The number one thing you want to know about auto transport is WHAT IS IT GOING TO COST.

We get it. Who doesn’t want to save money? Ultimately, everyone researching auto transport companies is going to be focused on price. After all, car shipping isn’t something that you’re going to need every day. This is a once-in-a-while kind of thing, and it can be a bit of an investment.

If you’re moving, you’ve probably got a budget you’re trying to stick to. You may have relocation compensation offered to you by a company. So you head to Google or Facebook, or you visit reputable shipping sites like UShip, and start asking for recommendations for a moving company. You start collecting quotes based on how much stuff you have and where you’re moving it. You get three or four quotes, and one of them is WAY cheaper than the others. Should you go with that moving company? Should you trust the cheapest mover?

It’s the same process when you’re looking for a car mover!

Yes, shipping a car can be as little as $250 for a few hundred miles, but shipping a large truck or SUV from Maryland to California can get pricey. Is it worth it to save a couple of bucks?

You wouldn’t trust the lowest priced remodeling company to redo your bathroom.

You wouldn’t buy the lowest priced vehicle at an auto dealership (which likely has a lot wrong with it.)

You wouldn’t buy discounted sushi from a gas station.

The bottom line is this: auto transport is TOO important to take a chance on. Your vehicle is essential to your livelihood. It’s how you get to work, and how you take your kids to school. Your car is an investment — maybe you don’t drive a fancy sports car, but just the same — you have spent your hard earned money on your mode of transportation and you rely on it. Car shipping is a serious matter, because you’re allowing someone else to take your car on an extended trip. Somebody you don’t know. You won’t be there to keep your eyes on it. You need somebody who you can trust.

We want to save you this hard lesson. Don’t book an auto transport company based on price alone!

Many companies will use this method of lowballing you a quote to get you lured into booking with them. What you don’t see are the never ending handling fees and surcharges that are added on after that. Remember to compare apples to apples! And, if it sounds too good to be true…. (if you get three quotes and one is drastically lower than another) it probably is. Listen to that inner voice telling you something is fishy.

There is probably no customer service department. Yikes! Who are you going to call when you don’t know where your car is? What if your car doesn’t arrive on time? Be ever so careful. Some car shipping companies might be super cheap – because you’re dealing directly with the carrier, the people who will physically load your car onto a trailer and drive it to the destination. Cutting corners this way can be a huge risk to take. First of all, it’s no skin off their back if you aren’t happy or happen to not fit into their schedule. Carriers will have limited car hauling trailers and availability. Most of the time they aren’t able to guarantee safe delivery or particular timelines like a broker can. And, if they have no online presence … they aren’t beholden to providing you with a great experience to preserve their reputation.

It is really unfortunate, but we can’t tell you how many calls we get about people who have paid a deposit for moving their car, and yet it’s been more than 3 weeks and there has been zero movement. No truck. No scheduling. Nada. In most cases, they’ve paid a deposit that they won’t get back. How does this happen? They paid a disreputable company who put their car out on a national dispatch list at a completely unreasonable rate. Their car never will be picked up. The company has made their money on the deposit, and has no concern for the customer at all! We have also heard of people who’s cars are being held at a ransom. “We’ll deliver your car if you pay a remaining balance of $650.” WHAT? That should never ever happen! Be sure you’re dealing with an honest company. Check the BBB. Check Google ratings. Find out if it’s just a shell company with a one page website that no one has ever heard of before. Find out if they do business with auto dealerships. It takes a little time to do your research, but that is far better than being stuck without your car for weeks on end or paying way more than you expected.

Remember this one thing if you’re thinking about auto transport for the first time, or using the cheapest one you can find: Reputation is EVERYTHING. Better to pay a little bit more for great service and someone who is going to be very careful – remember, your car is going to be loaded on a trailer and hauled across the country! You don’t want someone who isn’t skilled handling your vehicle. At the very worst, you could get scammed. But why take a chance of even having to deal with the hassles of late or lost cars, or even damage to your vehicle?

Book with a reputable company like Crestline Auto Transport. Are we the absolute cheapest auto transport company? Probably not. But you bet that we stay on top of every little change in the car shipping and logistics industry and we’ll do our best to give you a competitive price that takes into account ALL the details for whatever you need! That means no surprise hidden fees. And, we’ll give you the best customer service to back it up.