vwbrd

(I've searched the archives and seen the towing thread--there's some impressive hauling in there! but still thought I would make my own post)

So I'm looking at buying a non-running 944 project car out of state (see my post history if you're curious). I've never done an out of state purchase (although considered a fly&drive for a cayenne, but lucked out and didn't have to.) It's about 800 miles from me, so I'm thinking about driving up with my CD (with factory tow package, no air suspension) and towing it home on a uhaul vehicle transporter trailer (double axle, not the dolly type). I know a lot of folks here bought their CD just to tow their other P-Cars with, so 3 questions:

1. should i rent the trailer here and haul it up and back, or rent for just the 1 way trip back? I'm likely to be doing this over a weekend and I know some of the uhaul places especially smaller ones have limited hours or are closed. There are plenty of places around me and I could easily get one before heading out. Also, I've read plenty of people say their reservation wasn't actually there when they showed up. But I'm not sure it make sense to haul one all the way up there and back? I don't think they charge for mileage?
2. what kind of mileage estimate can I use both hauling an empty trailer (2200 pounds) and then with the car (2800 pounds) on it? (texas to iowa, not crossing any mountains) For reference, family vacation to Chicago I got an actual 29mpg (31 indicated) with the CD.
3. what would it cost to ship it to me? It's not in a major city like SF, LA, NY, chicago. and also it's not running and not a high-dollar GT3 or something, so I can't imagine it's worth it, but on the other hand I'm not in a hurry and I'm looking at $4-500 in diesel + time + wear & tear.

BrewDude

1. Rent the trailer there. I've not had issues with U-Haul having a reserved trailer available, but for peace of mind call them ahead of your trip to confirm the trailer is on site.
2. You're definitely not going to have the MPG numbers achieved on a road trip as you would empty while towing an additional 5000 lbs behind you. Probably gonna be in the low to mid teens...
3. Have you gotten quotes for shipping? Depending on who you choose, you might get a deal, you might not. If it's only costing you 4-5 bills and a couple of days, that's most likely going to be more cost effective.

JamesN

Just looked at your other post about buying the 944. I'm 70 miles from cedar rapids and was down there last week, I could have looked at it for you but sounds like you already made the deal . Congrats. Cedar Rapids is big enough, over 100,000 population. I wouldnt worry about the uhaul and availability of trailers , but a phone call never hurts as this is college student moving season . I'm all for driving/flying and picking up my car purchases rather than shipping sight unseen. The Cayenne should have no problem. It's all down hill to Texas right!!!

Good luck, pictures , please

Jim

2017 CS
2016 CD gone
1978 911 SC targa gone

lml999

Personally, I'd prefer to have it shipped, but hauling non-running cars can be a challenge. Not all shippers want to deal with winching cars on/off trailers.

Give yourself an extra day. Arrive at UHaul Friday morning, and have a second reservation at a different location.

Also, go through the full configurator on their site. For some reason, the system said I couldn't haul a B5 A4 (about the same weight as your 944). And check the ball size on the car hauler. I assume it will be 2"...but I was wrong once, with a travel trailer. Oops.

garrett376

How do you plan on getting the non-running 944 on the full U-haul trailer? They have really steep ramps so pushing it on likely won't happen, and they always have very tall middle rails, and a tall front rail, so often blocks/planks of wood on the deck are needed for low-ish cars so you don't scrape the heck out of the undercarriage. A tow dolly to drag the 944 might make more sense if the 944 rolls.

U-haul trailers also don't have spare tires, so pray you don't get a flat...

You should go to uship.com and get a shipping quote before diving into that transportation adventure!

vwbrd

I think I'm leaning toward just renting a trailer here, which is $50/day. One way is $500. I did check their website and it gave me the thumbs up. I will double check the ball size. In fact, I'm not planning to pick it up until the 27th, so I was thinking I'd go by the uhaul place when they're not busy and check out the trailer, connection, lights, etc. I've got the tow package and the round to 7pin adapter, but never hooked up a trailer, just used it for various hitch accessories.

vwbrd

I plan to winch it with a 2 ton hand winch. I've seen videos of people needing blocks of 2x10 lumber to clear the skirts and front rails.

The 944 is RWD, so I didn't think the dolly was possible?

