For car collectors and enthusiast moving their classic vehicles can be very tedious and time-consuming. Think about the time they invested in finding the right vehicle, examining the ink patterns and punctures on stamps, meticulously applying a logo, or restoring the damaged parts. No one can estimate their anguish if some ill luck befalls their vehicle during transit. If it were for them, they would never want their cars to move, especially over a long distance. But unluckily, this is not always the case.

The US is the largest market for classic cars. In 2020, the country earned more than $14 billion in revenue. By 2024, and according to Statista, the market is projected to grow to $18.77 billion. So it is likely that more buyers would want their vehicles to be shipped to their destination.

Why is Relocating Your Car Challenging?

Relocating your car requires more than just packing your collection. It needs meticulous planning and organizing to ensure your new collection reaches its new home safely. Temperature, humidity, and interaction with harmful chemicals are factors you must be aware of. The expertise of people who will most likely handle your car also makes a difference. But until your vehicle is not shipped to its new location, you need to find a place to keep it temporarily. One such place is economical and provides complete security— a storage unit.

If you did not know before, storage units also provide space for cars. Find a nearby storage facility or find it online. If the state and city where you bought the car are famous for restoring and selling classic cars, like Rockwall in Texas, finding a storage unit in the vicinity is much easier. For instance, you will type in ‘car storage Rockwall TX’ and a list of options should appear. Once you find the storage facility, you can keep your car there until you find a reliable moving company.

Car moving is a scary prospect, but it can become easier if you know what route to follow and avoid at all costs. Realizing the trial of car collectors, this article presents a brief but trustable guide about moving vehicles.

Look for a Trusted Mover Company

You cannot keep your car in the storage unit for eternity; after all, you bought the car to enjoy its ride or add one more gem to your classic collection. So, you have to make arrangements to ship it to its final destination. And since you can most probably not manage a DIY move, hiring a trusted moving company is a must. But, you cannot hire just any mover company for this job. Therefore, list down at least ten mover companies. Search online about their operations, visit their websites, go through their customer reviews, and get quotes to compare. Write down all this information to make a comparison.

Don’t be tempted to go with the company with the cheapest rates. Many fraudulent companies in the market are ruining people’s prized possession. You can easily avoid this but looking at reviews and asking your peers about the mover’s market reputation. Alternatively, high prices also don’t represent high quality; they might have overpriced their services. Go for the one with the most positive reviews and a reasonable price quote.

Enclosed Car Transport

There are two ways to transport classic cars: open car transport and enclosed car transport. Open car transport is less pricey, but it is also less safe for your vehicle. Your car will be put onto an open trailer and fastened with the hooks under the edges on either side of the trailer. The ropes completely trap the cars, but cars are still prone to getting scratches and dings.

On the contrary, enclosed car transport is much safer. The car is safe inside the cordoned-off trailer, away from external elements and damages. When shipping cars through water, classic steel containers are used to enclose them. These containers are completely secure, like a box with no chance of harm.

People use both of these options to ship their vehicles, but, in general, open transport is better when the car has a restoration activity planned upon arrival at the destination. But if your vehicle is in mint condition, then preferring enclosed car transport is wiser.

Prepare Your Vehicle for Transportation

After choosing the moving company and transportation type, now it is time to prep your car for the actual send-off. You must check with your mover about preparing the vehicle. Some companies prohibit their customers from leaving certain items in the vehicle, such as personal belongings or fuel.

Also, clean your vehicle meticulously, and inspect every detail. If you know a few spots or scratches on the car, make a list and take photographs for future reference. If further damage happens to your vehicle during transit, you will be eligible to hold the company responsible.

Vehicle Insurance

After spending so much time and effort finding your dream vehicle, you cannot take even a little risk when ensuring its safety. Therefore, ensuring your vehicle from any damage is necessary. But ordinary car insurance does not provide ample protection. Likewise, the car mover company’s insurance is also negligible, not sufficient to pay for the damages, if any happen. Therefore, you must protect your classic car with an agreed value policy.

Policy insurance is based on the value you decided with the insurance company. Thus, you can consider the money spent on restoring the car and the resultant elevation in its price beyond its market value. This insurance is ample to recoup the money and time spent collecting the vehicle in case of any damage during transportation.

Contract Before Paying Token Money

Having a written contract is the only legal tool by which you can hold the company responsible in case of damage to your vehicle. Therefore, you must have a written agreement in your hand before paying the token money. Carefully read through the contract, and clear your ambiguities about their policies. Especially, find out about the hidden charges you might be required to pay later. If so, don’t hesitate to ask for an explanation.

Check for Car Cancellation Fees

While discussing policies, ask for cancellation fees if your plans get changed. Some car mover companies have reasonable and transparent car cancellation policies and do not severely penalize their customers. If your selected company levies hefty fines for cancellation, you may want to reconsider your decision.

Conclusion

Moving is often stressful, and the process gets more complex with each new piece added to your list. Relocating a classic car is even more taxing. The cost in case of any mishap can be unbearable. Car collectors are also emotionally attached to their possessions too. So, anything going haywire during transit can take a toll on them emotionally. Therefore, they must have a foolproof plan for moving their car from pickup to destination. Some of the tips mentioned in this article can help car collectors planning to move their classic vehicles shortly.