Steps to Prepare Your Car for Shipping

Although it sounds counter intuitive, it can often be a much more cost-effective solution to ship your car to your new home if you are moving a long distance, rather than driving it. Between skyrocketing gas prices and the costs for food and lodging along the way, paying to load your car onto a flatbed truck and have it shipped can save you a lot of time and money. Once you have identified a shipping company and negotiated the best possible price, it is time to prepare your car for shipping.

Clean and Check
The first thing you will want to do is clean it up. Clean your car before loading it onto a truck to drive hundreds or thousands of kilometers? Just so it can get dirty again? Well, yes. Because the first thing you need to do is thoroughly inspect the exterior of the car. Look out for any chipped paint, dents, or scratches. Basically, you want to be aware the condition of the car before you put it into the hands of the shippers. Generally, they will be liable for any damage incurred to the exterior of the car throughout the journey, and the only way to prove if any damage was incurred is if you know what the car looked like beforehand. Going along with this, you should take a few different photographs of the car, so you have a reference point for the state of the car prior to shipping.

Don’t Forget the Inside…
Next, you’ll need to do a thorough cleaning and inspection of the inside. This time, however, it is for the exact opposite reason. Generally, moving companies are not liable for any theft or damage to the inside of the car. So, if you have an expensive GPS or stereo system, it might be best to remove it before shipping your car. These unprotected devices are susceptible to damages or theft.

Even if shipping your car does not save a ton of money, it can still be a huge convenience, in some cases much better than driving all the way across the country, or selling your old car and getting a new one in your new hometown. Research your options and if shipping isn’t in your price range, and driving is too much of an inconvenience, browse a website with second-hand cars for sale. In this way you will get a better idea of how much it would cost for you to buy a new car in your new location. For example, one can check prices of second-hand Honda CRVs for sale on this page. With all numbers in hand, you can be sure to make the right decision. 

With your car loaded onto a moving truck, and your belongings packed and ready to go – there is really only one thing left to do – check out the driving rules and regulations in your new hometown! How long do you have to register your car? Will you have to get new license plates? And is there anything else that you should know as a driver in this new location. Your car is all set, so make sure you are as well!