I did uship and it was $1200 and up for a non-running car on an open trailer. I am considering it, since fuel and trailer will be half of that. Again, I've never done this so I don't know how that works. Like will it be loaded and unloaded multiple times? I doubt the same truck that picks it up there brings it straight to my door, although with it non-running, I guess they can't get it a big car hauler, so maybe. The car was repainted in 2010 (due to oxidation of old paint) and has no dings. I'd hate for it to show up with new marks on it and have to fight somebody.

Bcscd

I actually like Uhaul’s auto transports when you get a decent one. I have had some issues at rental places due to the toe chain hooks not fitting through the Porsche hitch and their unwillingness to disconnect the chain at the other end and feed through the eye and reattach the chain to the trailer. Also if they will check the brake fluid level while there it’s worth it. If it’s full you’ll likely be fine but if it’s empty you’ll know it after you start towing with the car on the trailer. The last time, I towed the empty trailer from Boston to Wilkes Barre to pick my ML diesel. Going there was fine but with the car on I had a real hard time stopping. I called several Uhaul places thinking I could swap out the transport but there were none available anywhere nearby. I can’t comment on the low sports car thing but can see where that could be an issue. As said, the challenge will be winching it on but it shouldn’t be too bad.

nsully

I have had the opportunity to use the UHaul auto trailers twice. Always with my Cayenne diesel. They are well thought out, the securing straps go over the front wheels, and the left fender folds down to open the drivers door. They track great, are a little heavy so you will adjust ball weight by positioning the car. Bring some tools to adjust the safety chain set-up. Couple of short 2X4’s to assist with clearance as needed.These trailers are everywhere so I would only do the one-way. Good suggestion in previous post about have two reservations just in case. Good Luck!

vwbrd

Well, my 944 deal fell through and my search went in all different directions, but I did buy a project car this weekend and hauled it home. It was 2 hours away. I rented the uhaul trailer here and drove it out there empty and brought it back. Trailer 2200 lbs, car 2100 lbs. I got 23mpg unloaded and 19mpg with car for 21mpg avg!

KBell

vwbrd. Awesome!

How did your Cayenne diesel handle the load?
Did the trailer move your Cayenne around?
What speeds traveled?

Thanks for sharing.

vwbrd

Braking and acceleration were fine. The uhaul doesn't need a brake controller, it has some braking system where when it starts to slow, it applies its own brakes. There were a few clunks going over big bumps or driveway entrances, didn't seem to move it too much.

I set the cruise at an indicated 73mph (70 per gps) with some runs to just under 80 to pass (including one Cayenne pulling an RV with California plates). For this area it was a pretty hilly drive. Nothing huge, but not flat. I think 400' higher elevation where I went and turned around.

lml999

@vwbrd Wait, the 944 fell through so you bought a Miata? There's got to be a larger story here.

vwbrd

Yes, the 944 didn't come to be for a number of reasons. It is kinda Off-topic and long, but since you asked...

