There is a car but I desperately want out in the Seattle area. No, there aren't any other ones like it here in Atlanta. Or anywhere else for that matter. The biggest hurdle is shipping. So far, the best quote I can find is $1,500. That is a deal breaker. Does anybody know a cheaper way to get it across the country? No, fly and drive is not an option for me. Unless one of you adventurous people want to try it...
In reply to SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) :
$1500 is pretty cheap to transport that far actually. Does it run? Do you need it stored for a bit?
You could see if someone here is willing to drive it cross country, but with gas and (2 nights?) of hotel starys you might save $500?
Javelin (Forum Supporter) said:
In reply to SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) :
$1500 is pretty cheap to transport that far actually. Does it run? Do you need it stored for a bit?
Yeah, I agree it's not a terrible price. Just wondering if someone knew a hidden gem somewhere. Yes, the car runs.
dps214
Dork
12/18/21 4:16 p.m.
No, and like mentioned a fly and drive probably costs close to $1000 all in unless you're going to cannonball it home without stopping. $1500 is super cheap for that far, a friend just paid $1100 I think to go from Texas to Ohio. That was for an enclosed trailer though. I guess everyone has their own limits but imo "seemingly unique car I desperately want" and "not willing to pay an extra $1500" doesn't really align.
Seattle to Atlanta is about 2600 miles.
$1500 is about 58 cents per mile. A very good price. Sure, maybe that could be gotten down to 50 cents or $200 less at $1,300.
Price is one factor in shipping the second factor is "when" or how soon will they get the car to you?
Is this $1500 with a broker? If yes, they just want you to sign up. Once you sign up they will then TRY to find an owner operator willing to take the car. You might find they then state they need more money to attract a semi owner operator.
Try to get some verification that they actually have a driver lined up to bring the car.
docwyte
PowerDork
12/18/21 4:21 p.m.
$1500 is super cheap. I was getting quotes like that for open trailer transport from Boston to Denver. So I'd just pay the $1500
Sonic
UberDork
12/18/21 4:43 p.m.
You have an 18 year old son, how about send him to go get it?
Buy it in Seattle
sell it to carmax
Re-purchase it in Atlanta from carmax and pay the transfer fee!!
How cheap can we go? $500 in gas?
Pay neighbor college kid total of $500 to drive 875 miles a day X3 days.
Give the kid $50 for food or weed or beer a day. Sleep in car and wash up in gas station. $150.
Then you gotta fly the kid to PNW - $3-400?
There's your $1,500.
Only cheap way is to put yourself in his spot and deduct that $500. You're at $1,000. But you're not available.
I think you need to think about bad weather this time of year and snowy mountain passes + ice ,
Buy it , store it and then do a fly and drive in the spring :)
1500 isn't bad at all. If it's that stupid rare I'd do it in a heartbeat
COUGAR
PowerDork
12/18/21 7:34 p.m.
I've spent more than that for California to Chicago, and I'm incredibly cheap.
Youve got us interested - what's the car?!
Best of luck brother
I'm off from the 23rd to the 4th. Unfortunately, flying me from OKC to Seattle, gas/hotel, then from Atlanta back to OKC would probably be just as expensive as having it shipped.
But like the others said, I'd try to find an actual shipping company or owner/operator who usually does that route. Read too may stories of brokers quoting low prices and it taking weeks or more after the "promised" date for something to actually arrive.
What kind of car? I'll drive it, if you fly me home.
I paid $1500 to get my Cayman out to San Diego, CA from Dover, NH. It arrived COATED in salt.
I am with iansane etc. , if it is the right car, fly me there from Boston and back from Atlanta and I will drive it. I love that E36 M3 and have near 1m Hilton points so other than planes and gas I'm cheap.
I am in BC and I go to Atlanta every now and then. Is it a 7 series BMW or a 1964 Rambler?
There are driveaway services, where you can either hire a professional to drive your car from point A to point B, or alternately arrange with someone like a college student. https://sgtautotransport.com/autoblog/hiring-someone-to-drive-your-car-cross-country
Meh, no big deal. I didn't word my initial post well at all. I agree $1500 isn't horrible, it's just more than I'm willing to add to the cost of this car. I was wondering if anyone knew a little known shipper or something that may do it for any less (i.e. maybe already has something coming west to east, etc...).
The car is a Subaru XT6. Long story short I got remarried recently. My new wife is an enabler, bless her heart... She wants me to pick a car (or two) on my bucket list, which was the genesis of my recent post about 80's/90's oddball/obscure cars. I was a teen when the XT hit the market and thought it was 80's rad, dude! I've always wanted one. Now they are ultra thin on the ground and nearly impossible to find. I'm usually pretty good at determining market value, after all it's part of what I do for a living. However, the XT6 is so rare these days that I have no clue what it's really worth. Regardless, for this car I just don't think it's worth the cost of the car plus the shipping. I'll just wait for another one and/or go a different route.
Here is the car in case anyone else is interested. He's come down in price, but adding $1500 in for shipping and I'm just not convinced it's worth the cost for me. https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/d/mount-vernon-1991-subaru-xt6/7420347763.html The cosmetics are really bad, he sent me a video of it. Every panel has a ding or dent and the paint is totally trashed. It has a valve tap and the power steering is out. I can live with the valve tap and power steering, but as cosmetically ugly as it is I'm not sure it's worth the total spend.
A friend in highschool had an xt6. She called it "space car". Because it was from space.
In reply to SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) :
I'll agree, that is not a preservation example. Since parts will be scarce, you'd might need another XT6 parts car to take that XT6 to a level of preservation.
Interesting that the seller may be in the RV business. Many of those RVs come out of Elkhart, IN. The travel trailers are brought out by Diesel Dually trucks and then these same duallys drive back to Northern, Indiana empty. Your cheapest route could be for the seller to source a driver he knows in that business to take your car back east on a rented Uhaul trailer. You could then travel to N. Indiana and get the car yourself the rest of the way.
Horizon is one of the big companies in this RV hauling business. Large units are hauled one at a time.
Smaller units are brought in on flat beds that could seemingly take back your car, easily.
If I were hunting for an XT, I'd be looking for a turbo because of the glorious digital dash:
FYI, should you end up needing one, I have two XT6 power steering pumps that I put on my shelf 15 years ago, or so.
John Welsh said:
In reply to SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) :
I'll agree, that is not a preservation example. Since parts will be scarce, you'd might need another XT6 parts car to take that XT6 to a level of preservation.
Yeah, that's why I'm walking away. If it were local, I'd jump all over it. I have no intention of restoring it...or any one I eventually find. Just driving it, keeping it running and enjoying it. This one just isn't worth transporting, IMO.
The digital dash was only available on the XT (with the 4 cyl), not the XT6. I'd love to have an XT but they're even more rare than the XT6. Super hard to find any, anywhere. From the little info I could find, the digital dash XT is worth FAR more than the XT6...probably more than I'd want to spend. The car in Seattle is the only one I can find for sale anywhere in the country.