In the automotive industry, things are constantly changing. Even today we see headlines about gas prices going up and down and the price of used cars soaring, not to mention the finance rates in constant flux. It’s simply the nature of the industry! There just is no such thing as a “fixed rate,” especially for auto transport.

But that means the last thing you need is the runaround when it comes to getting a firm cost to ship your car. The number one question people have when they’re trying to decide if they should ship a car, truck, or SUV is “What’s this going to cost me?” Understandably so!

Planning for a move, a student going to college, or a long trip means there’s a budget attached. Planning each line item is the responsible thing to do so you know what you need to save and what you’ll be spending! It doesn’t have to be such a difficult question.

This is an honest question we get. Crestline is not always the cheapest option around, although we do have competitive, fair rates. Why? The problem with some of those extremely low auto transport rates you see out there is that they aren’t what we would call a “firm price.”

Many auto transport brokers promise a low rate and then struggle to find a carrier (the actual truck and driver) to move the vehicle. That’s when you run into those nightmare scenarios you may have come across on Reddit: “They had my car for five weeks and I didn’t get any updates I didn’t know where my car was or when it would arrive!” It happens.

Our quoting system is much more sophisticated. We’ve invested in software that is accurate and our team approves every quote so that you don’t have to worry about that rate changing. We aren’t interested in being the cheapest option; we care about our customers too much. Quality auto transport service is valuable and we take the time to go the extra mile for each and every shipment.

If the original quote isn’t within your budget, ask us what we could do to help! Sometimes changing the day of dropoff, pickup, or even the destination can make a big difference. That communication element is what sets us apart.

Ask any truck driver and they’ll tell you: snow is their kryptonite. It’s simply not worth the risk to try to brave a snowstorm or icy roads. Winter weather causes delays and, because auto transporters prefer those warmer routes, it can potentially drive prices up. Keep that in mind if you’re going to Chicago, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, or another city where winter weather is a major force. There really isn’t a way around that one; except to budget appropriately or book your car shipping during spring, summer, or fall.

If you need to get your car from Point A to Point B, you’ve got a choice to make: do you drive or ship your car? As an example, a lot of people are moving from California to Texas. In the past*, we have shipped an early 2000s vehicle along that route for about $80. If you were to drive the same distance, you might spend about $250 just in gas.

While that may seem like the cheaper option at first, once you tack on a hotel for the overnight trip and an oil change before, and some tire rotation or alignment afterwards (not to mention the cost of losing two days due to driving, and the cost of the extra miles and wear and tear on your car), it starts to look pretty comparable. You’re saving miles on your car and saving tons of time.

*It’s hard to give blanket estimates for costs as shipping a car depends on the type of vehicle, the time of year, and the specific city origin and destination. But we work hard to give honest, accurate quotes in real-time. All you have to do is call us, text us, or submit your vehicle details to get a rate in seconds.

If you’re on a budget, don’t worry. Car shipping can still be feasible for you. Be sure to choose an open carrier for auto transport. Open carriers can fit multiple vehicles on them at once keeping efficiencies high and dropping the prices for everyone. For more information on different car hauling trailers, check out our Trailer Types.

The best thing you can do if you need to save on auto transport is be flexible, and plan ahead. Give us a range of dates for pickup and dropoff, leaving us room to negotiate the best route for our carriers. Last minute planning always drives the cost up, so book your car shipping ahead of time if at all possible.

Pay attention to where the people are. As we said, there’s been a lot of movement between California and Texas, and those more popular routes can mean discounts for you. Moving for the military? Don’t forget to ask us about discounts; we are proud to support our service men and women.

When in doubt, just ask. It never hurts! If you’re trying to stick to a particular budget, let our team know. We love communicating with each and every one of our customers to work things out so your experience is as smooth as possible. Let our experts check a nearby city, or change your timeline by a day or two to see if it results in any savings. And, with no cancellation fee – if you decide to drive you don’t have anything to stress about!

Happy car shipping.