Car shipping in Florida

[john.mancini]

 I am looking to have a 230SL shipped from Venice, Florida to Titusville, Florida. It's 200 miles one way. Can anyone recommend a shipper who takes one car at a time in the Sarasota/Tampa area? Thank you.

[Jordan]

John, I don't know if you have a vehicle with a hitch or maybe a friend has a pickup with a hitch.  You could always just rent an auto hauler from U-Haul.  Very easy to load and unload and quite cheap.  Get the one you put all four wheels on, not the dolly.  I've used them several times to move cars and trucks.

[john.mancini]

That's a thought, but would prefer to have an expert haul it. Thanks though Jordan.

[Norm]

 Try your local high end car dealer (MB, Lexus, BMW, etc.) and ask who they use to transport dealer trades.

Norm

[Benz Dr.]

Least expensive way is to have it moved on a car hauler. This usually means waiting until they have a load of cars moving from your area but it can be quite effective if you are not in a hurry.

[Rothko]

As you probably know, there are tons of auto haulers down here in Florida.  But most of them take cars back and forth from the north (I track the seasons by the appearance and disappearance of the car carriers).  Not really across the state.  Still, you might get lucky with someone who is repositioning a truck from the west coast to the east coast.

[250PWC]

I am also in the process of having one of my cars sent to Pierre in Titusville for scheduled maintenance. I’m currently looking for an auto transport and thinking about using this particular firm for locating a candidate.

https://www.centraldispatch.com/

[Vander]

I am also in the process of having one of my cars sent to Pierre in Titusville for scheduled maintenance. I’m currently looking for an auto transport and thinking about using this particular firm for locating a candidate.

https://www.centraldispatch.com/

Central Dispatch is great, I use it all the time. But I don't believe individual consumers can use it. It's designed for dealers, brokers, and transportation companies only.

[Vander]

When I first bought my 280SL 5 years ago I needed to move it 150 miles. I called AAA, a flat bed showed up IMMEDIATELY. First 100 miles were free, the last 50 miles cost me $4/mile or $200.

So basically I made one short, easy, phone call and had my Pagoda loaded and delivered in under 3 hours for $200.

[lreppond]

I’ve also used AAA and Hagerty the same way that Vander did for two different cars.  One was picked up in a covered transport truck!   I always purchase the premium towing package because it offers more mileage for not that much more. 

[john.mancini]

Thank you all. I took my old friend, Norm's advice, and it worked! Local MB dealer referred me to a local car hauler who specializes in short trips.

Thanks again!

[Cees Klumper]

My advice is get a firm quote, no ifs and or buts. I was shystered by a towing company once (Dispatcher: "It should be around X". Driver with the actual bill: "That's only for one way"). Got a firm quote the next time from a different company, their driver tried it again but as I had a guaranteed quote all he said was "Oh well, if that's what they told you".
At least that's my experience around Long Beach, CA. Bit of a shady business here.

[john.mancini]

All great advice. Thank you.