How to ship a project car??

I have a buyer for my TVR, but he is asking me to deliver the car at his expense. He's also not going to see the car until I deliver it, but has agreed to sending me 2/3 of the total payment up front so I don't make the trip for nothing if he decides he doesn't want the car.
I've had trouble getting interest in the car, so I'd like to sell it to him, but he's 700 miles away from me. It would take two days of my time, and I'd have to rent a trailer and get a room for a night. Like I said, he's willing to pay for my expenses, but I'm wondering if there is a better way to do this. The problem is that the car is not running and comes with a Suburban-load of parts, including some glass that is unobtainium if broken.

Maybe do it and suggest that if he backs out, you'll keep some reasonable portion of his deposit as you'll have to make the trip there and back. Given the rarity of some of the parts, it's probably better to transport it yourself.

www.uship.com Used it several times, no complaints.

dj06482 wrote: Maybe do it and suggest that if he backs out, you'll keep some reasonable portion of his deposit as you'll have to make the trip there and back. Given the rarity of some of the parts, it's probably better to transport it yourself.

That's what I would do if I had the time to spare.

sporqster wrote: www.uship.com Used it several times, no complaints.

I've used u-ship also...once for a project car I bought off a member here (v6 Sprite), once for an engine, and once for a motorcycle. Each time things went pretty smooth and I saved time and money.

I used uship once and the driver was okay with me putting a pile of parts on his trailer (in addition to the pile of parts shaped like a car). He even nicely helped me load. But the parts were not unobtainium glass! I would be nervous about that.

You never mentioned what town it needs to travel to/from.

JohnRW1621 wrote: You never mentioned what town it needs to travel to/from.

I guess I didn't think it mattered. It would be from Tallmadge Ohio to Lexington Mass.

dculberson wrote: I used uship once and the driver was okay with me putting a pile of parts on his trailer (in addition to the pile of parts shaped like a car).

Would that include about 10 thirty gal storage bins?

I agree it really comes down to whether or not you have the time. Although he's' willing to put down a good portion and he's serious, I would negotiate a specific dollar amount that is deemed shipping/handling. That way, worst case, if he backs out, you're paid fairly for your time, and you're no worse off other than the lost time.

bravenrace wrote:

dculberson wrote: I used uship once and the driver was okay with me putting a pile of parts on his trailer (in addition to the pile of parts shaped like a car).

Would that include about 10 thirty gal storage bins?

It totally depends on the shipper and how much room he has on the trailer. Since uship is a "marketplace" type deal, the individual shippers vary as much as the sellers on Craigslist. (ie, a lot.) I haven't used uship lately but I bet there's a way you could put in comments that the car has the bins of parts with it.

bravenrace wrote:

JohnRW1621 wrote: You never mentioned what town it needs to travel to/from.

I guess I didn't think it mattered. It would be from Tallmadge Ohio to Lexington Mass.

I figured that your needs might align with some here's holiday travel plans over then next month.
If it needed to go to Huntsville, AL; my brother-in-law arrives today and heads back Sunday. I am sure he would have liked the offset on his travel expenses by hauling back a one-way Uhaul trailer if you paid for it.
It is, after all, the largest travel weekend of the year

In reply to JohnRW1621:

Thanks, that's a good idea, although this wouldn't be happening that soon. In any case, if anyone happens to have a similar situation in the next month or so, and is travelling between somewhere reasonably close to me and Boston, let me know.

my only issue with shipping a car.. when I had my saab shipped out from Ohio.. somebody cut all the cats off of the cars on the trailer.. sadly, they cut the downpipe on my saab, which has proven to be a PITA to get a decent replacement

Okay, let's talk a little bit more about the idea of me delivering the car. I figure I'll have the following costs:

$400 for gas (1400 miles at 15mpg and $4.00/gal)
$75 for a hotel room
$150 for a trailer
$50 for food

These are rough estimates, and obviously don't include anything for my time. So costs will likely be around $700. The best price the buyer has gotten so far is $900, so he's interested in me delivering it. So what am I missing? I've never delivered a car this far away before, so I'd like some pointers from those that have. Thanks guys!

Tolls? Dragging a trailer down a toll road can get surprisingly expensive.

In reply to peter:

I didn't think of that. I'm not sure what route I'll take to get there, but I'll definitely keep that in mind. Thanks!

Datsun1500 wrote: If he can get it shipped for $900, do it. Your time is worth more than $200, not to mention the hassle. You are spending your time and effort saving him $200, not saving yourself $200. Why?

To sell the car.

If the 200 is a deal breaker for him then knock 200 off the car and save yourself the hassles, time, wear and tear on the tow rig, and possibility of Murphys law costing you far more than 200. Have HIM hire the shipper.

I also think your expense list is a bit optimistic to start with. Mass Pike (toll road) will be one of the shortest/quickest paths.

In re-reading this, my biggest concern is that the guy has the ability to back out if he doesn't like it after you've blown two days in the truck. Can you get a more firm commitment out of the guy? If not, then shipping it might be the answer because then he has to take it.

In the you deliver it scenario, he holds all the cards. When you get there, he could just lowball you because you're in a weaker bargaining position. If you ship it and he decides he doesn't want it, then he has to put the money out to ship it back. My guess is he'll be more likely to keep it under that scenario.

Not sure how well you know the prospective buyer and if you can get a good feeling of how serious he is. Offering to send 2/3s of the money sounds serious, but if it's PayPal and he doesn't go through with the deal, he'll get all that money back. I've done several long distance deals with great people, but if one side isn't completely honest, it can go very wrong very quickly.