks, which gave lots of time to talk 928s.

Just on a side note, I just had my son's car delivered to Annapolis last week. Could have slipped a transmission in the back seat...

George
90 S4 Grand Prix White (Murf #5)
94 GTS 5-Speed Midnight Blue
06 Cayenne S Havanna/Sand Beige (PASM)
http://928.jorj7.com

GregBBRD

U-ship.com

BRB-83-911SC

I ended up shipping my transaxle from MA to CA via R&L Carriers for $202+$50 for decalred value of $3,000. I used several online freight "brokers". The best price came via FreightPros.com. Prices were all over the board, surpassing $2,000.

I also tried u-Ship, which is like a reverse auction, where you post your shipping details, and members respond with a bid. Respndents can be freight companies to someone with an RV making a cross country trip. The best price via u-Ship was ~$350 before insurance.

Finally, I tried calling a few local terminals for well known freight carriers. I got a reply from Pilot for $140+$25, but this came in after I had already shipped. This price was well below (by about $400) what their online calculator gave me. I think the terminal manager can offer deals in order to fill trucks already scheduled to move.

The moral of the story is you need to shop around, as prices vary greatly. Best bet is to call your local offices of national carriers and get a specific quote. If I were to do it again, I would leave out the middle men, and reach out to the local terminals of major carriers.

All of this was based on me dropping at the local terminal (home pickup adds about $300-400).

I packed my transaxle inside an Igloo cooler (which I could load and unload from my Jetta wagon by myself), and then strapped it onto a 1/2 size pallet at the terminal.

I hope this info can help some other shipping noob.