1. The more i researched 944s, the more I realized that I was going to have a tough time finding the "right" one. One with a good body & interior, since I'm not sure how to fix up either of those, but just needed some mechanical stuff, which I can do. But either you find one with a broken timing belt (they barely make it 30k miles), which some say is just a few new valves and have a machine shop check the head but some say it's trashed, get a new block, or ones that have been sitting YEARS. and they're going to need every rubber hose/belt/line replaced and have rusty fuel tanks and need some fuel rail/injector massaging. Some of those things are not too expensive, some are not too hard. Oh and clutches are supposed to be a PITA and if it's not running, you don't know how well the transmission or clutch works. So I realized that was going to be a little more than I wanted to get into, at least for my first project car.
2. I only have a 2 car garage with 2 car driveway, no shop, side carport, or anything and my wife and i have always parked our 2 cars in the garage. So whatever goes in there is displacing my cayenne. I didn't want that to be for 6mos to years.
3. After I fix it up, then what? The one in Iowa I had dreams of being this pristine find that I would get going and then keep forever... but is that what I want? I don't have a place to store it (see garage issue) and I would want to drive it a couple times a month to keep it from sitting. I did want to autocross it, or maybe take it to a trackday.
4. Also, I really loved 911's, but they're more of everything and I can't justify one (this is why I have a cayenne!), so I think 944s are cool, but not a passion.
5. My daughter will be able to get a learners permit next year. I won't want her learning on a 944, probably moreso if it's a 5spd. And having to get a different learner/beater car for her also interferes more with #2
6. I also considered VW cabriolets (see the daughter issue), as I've owned 3 vw's and am familiar with them. They're cheaper than 944s, parts are cheaper, easier to work on, but they're also hard to find some parts for. Plus if they've been sitting, they either have an old FI system (digifant) or a really old FI system (cis, maybe?) that predates even the Bosch CIS-E 89 Jetta GLI 16v I had 20 years ago.
7. I realized what I wanted was something a little more modern, more reliable, easy to work on and get going, cheap, fun, lots of support and aftermarket parts for . All the project car forums tell you this is the Miata (It's actually a joke "The answer is always miata"). Although I did look at Celica GTs and saw a 2003 with a blown engine (pretty easy to find a corolla block to swap heads with and replace) for cheap, but the lady took forever to get back to me. Of course, she did message me when I was driving out to pick up the miata.
8. I got it for a song! I happened to look on FB marketplace and saw this one had listed 8 minutes ago for a super low price of $2k with only 2 bad exterior photos. It's 2 hours from me. Looks rough, but it runs, has been sitting, only has 76k miles, new tires, battery & fuel pump less than a month ago, and it's an automatic. She confirmed it runs but needs to be jump started, something is draining the new battery. She hasn't driven it much the last 2 years. I offered $1800 and she took it.

I was pretty sure it was a scam the whole time, but it worked out. Although she did do a "skip title" or "title jumping" that I'm going to have to figure out how to deal with this week. The person she got it from gave it to her because they weren't using it and she was having car trouble. She never had the title transferred, but it is a blue signed TX title. I knew this wasn't a good idea, but I wasn't sure it was a bad idea.

So I picked it up. The paint is rough with some minor scratches and hail dents, but there's no dents and everything lines up, no rust. The interior is okay. Leather seats are way worn out with some rips. Top is good. A/C works, if weakly. It started up and shifted through all the gears. Super loud crappy exhaust or a leak somewhere, the shifter is sloppy and the A/T shifts hard.

I asked if the power windows work and she said, "Well..." One broke after i got home and my son (age 10) played with it, the passenger side slowly tried to go up, made a clunk and we heard bits fall down into the door. Oops.

So, my son and I are working on it. He's been vacuuming all the leaves from under the hood trays, trunk channels, convertible top, etc. and cleaning the glass. Mostly he sits in it and plays with the button for the pop up headlights and the turn stalks. Power washed years of dust dirt, spiderwebs and mud dauber nests out of the engine bay and undercarriage yesterday. I've ordered a timing belt kit, complete coolant hose kit, waterpump, & front of the engine seals online from a miata place, as well as 2 new ebay window motors and regulators. And I'm oreilly's new favorite customer as I've bought every filter and fluid (and some extras to run & flush the engine to clear up some sticking lifters) on the car. I think this is $800 and *should* be everything I need to get it back to baseline. I'm sure at that point I could flip it for a decent profit (car prices are crazy all over the place).

Then I might daily it while the Cayenne nestles back in the garage. Definitely plan to autocross it, which might lead to more mods and upgrades. Even now, in it's ratty, sputtering stage, it's fun to drive and hugs corners.

After that part of the project might be getting it painted (or trying it myself!) and possibly a 5spd conversion. On the 1st gen, this is $600-1000 in donor parts and supposedly pretty simple. But both of those would be after my daughter has been driving for a while or has something else. Anyway, it's a compromise and it's not a 911 or a 944, but I think it's a great stepping stone.

lml999

@vwbrd Makes sense. When I was looking for an autocross car, everyone in the Audi community said the same thing "the answer is always Miata." So I ended up with a B5 A4 avant. Tidy little car for autocrossing and HPDE, plus daily driver duties (the last is the primary reason I stuck with the four rings). Over time I eventually outgrew the A4...and thought about a 968 or eventually a Boxster. (so I would have fewer excuses for being slow!)

So now I have a Cayenne.

Sounds like a wonderful project for the family!