Why not just put tags on it for the tow? They aren't going to look them up in the BMV system or something.
Why not just put tags on it for the tow? They aren't going to look them up in the BMV system or something.
Well, it cost a bit more than just brib, I mean, tipping the tow truck driver AAA would send, but the car is now safely tucked away in the new house's garage and ready to be gotten running. Hopefully I can make that happen soon since the friend's husband whose lot the back half of one that I have is on apparently wants to have it gone ASAP. 
Reviving this zombie thread because it gave me the confidence to try this last night, 60 miles away from home. And it worked! Here's how it went down.
Happy car hoarding :)
Here have been my AAA experiences just this year...
I sold a Satun Vue with 265k miles and a busted slave cyl so you could not put it in any gear. Just about everything else was wore out on this car too. I asked $400 because I just wanted it gone. On Sunday morning a guy came. He actually tried to move me on price. I held my ground and then he said he would not be sure when he could pick it up. I countered with $400 this morning and I'll call my AAA and have it towed to your house (just 15 minutes away) this morning! I was happy to see it go in less than 30 minutes later. The plate was set to expire in less than 30 days. I let the plate leave with it.
I sold a very nice, fine running Pontiac Vibe to a guy from and hour away (but less than 100 miles.) I used the same closing technique because he was lamenting the idea of needing to travel back to get the car since he arrived alone. Shipped out in less than 30 minutes by my AAA. It had a temp tag that was expiring in 2 days.
I was expected to travel down to pick up my Niece and her BF at Ohio State University the morning of Thanksgiving. Almost exactly 100 miles so this would be 2 hours down and 2 hours up for me on Thanksgiving morning. The already executed plan was that this '00 Impala I had was going to be sold to the BF and they would drive back home themselves. The the idea hit me...
Sunday before Thanksgiving, about 8am I called AAA telling them I needed an Impala towed to Columbus. In less than 30 minutes the driver arrived. I made small talk with him and asked if this was a good trip for him. He was real happy with the extra hours this was going to give him. I then slipped him a $20 tip and gave him the rest of the story. "Car runs fine, easy to load, your going to a college apartment where a student will be waiting, you are delivering so I don't have to."
The most recent was that I bought a project car in the week between Christmas and NY. It was 160 miles away. It was known to run but would need air (and hopefully just fix a flat) as well as needed a battery. I did buy a genuine, new, proper battery for it. I also brought with me a spare, wrong sized battery and a jump pack. 2.5 hours into the 3.5hr trip the sun had now set and I was running wipers and headlights. The new battery drained right out on the hyw. I costed to w weigh station where we attached jump cables to the spare battery and drove it off the hyw. Found a mexican resuraunt and from the dinner table called AAA and had them take it home the last 1 hour. I did not want to risk that the spare battery would actually last for an hour with the lights and wipers on. For this car, I brought "A Plate" that was valid, it just was not valid for this car but AAA does not have the power like the cops to run the plate. They just need to fill their form as to plate number and experation date.
Ashyukun said:So, I went out yesterday to have AAA come and tow the car- and couldn't even get them to send out a truck without 'confirming' that it had valid tags. They said, "Well, you could probably get temporary tags from the DMV..." and those would be enough, but wouldn't send a truck out.
Thankfully it sounds like one of the other occupants of the storage units who has a truck & hauler is going to move it for me- will likely cost more than the tip for the AAA call would have been but still less than if I'd just called the towing company and paid them directly.
This has been my experience 100 percent with AAA
I actually had AAA refuse to tow my car this year, for a legit disabled previously operational car. I had replaced my driveshaft on a SAAB 9000, and the replacement shafts was apparently about 1/2" too short. Engaged fine while backing down my steep driveway, but popped out of the inner driver when I tried to pull away in first.
I have no winch, and no football playing kids, so getting it back up the driveway was not going to be easy. I called AAA, and they said they couldn't send out a truck unless I was to have it towed to a repair facility a decent distance away.
Called Hagerty, and they happily sent out a truck (who also contracted with AAA) to get my car safely out of the street where I could fix it.
It's good to have double coverage....
Maybe it depends on the state. I'm in Indiana where there are no laws on anything automotive.
I’ve had decent luck with AAA for short tows, although they take their time, but just recently, I had an experience that makes me happy I don’t pay for AAA Gold. Father in law and I broke down on the way home from the Retreat from Moscow Rally last weekend about 80 miles from home. AAA took an hour and a half before they called back and said they couldn’t find anyone to do the tow. We eventually asked our wives to bring down the suv, and we flat towed the car back. As it was late and cold, it would have been nice to know we couldn’t get the tow a lot sooner.
Weird to be reading through a thread like this, not having looked at the dates on the posts, and come across a post of your own.
I’ve never had an issue, they ask that it has plates on the phone but I always set a plate on it and say yes. The guy who picks it up doesn’t care.
If you have State Farm, forget AAA.
Sign up up for unlimited towing. It’s literally under $2 a month.
They will tow your vehicle, an unlimited amount of times and an unlimited distance....
Last night I very legitimately had the recently purchased F250 towed via AAA.
I have not had the truck long at all and have not driven it much. Yesterday, shortly after leaving a stop sign, the engine died very unceremoniously. Just lost all power. I costed to a neighborhood side street and off the larger road. It cranked very strong but did not start. Gas gauge is still pegged at FULL, just like when I bought it.
In retrospect, I realized I have never really bought gas for this truck. I have not driven it a lot but should be a little lower than fully pegged at full. I called AAA and asked for a tow but maybe just gas. AAA sent me a text with a link to a live GPS track of the truck coming, 20 minute ETA. I then got another text saying it would be a different truck and new ETA of roughly 20 more minutes.
When this truck #2 arrived I asked about gas and he stated he did not have and was just told to tow. As it was getting darker and colder, I did not feel like quibbling so I just had them tow me the 8 miles home.
This morning I put in 5 gal and it starts right up. Needle still pegged at FULL.
Crappy pic of it going onto flat bed.
Morning pic with fuel
Humorous note. I had my little 20lb, 5 yr old dog, Barney with me. The AAA driver seemed new and stuck to the rules that the dog could not ride with us in the tow truck but rather had to stay in the pickup. From my vantage point in the tow truck cab I could not see Barney. But, imagine this...for the first time in his life, Barney was completely alone in a moving vehicle. I imagine him sitting behind the wheel ala Toonces the Cat
Driver was real strict about plates and VIN to fill out his forms.
Recent pic of Barney...
I've only ever had them tow cars that I owned, two times were a car I bought that day and needed to get home. In the last 5 years or so, the driver has not asked me for my AAA card or registration.
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