carl82590

Hey Everyone,

I've searched the forums a bit and haven't found much information about towing a Macan Turbo. I'm moving cross country(~1500 miles) with a 15' UHAUL and need to bring a car with me. I was going to rent the UHAUL auto transport and tow the Macan. Does anyone have any experience with this? What would you guys suggest I do to protect the paint while I'm towing the vehicle? I'm planning on covering front bumper, mirrors and fenders with blue painters tape. Anyone have any better ideas?

#1SomeGuy

Have the vehicle shipped...it probably won't cost that much more and you won't have to worry about damage.

carl82590

I was quoted about $1200 to ship just the vehicle. I can get a car trailer from Uhaul for $249.

tk-porsche

$1200 sounds about right for having a company transport it for you. I assume by towing you mean with a trailer that you drive up upon, not one that just suspends one axle. Make sure if you do this you have the capacity on the vehicle to tow two tons. You
ll get crummy gas mileage, but will probably come out ahead in therms of savings. I'd also get a car cover and make sure it's on very snugly to protect against the elements and the curious. Make sure your insurance covers this, as well.

#1SomeGuy

^^ this is a good point, you can't just use a front wheel dolly to tow the Macan, it needs to be up on a trailer. And that trailer behind a uhaul is going to result in half the mpg, likely a few hundred extra in gas. Then factor in prep time and everything....I'd happily pay $1200 for someone to take care of it all for me and insured against any issues.

Alternatively, can you not just have someone else drive the Macan out? Wife? Family member?

ExMB

And then there are the horror stories of people hiring someone to transport their across distance only to find damage to the vehicle at the receiving end.

There is no clear and easy answer.

PSEE

The auto transport companies are LIABLE for any damage that may occur. They take photos and go over your entire
car before they take possession of it.

Those U-Haul rental trucks get TERRIBLE mileage. Add in a car carrier hauling a 4400 pound Macan and you'll get
even worse mileage! And, if anything unfortunate occurs, it's on your nickel...

Pay the $1200 for enclosed shipment with a reputable carrier. How much is your Macan worth?


Good luck!

carl82590

We will being towing a Macan Turbo with this trailer
https://www.uhaul.com/Trailers/Auto-...ort-Rental/AT/

Shipping isn't an option for us. We need the car sooner than when it can be delivered. If we had it shipped, we would then also have to rent a car at our destination.

rasetsu

I hope OP comes back to share his experience after he completes this task.

ExMB

Every body is talking about $1200 to ship it. Where are they getting that number? Wonder how many just regurgitate instead of actually checking before posting.

And yes, transport companies are liable for damage. Lets see how long that'll take and the hoops one has to go through. Seriously; some are living in a dream world.

rasetsu

$1200-$2000 were the numbers that dealerships quoted me when I asked about shipping covered from east or west coasts to Dallas, TX about 12 months ago. I don't know how much it would be from coast to coast though. I shipped a vehicle from California to Texas 13 years ago in a covered transport with satellite tracking and that was $1100. I chose the shipper through reading many reviews. The transporter was extremely detailed in documenting the condition of the car before it was loaded, covered the car even though it was in a covered trailer already, and was just as detailed in documenting the car again when it was delivered. I then had another car shipped open trailer from El Paso to Dallas which was paid for by the dealership but was told it would usually be about $500. Same thing from the transporter when he arrived. Documented the car with photos and notes and gave me a copy of the document when he first picked up the car. I helped my neighbor accept delivery of his car from out of state in a covered trailer while he was out of town. Same level of care in documenting everything from that transporter too.

So three personal experiences with car shipping and they were all positive. Personally, trailering any car worth more than $20K myself with rented U-Haul equipment would never be an option for me. I've rented various U-Haul equipment before and they were less than confidence inspiring for across town jobs let alone across states. I would ship it and rent a car at my destination or Uber/Lyft until it arrived or find a friend to drive it and I would cover lodging and return airfare.

Have you shipped a car? If so, what was your experience?

#1SomeGuy

Basically every single vehicle in the world is shipped somewhere by a transport company. How do you think your porsche's got to the dealership? Yes there are horror stories of damage and getting screwed, but any reputable company will be perfectly fine and is FAR less risk than the headaches of towing it with a uhaul at a max speed of 55mph? Ha! Again, no thanks, either have someone drive or get it shipped. Uhaul car trailers are for people with honda civics, not porsche macans.

ExMB

Quotes from 13 years ago are worthless today. But by using your outdated example for only half a continent you can see the $ recommendations by some on here are ....... I've seen rate quotes as high as $1.50/mile nowadays.

Yes, I had a car shipped from a dealer 400 miles away. It had minor damage, some of which happened during the unloading. Luckily the dealer took care of it because the transport employee just wanted my signature and get out of there.

Petza914

If you're toeing it open (not enclosed) never out any sort of cover on it. No matter how tight you think the cover is it will vibrate in the wind and rub the paint. This is why cars you see on a transporter have the white plastic stuck all over them. Your taping the front up is a better solution.

tk-porsche

Here's another option: Drive it there yourself and take a one-way flight back. Still cheaper than shipping, though more than towing.